I have been studying Canine Osteopathy over the last 2 years at the London College of Animal Osteopathy in order to improve and upgrade my skills from Canine Myofunctional Therapy (CMT).
Osteopathy techniques for dogs use the range of motion of each joint in their body to free up nerves, increase blood flow, improve muscles and ligament health.
A lot of dysfunctions and diseases relate to and transfer to the spinal column e.g. a dog may have a restriction / tightness / spasm along the lumbar spine (on its back), but this may have been caused by a digestive or metabolic issue.
Another example is that the respiratory system is affected by the health of the thoracic spine. The dog may have some soreness between their shoulders, but this essentially effects the whole thorax and the ribs and can cause problems in the lungs and / or circulatory issues can be the result.
As an osteopath I donโt treat just the symptoms that are obvious. If I only treated the sore back, I would miss the potential problems in the gut or lungs or lymphatic system. An osteopathic assessment is like detective work between the dog, me and also the owner who can give clues as to what may be going on.
In the video you can see a snippet of me assessing and treating Banjo: all the techniques we use in canine osteopathy are gentle and dog-lead and have a huge impact on different dysfunctions and diseases.
Meet my gorgeous patient Booker ๐:
At his de-sexing surgery, the vet noticed that something might not be right in Booker's hind end and thanks to quick thinking took x-rays of the hips while Booker was still under anaesthesia.
The x-rays revealed that Booker has bilateral hip dysplasia as a genetic defect.
Booker was 6 months old at the time and running around like a normal cheeky boisterous puppy and no one would have seen that he suffers from hip dysplasia.
The good news is that the specialist has advised that no surgery is needed at this stage and his condition can be managed with ongoing therapy, a terrific raw diet and supplements and a common sense approach to life e.g. no ball throwing, slow gentle walks in a ergonomic harness etc.
It just goes to show that yes, very young dogs can have conditions such as hip dysplasia and no, you may not see it and yes, you have paid a lot of money to the breeder but no, that doesn't ensure that you get a perfectly healthy puppy.
Always have your puppy checked during their development!
New clients sometimes worry that their dog may not lay down and keep still for the massage.
Some dogs are super active, some are in pain but they all know what's good for them. Once they feel the relief from the massage and stretches, they usually settle down and don't want to be anywhere else.
Odin was a bit hesitant in his first session because massage strokes are very intentional and deep and that's a new sensation for most dogs. But once the nervous system understands that good things are happening, the dogs mellow right into their sessions.
Do you wonder what the best physical activity for your dog is?
Do you question yourself if you're walking your dog far enough each day?
Do you make them run or chase a ball for extra fitness?
Here's a video of my patient, 6-year old Ally who has suffered from (partial) tears in both her cruciate ligaments. The first one in her left at age 18 months, the right side about one year ago.
You can see her knees sticking out - we can't fix skeletal issues but with regular myofunctional treatments she's able to fulfil movement that her body has adapted to in an optimal way for her condition.
She's also in a lot less pain and her owners were able to reduce medication drastically.
Ally took part in our "Canine Seniors: Body & Brain in Balance" online course to learn physio exercises to strengthen her muscles, increase range of motion and foster body awareness and therefore improve balance and joint stability. Our Canine Seniors course also teaches owners how to perform a few simple stretches and massage techniques on their dogs safely. Ally asks her mum daily to do these with her.
Combined with good walking equipment = harness and long leash, natural supplements and a good diet, Ally has a lot of reasons to be a very cheeky girl again ๐
Ash is having weekly myofunctional therapy sessions.
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he has no orthopaedic or musculo-skeletal problems and we want to keep it this way.
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myofunctional treatments also help with the balance in the digestive, cardiovascular, hormonal and lymphatic system so is a good all round health insurance.
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after massaging the muscles, we perform stretches and passive range of motion exercises.
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Ash is snoozing and dreaming while being treated which is a good sign of relaxation and healing.
My friend 12-year old Ruby has been my patient since November ๐ฅฐ
Back then the vet suggested to take her left front leg off due to ongoing complications in her left shoulder.
However, it could not be done at the time because of Ruby's severe bilateral hip dysplasia. She looked like she was walking / stumbling around on 2 legs: her back legs seemed almost fused to one and she constantly held her front leg up.
With an intensive myofunctional therapy plan plus kinesiology taping, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy and red light treatments, we managed to improve her hind end so that she could use her hind legs individually again.
This meant that she could have her front leg amputated successfully in April. With ongoing myotherapy we ensured that the healing process would continue and Ruby is now off her pain medication and running around happily again ๐๐๐ .
I now only see her every 3-4 weeks for ongoing maintenance massages.
This is how to massage a cat
My early morning appointment at 7am included a cat massage. "Big Puss" has employed "Buster" as his personal full time myotherapist and while I was massaging Buster, Buster massaged Big Puss. This is what the two do all the time - I reckon the cat has trained the dog very well. Aren't they just adorable
I hope you have been enjoying lots of enriching games with your dogs during this "stay home" phase. Here, Ash is using his snuffle mat. "Sniffing games" are supposed to be calming and promote relaxation:
- sit down next to your dog, don't talk, turn the TV off, don't potter around
- observe their calming posture: tail down, not wagging, ears relaxed
- use big enough treats that are easy to get to, not crumbles
- let your dog enjoy their puzzle away from other dogs in the household even if they're good together around food - it's meant to be relaxing, not put under pressure from others
- puzzles are supposed to be easy if you want to promote focus, concentration and relaxation
- difficult games lead to frustration: pawing at the pieces, pulling, pushing are signs that the puzzle is not enjoyed by the dog but instead increases adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones)
- play easy fun games.... "teasing games" are NOT fun for animals that play with a survival instinct in mind
- 1-5 minutes is long enough to keep it entertaining without being too much, 1-2 games a day is plenty of stimulation if played correctly
So much fun this afternoon with the "Pooches on Parade" at the Maryborough Street Party as a fundraiser for the Animal Refuge. One lucky pooch is going home with a gift voucher for a myofunctional treatment - yay!
