Canine Health & Mobility

18/08/2024

While we have been traveling, we found many interesting places where Banjo and Ash could do their daily exercises 🐕🐶
Rather than a strict physio program with prescribed exercises, I see it more like a bit of fun for the dogs to engage in physical activities while we're out on a walk 🌿
It's great to strengthen their rear, teach balance and coordination, engage muscles in all parts of the body which in turn goes hand in hand with good Mobility and Longevity 🐾
Plus a few treats never go astray 😆

15/07/2024

I will always and forever suggest to my clients to walk their dogs SLOWLY 🐾🐕
This is so important to support the mobility and physical health of their dogs and costs exactly ZERO. 🤑
And because the mind and the body are connected, we want our dogs to have a calm life, with a nervous system that can comprehend environmental influences and is able to heal, rest and restore 🌿.
We just love seeing dogs being walked with a loooong "smiling" leash 💜

www.smilingleash.com

29/05/2024

I am changing my business name to "Canine Health & Mobility".
I feel this is a better reflection of the services I provide for my canine patients.
Osteopathy and Myofunctional Therapy are not only treatment options for mobility issues but their health benefits go far beyond restoring orthopedic functions and include healing and restoration of internal health and organs as well.
Combined with my knowledge as a Canine Nutritionist, my treatments are bespoke therapy sessions to help my four-legged patients heal from a variety of conditions and can have long-lasting effects on their overall health, mobility and longevity.

The below video is a fantastic explanation of what a Canine Osteopath does:

Have a question about your pet's health? Connect with a certified veterinarian 24/7 ➜ https://www.healthcareforpets.com/ask-a-vet/Shop PetWorthy! Quality pro...

24/05/2024

Do you have a senior dog? 🐶
Or a pooch recovering from injury/ surgery? 🐾
Are you doing gentle exercises with them or are you afraid you would do something wrong?

A few years ago, Tessa from Puzzle Dog 🧩 and I created an online course for dog owners so they can learn how to do simple exercises with their aging dogs.
These exercises are gentle and with loads of instructional text, photos and videos for each activity, it gives owners the right information of what is safe to do with their dogs.

There are two amazing parts to this course which makes it the only one that considers physical as as well as mental health and pain-reducing activities: combined with the physio exercises, Tessa explains the importance of mental and emotional well-being for dogs through engaging them in puzzles.
She has put a wonderful array of simple to follow puzzles together for this course and it is the connection of the puzzles and the physical activities that makes this course so successful in the rehabilitation of our senior dogs. They deserve it!

Please check it out so you can help your dog live happier and more agile in their senior years.

Keep your dog's aging body and mind in great shape through exercises and puzzles

12/05/2024

Happy Mother's Day to all you special pooch-mummas out there 🌺💐
Being the mum of one senior doggo, I wanted to share the following article again to highlight how lucky we are to have these wonderful wise old souls in our lives and to be able to "mother" them with a few extra considerations.

When does a dog enter the “senior years”? o Small breeds 9-11 years, large and giant from 4-5 years, medium e.g. Border Collies, Labradors 8-10 years BUT it all depends on individual genes and circumstances e.g. a dachshund may not be aging until they’re 11 years old, but chances are that due ...

03/05/2024

Most dog owners contact me because their beloved pet has a mobility issue e.g. due to old age or an injury.
But very few people understand that osteopathic treatments on their dogs actually help heal much more than just the physical side of things.
Osteopathy addresses internal structures as well and therefore influences hormonal balance, organ repair, nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory function and it all comes together when the body is able to heal itself from whatever ailments are present.
Most of my clients let their dogs have monthly maintenance treatments after the initial healing phase for mobility concerns and it is exactly those dogs who have improved their overall health, other previous issues resolved or are getting better over time and those "oldies" just keep on going and going.
Please read on to witness one of my precious patient's story: Thanks to Rosie's mum who has taken the time to tell us what a year worth of monthly myofunctional and osteopathic treatments have done for her beloved senior dog:

"Rosie is my sweet yet sassy 12-year-old miniature Poodle/Maltese. Ever since she was a puppy, she suffered with frequent stomach pain, vomiting and haemorrhagic diarrhoea. The vet once described it to me as “Doggy Crohn’s.” Rosie spent so much time at the vet in her younger years, frequently needing IV therapy and medications to settle her extreme flares. We tried every diet-raw, grain free, home cooked, prescription food and single proteins to name a few. Nothing helped. The flares would come and go constantly no matter what we tried. In 2019, Rosie’s health and weight declined rapidly. We made the difficult decision to start steroids as we felt we were out of options. Thankfully, the steroids helped Rosie immensely. For the first time in her life, she was excited to eat and putting on weight. It felt like a miracle. However, we were warned the steroids would eventually damage her organs, especially her kidneys. We accepted that Rosie would likely have a shorter, but better quality of life on the medication.

In 2023 we sought the help of Christina for our elderly Jack Russell JD after he sustained a large fall. Christina’s treatments helped JD significantly, improving he’s mood, mobility and energy levels. During this time, Rosie began to limp on her left leg and was in obvious pain. We could no longer go on daily walks or beach trips. An X-ray and ultrasound revealed significant arthritis in her hip and an enlarged gallbladder, likely due to the long-term steroid use causing stress on the liver and kidneys. Her blood tests also confirmed her kidney and liver function was declining. We commended Rosie on catrophen injections for the arthritis with nil improvement. To complicate matters, she could not have any form of anti-inflammatory medication due to the steroid use as it would put her in renal failure. The Vets suggested trying Gabapentin which would lightly sedate her and help block the pain pathways. This is something we did not want to do. Luckily Christina was more than willing to help with Rosie’s deteriorating health.

After only a few months of treatment with Christina, Rosie stopped limping. Her energy and mood improved dramatically as we were able to go on walks again and she was no longer in pain. We were so happy and grateful in the improvement in her quality of life we continued her treatments with Christina. We took Rosie to the vet for her annual check-up in February 2024. We were convinced her blood tests would show another decline in her organ health, so we mentally prepared for bad news. However, her blood tests had actually IMPROVED. The vet was in absolute shock and disbelief at how this could be? She was still on steroid treatment and it had been 12months since her last blood test. Her words to us were “whatever you are doing, keep it up.” I explained Rosie was receiving myofunctional and osteopathic treatments from Christina for the last 12months. We didn’t change her diet or steroids in that time, the only difference was Christina’s treatments. The vet printed out the copy of the blood work, showing all the improvements. Not only did her kidney and liver function improve, some of her levels were back in normal ranges.

We are so thankful to Christina for the kindness, expertise and the genuine care she showed Rosie and JD. We cannot recommend her enough to anyone who wants the best care and quality of life for their dogs."

25/04/2024

Ash & Banjo have started an Instagram account and invite you follow them as they’re sharing tips on what they like (and dislike) when traveling, going on adventures or the everyday walk 🐕🐶.

We want this to become a pool of ideas for dog owners to turn “boring” walks into everyday outings with things to do like quick easy mobility exercises 💪, fun activities 👃 on the way and mental stimulation 🤯 while you’re out and about.

We will also package “the walk” and explain what dogs like to do before and after the walk and what you can do at home when you can’t walk your dog due to weather restrictions or physical limitations.

Ash is in his very senior years and his big brother Banjo is young and “leggy” but this Instagram account is meant to showcase beautiful little ideas that any dog and their owners can do to
make their everyday walks a bit more adventurous and healthy – so that they can live a happier and longer life 🐾
We’re hoping that one day, all our ideas we’re sharing on Instagram will turn into a book (told from Ash and Banjo’s side of the leash) with the motto:

“Unleashing the adventure – one pawsome walk at a time"

Please follow them on
ashie_banjo and let all your dog-loving friends know, too 😀

20/04/2024

We're off on an adventure...

Goodness for Paws is closing as we have decided to move away from the Fraser Coast in the search of somewhere cooler and greener 🌿.
We will be traveling south to find a new place to live with more space for the dogs to roam around, some gardens to grow vegetables, take on foster dogs and of course to set up a new business that involves dogs 🐾
I have sooo many ideas that are needed in the dog world and hope that I can realise them when we have found a new home. So stay tuned as this page transforms into my new business page.

You can follow Ash & Banjo (and me) on the boys' Instagram:
ashie_banjo 🐶🐕
We would love to see you there so Ash and Banjo can show you what they like to do on walks, where they go on adventures and other tips and tricks that dog owners can do for their dog's overall physical and mental health and longevity.

I can't say a big enough "Thank You" to my past clients around Hervey Bay who have been so amazing to let me treat their dogs. Most of my clients have been with me for many years and their dogs are still going strong thanks to their owner's commitment to monthly maintenance treatments after the initial healing phase. You are all fantastic dog lovers and I will miss you and your pooches very much 💛💚💙

17/04/2024

It's reviews like this that show that my work is my passion 💚🧡
I was lucky to meet little Milo and his pawrents yesterday for a first consult. As always in my initial treatment, I talk a lot about what the owners of the dog patients can do as part of the treatment plan and ongoing management of the condition to improve their dog's mobility and health.
Thank you for listening and taking it all on board!

05/04/2024

Last month I attended the Masterclass for Canine Osteopaths in the Southern Highlands, NSW.
It was an absolute privilege to be part of such a high-level hands-on workshop.
We worked our way through 20-30 dogs of all different breeds and sizes each day to acquire and practise new osteopathic skills.
The highlight for me was meeting so many like minded professionals who came from all different types of backgrounds (human osteos, hydrotherapists, Bowen therapists, vet nurses, energy practitioners, dry needling therapists etc.) as it was fantastic to hear about all their experience and expertise - and all of us being dedicated to helping dogs live healthier lives ❤️

And yes, on the last day Ash & Banjo got a treatment done as well ( but not by their mum - that was interesting 😆).