Massage Therapy for Dogs

Canine massage therapy is an effective way to relieve a pet’s pain, release tension, and soothe sore muscles. Dog’s with an injured or weakened limb may overcompensate and put increased pressure on their healthy limbs, massage can help a dog adjust and relieve the stress on the healthy legs. Massage is beneficial for a wide range of pets including senior pets who are starting to slow down or lose strength, recovery from illness or after a surgery, mobility loss or a disabled pet.

Benefits of Massage Therapy for Disabled Dogs

A range of different massage techniques will be used for a disabled dog to help them reduce tension and stabilize their joints. Mobility loss or neurological conditions effect a dog’s gait, cause persistent limping or other muscles issues that may cause the dog to work harder. Massage therapy is deeply beneficial for pet’s with mobility issues, canine massage benefits include:

Increased range of motion
Improve comfort
Balance muscles
Improve balance and coordination
Manage pain
Help dog get back to normal life and normal movement
Reduce anxiety caused by pain

Massage is important for Tripod dogs – when a dog loses a limb their balance shifts on to the remaining legs. This increases stress and may lead to injury or pain in the remaining leg. A massage therapist can help your dog acclimate to their new way of standing and walking.

Canine Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life

Lalla, a certified canine massage therapist, by Clicking Here would like to share some examples of how canine massage therapy helped various dogs.

Please note that Canine massage therapy is not an alternative for veterinary medicine.

1) Can climb the staircase again.

A 12 years old Chihuahua mix canine was very reluctant of climb staircases. Her owner noticed that she has been stretching her back many times a day. She received massage twice a week for one month. After the 3rd week, the owner noticed that she started to run the staircase up and down the staircase again and often jumped into her bed as if she was flying. The owner also noticed that she stopped stretching her back after she started to receive massage. She is more active now and she can use her doggie door again. She still receives massage once a week and she is doing very well.

2) Guide dog for the blind

A 2 ½ year old guide dog for the blind received massage several times because he had many knots in his muscles due to the heavy harness he wore to guide his blind owner. The owner was very happy because her guide dog was able to concentrate better and he enjoyed being massaged. The owner strongly believes that all the guide dogs for the blind need canine massage therapy for the guide dogs’ physical and metal wellbeing.

3) Reduce stress of wearing E-collar

Imagine that you have an E-collar on your neck for 3 weeks for 24 hours a day. You try to move your neck left and right as you walk so that the E-collar does not hit against walls and door frames. When your E-collar hits something, it creates a large sound right next to your ear. Think about how stressful that would be. Also you may have a stiff shoulder and neck pain caused by the E-collar.

A 6 year old Tibetan Terrier wore a large E-collar for over 3 weeks all day long. His E-collar hit chairs, doors, walls and even staircases every time he moved and made loud noise. His neck muscles were swollen. He was scared of the noise his E-collar made and was stressed out. To reduce his stress, the owner used Canine massage therapy. It was very effective for reducing his stress and the swelling of his neck muscles.

Canine massage therapy can be beneficial to your canine family members in many ways. When your canine family members are physically handicapped or with injuries, etc. , they use other muscles in order to compensate for the muscles they cannot use or cannot use well. Canine massage therapy can help the overworked muscles heal faster and better. Canine massage therapy also works for older dogs. When their muscles are in tune, they are less likely to get injured.