Taking a "holistic" view...

I recently met an ageing pooch with spondylosis.  

He was receiving hydrotherapy treatment to strengthen his hind limbs and provide some gentle exercise.  Whilst he was standing waiting for his session I could see the muscle atrophy through his hind limbs, and his balance was off too.

He wasn’t a client of mine but I briefly felt around his neck and chest area and noted that his whole front area was rock solid.  This particular dog would be more prone than others to a bulked up chest area due to his genetic build, however a lot of the tightness would likely come from compensating for the issues generated through his spinal and hind limb area.

Consider for a moment what happens when you are on all fours on the floor....seriously, get down on your hands and knees so you are on all fours and try this; Now remove one leg from the floor so you’re balancing on 3 limbs – note how your balance shifts and you put more weight through the other limbs to compensate; Now put that leg back down and try to haul yourself forwards without using your back legs to propel you - notice what happens now?  Ok, so I know this is an extreme (and simplified) example but it’s worth just reflecting for a minute on what our dogs have to contend with.

Now imagine you were to go for a walk in the water.  This would obviously help you because the buoyancy of the water would mean the pressure on your joint and limbs would be less, but you’d still be working that front area and not fully releasing those tight muscles.  Imagine how much free’er the movement would be, and the dog would feel, if the muscles (especially around the front) weren’t as tight. 

Massage can really help relieve the pain associated with overcompensation, and the mobility and flexibility can be encouraged by releasing tension in the tissues.

So whilst the inspiration for this post came from seeing a dog with spondylosis, the same principle can be applied to any dog with any of a number of hind limb issues…Massage combined with hydrotherapy is extremely beneficial J

Watch out for my next post… I took Asha to receive some treatment earlier and I’ll tell you all about it….

Massage for conditions such as arthritis, hip and elbow dysplasia...

It’s that time of year again - cold and damp - when our dogs with conditions such as arthritis, hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia seem to suffer a bit more.

I remember when our dog Asha was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia at 9 months old and the word arthritis was mentioned I thought it was the end of the world.  I imagined no more stick chasing, years of expensive treatment, mobility issues and a reduced quality of life.  I have learnt a lot since then.

Dogs affected by these conditions are in a similar situation to humans whereby changes in the weather, sleeping on hard surfaces and exercise which was previously ok can bring on varying degrees of pain and mobility problems.  They can affect dogs of any size or breed although some are certainly more prone than others, and discomfort ranges from extreme pain to minor discomfort.

Massage makes sense when keeping a dogs tissue as healthy as possible in order to keep the dog moving.  Whilst massage certainly cannot cure this, it can help relieve the secondary condition of muscle tightness and pain.  From a muscular perspective, the muscles tighten around the area of discomfort to protect it, but over time excessive or prolonged tightening can lead to these muscles becoming ischemic (blood flow is impeded) and trigger points (knots) developing.  Because the blood flow can’t get there, waste (such as lactic acid) builds up and the muscles themselves start to hurt.

And let us not forget about the rest of the body when one or more parts aren’t functioning optimally…other parts and other muscles become strained from overwork and compensating to protect the painful area, allowing the dog to keep moving….and the cycle starts again!

Massage therapy stimulates the circulation and gradually releases the muscle tension to increase the blood flow.  Increasing the blood flow to the tissues helps reduce soreness and congestion and promotes joint health.  Improved blood flow around the joint improves flexibility and reduces pain.

I have a number of clients with dysplasia or arthritis in some shape or form and comments following massage have included:

“…she even ran a bit which she hasn’t in ages…”, “…she voluntarily jumped up on the bed…”, “…she seemed so much more flexible and her mood seemed brighter.”, “Going down the stairs he is so much better – not looking so stiff…”, “…he jumped into the back of the car so much easier after the massage than he did before.”

And on that note, I’m off to give Asha her weekly session ;)

Here is Kingston's story...

I met Kingston, a beautiful 5 year old Great Dane, back in December 2014.   In November 2014 Kingston had been frolicking with his best friend Cleo – a 10 month old English Mastiff – when he fell backwards into the pond.  Unfortunately for Kingston, this meant he partially tore his right cruciate ligament.

When I met him he was being rested by his pet parents and was on lead walks only…no free range galloping around on the property!

Options provided for recovery were rest and confinement, and surgery.  His owners didn't want to go down the surgery route so were looking at other options.

The first time I saw Kingston I noted that he was not bearing weight on his right hind limb and his medial stifle joint felt larger on palpation than the left.  The second time I met him, we discussed hydrotherapy as a compliment to the massage, to help build up the strength of the muscles in his right leg as he was on minimal other exercise.

From a massage perspective it is important to not only work the tissue around the affected limb but also work the whole body.  On most occasions I see him I release trigger points in various places which means knots are being worked out from his muscles.  By keeping the tissue healthy and flexible in his other limbs, and throughout his body, it reduces the chance of further injury due to stiffness and tension.  By way of example I broke my rib go-karting once and I’m sure it had something to do with the tension and stiffness in my body which meant that on impact I didn't flex, I snapped L

Massage is not going to “cure” or “mend” the torn ligament but together with the regular hydrotherapy he is now weight bearing more and reports from the family are that he seems happier in himself.  He is still not fully functional in that leg, and he might not be but the massage and hydrotherapy has formed an important maintenance plan for him. 

I absolutely love my sessions with Kingston – he greets me so enthusiastically every time I arrive….and he even snored for me once J

Stats and Stories.....

2038   Blog page views

13       Days since Auckland Canine Massage has been officially open for business

348     Number of days since I first discovered canine massage was a “thing”

15       Days since website and Facebook page went live

128     Facebook likes

171     Days since my first blog post

6         Average age of my current four legged client base

Hundred’s - the hours of canine massage I have performed J

I've been asked a few times over the last week how and why I got into this field and over dinner this week a friend asked me whether I had exhibited any behaviours when I was younger that suggested I might eventually find myself massaging dogs for a living. 

When I asked my Mum she confirmed that as a child I always loved dogs.  Apparently, aged 6, I used to say that our English Cocker Spaniel (Misty) was MY dog, and I would get extremely upset when on returning from school and taking her for a walk as soon as I let her off the lead in the field she would run home to my mother!  Mum was at home, I was at school – makes sense now right.  

I was never afraid of dogs despite being bitten by a very cute West Highland White Terrier when I was about 5 – it was totally my fault!  I’d been told repeatedly not to touch strange dogs and especially not to put my hand through fences and gates to touch them, but I did – the little hand went through the gate and the dog bit me. He broke the skin but there was no lasting damage! Mum also remembered a time when I was allowed to walk their friends Springer Spaniel on the lead and was practically airborne with him pulling me down the lane.

It’s not Throwback Thursday I know, so here’s a few Freaky Friday photo’s of me growing up with our dogs…don’t judge me!

When I realised I’d gone as far as I wanted to go in my corporate career I really hoped that I would be able to work with dogs, but I wasn't sure in what capacity.  So when 348 days ago I saw someone perform a canine massage it was like a light went off and I said That’s it!  I remember coming home and phoning Mum to tell her and I could feel her smile to herself down the phone.

Having done my training though it does have its challenges…no longer do I simply smile and coo at dogs that walk past – now I look at them more intently and observe their gait.  I was walking to the butcher the other day and I could see a dog in the distance and I was watching its gait very closely.  Something didn't look quite right and sure enough when I got closer, it was a very old dog with a very old dog gait.

Up until now this blog has been all about me and my journey to become a Canine Massage Therapist but I’m open to ideas on related topics that you’re interested in.  If you leave a comment either on the blog or message me through the Auckland Canine Massage Facebook page I’ll incorporate your ideas into future posts….

Have a great weekend everyone J

Meet Mischa...

Mischa is a beautiful 11 and a half year old female German Shepherd.  She has an extremely gentle nature and is very friendly towards both people and dogs.  Each time I visit Mischa she runs to greet me, face smiling and normally showing off a toy.  She will sassily push her younger sister out of the way for a pat J

Sadly when Mischa was 8 and a half she was diagnosed with arthritis in her hips. Arthritis is a common ailment in general for larger dogs as they get older, and even more so unfortunately for breeds like German Shepherds.  Since her diagnosis Mischa takes a Fish Oil supplement to help keep her joints in the best condition possible.  In order to minimise the impact of exercise on her joints she has also had hydrotherapy regularly for the last few years.

Hydrotherapy is an excellent way to exercise dogs as it reduces the impact of exercise on their joints.  Mischa now goes on the underwater treadmill which encourages her to use her back legs in a stress free way.

She also still goes for normal walks…but takes her own time on these ;)

I have been providing therapeutic massage for Mischa since January to help relieve some of her arthritic pain.  At first she panted A LOT - telling me she wasn't quite sure about what I was doing.  But we took it very slowly and I spent a lot of time working her ears and neck to help calm her.  Now, whilst she normally pants at the start, she relaxes and calms more quickly.

After that first session her owners reported an increase in appetite and an improvement in spirits with her wanting to play.  Since then they report that she seems better for a good few days following her massage.

Massage is important not only to help relieve the pain in her back legs, but also to help keep the tissues around her front as healthy as possible as she front loads quite a lot when walking.  On average dogs carry 60% of their weight through their front so imagine how those front limbs are working if they have to compensate for carrying more!

Bully Olympics and a website!

Some of you will already know that I received my official certification in canine massage therapy last week.  I’m not kidding, I literally wept with joy when I got it!  I cannot begin to explain how I feel right now….both the Auckland Canine Massage website and the Facebook page (with nothing on it so don't go there yet!) are live.  I have business cards and flyers and I am ready to go!!!  It is all coming together J 

Do check out http://www.aucklandcaninemassage.co.nz/ .

So does this mean I’m going to stop my blog? Definitely not!  I am very much hoping that my future clients will be happy for me to talk about their stories and I know there will be many more learnings to share.

Last week I met up with Becky, who was the person who set me off on this journey in the first place.  Becky is moving back to the UK in March and will finish her course there at the Canine Massage Guild.  Even for just a morning it was awesome having someone in the same country to talk to about this work; we need more Certified Canine Massage Therapists in Auckland (and NZ in general).  I’m not afraid of competition…the more of us there are, the more good work can be done!

Having said that I had a great skype last week with Scott in Dallas as we discussed a number of canine related matters.  I’m so pleased I took the course I did, the communication between both instructors and students is excellent despite the obvious time and distance challenges.

What else can I say? Well it was a first for me when I attended the Bully Olympics out at the NZKC grounds at Ardmore.  I have never seen so many Bull Terriers in one place at the same time.  Such wonderful manners from the majority and as a group pretty chilled out animals, allowing their handlers to dress them up in all sorts of fancy dress getups lol.  

They also did some agility, egg and spoon racing (no, the dogs were not the ones carrying the eggs) and bobbing for apples.  Unfortunately Stanley who was a previous client of mine – see blog post from Nov 21st – didn't go home with a prize but he looked like he thoroughly enjoyed himself!  A great morning and lots of fun.

And the Aggie saga continues…..last week the physio thought there was something wrong with her paw… in yesterday’s session her paw was fine….. hmmm.

Countdown to a major milestone

In 17 days Auckland Canine Massage will officially be open J  

A massive thanks to the extremely talented Ani who has worked tirelessly on developing my logo, business cards, flyers etc.

Check out the final logo design below…..it makes me very happy!!!

I've been spending a lot of my time working on my website and with a bit of luck that will be live by this time next week together with the Facebook page, so watch this space for more updates!  

I can’t believe my dream of working with dogs is actually going to come true.  It was less than a year ago that I first discovered canine massage was a “thing” and wow, so much has happened since then. 

In between developing all the things that a business needs I've carried on seeing Aggie, Mischa, Kingston, Mako and Maggie.

Yesterday I was out with D’for Dog training on another of their Wild Wednesday Walks.  Stunning day again out at Whitford Forest with 6 dogs.  I never get tired of watching how they interact, I learn something every time.  Paula made a really good comment that whilst we may not always be able to hear it, as they are running around they are communicating with each other constantly.  When you stop to observe their body language and really look at them, they are and it’s fascinating to watch.

And finally an update on Asha….thankfully her lump was benign and having spent about 10 days sleeping with the cone of shame on and having no proper walks, she is now back to full health and exercise.  I’ve scheduled her in my diary for a regular weekly massage J

Aggie becomes an acupuncture pro!

Aggie is a 6 year old stumpy tailed cattle dog – Red Heeler for those who are familiar with the breed.

Aggie is massively ball focused, she LOVES them.  Since around Oct 2014 however, ball chasing has been out of bounds.  Following some major limping Aggie was taken to the vet where she was diagnosed with arthritis in her hips.

I first saw Aggie for massage in early December following this diagnosis.  I watched her gait and it was clear she was limping at the front, and on palpation she had tight bicep, quad and glute muscles.  She was on minimal exercise but had started hydrotherapy.

She went back to her normal vet at the end of December who said the issue wasn't with her hips, it was her shoulder.  So hydro stopped and she started having 10 min controlled walks.  She looked like she was getting a bit better, but then a major digging spree in the garden meant she was lame again.

Meanwhile massage continued – sometimes with treats, sometimes without depending on her mood ;).  She loves her raw food diet so a massage session often entails a frozen kidney or bone in a Kong to keep her focused.

By mid Jan she was back at the vet who suspected bicep tendonitis and a further specialist consultation confirmed it.

Since that diagnosis Aggie has had 2 physio sessions, 4 laser sessions, another visit to her normal vet, and 3 more massage sessions.

In yesterday’s physio session Aggie was an absolute star and relaxed enough for the physio to perform acupuncture – at one point she had 7 needles in.  It didn't seem to particularly bother her and in fact she got quite sleepy.  Acupuncture will help her enormously because it gets in deep in the muscle to release trigger points.

Massage is complementing these other treatments, in particular I have been using cross fibre friction on the origin of her bicep which she doesn't seem to mind at all, working on releasing trigger points, and general relaxation to aid recovery.

Aggie is still not playing with her beloved ball but she is having her 10 min walks, she’s also doing home physio exercises and stretches and is slowly but surely improving.  Go Aggie!!!

The power of teamwork

Another busy couple of weeks.  I've picked up 2 new case study clients; Maggie, the 3 year old Rottweiler, and Elvis the 7 year old Tibetan Spaniel.  Neither Maggie nor Elvis are really too sure what to make of massage, but we’ll get there!  At the moment we’re focusing mainly on trust building which is essential.

On Tuesday I was lucky enough to attend my first canine physio session with one of my clients.  It was sooo interesting!  What was also really cool was that the physiotherapist was supportive of massage and recommended some areas to focus on….The power of teamwork ;)

I met up with Kingston and his pet parents at WaterWoofs over the weekend when he had his first session on the underwater treadmill.  He handled it beautifully.  When you think about it from a dogs’ perspective it must be a bit unnerving at first…you are encouraged into an open topped glass box, the door is closed, water starts coming in round your feet and then OMG the thing starts moving under your feet.  It’ll be so good for him though, it should really help strengthen his muscles in his bad leg.

Asha and I went on an awesome walk last week on some farmland over in Mangere – check out the photo of Asha and Kelly preparing to cool off in the cow trough.  And yes, they did go in…and yes they were smelly!

Since I got back from Chicago I have been giving Asha regular massages (which she loves!) and in one of these sessions I felt a little lump at the back of her hamstrings that I hadn't noticed before.  I watched/felt it for a couple of weeks and yesterday we popped into the vet so it could be checked out.  Initial tests were inconclusive so she’s heading in for some minor surgery next week to have it removed – rather be safe than sorry.  If I hadn't been giving her regular massages it may have taken longer to notice it so I’m definitely going to be offering Pet Parent classes when I’m properly up and running so people can learn how to perform an assessment massage on their own pooch.  Not only does it help relax them, strengthen the bond between you, feel fantastic, but it also means you will identify anything that doesn't feel quite right!

Other big news, I've FINALLY landed on a logo design so will be sharing that soon….:)

There once was a dog called Asha...

There once was a dog called Asha who was a beautiful, soppy, loving, lazy, SPCA special.  Asha didn't complain about much, but when it came to nail trimming time she was having none of it.  Her owners weren't the most skilled at trimming nails when they first got her, so Asha may have been a bit surprised by the first ever nail trim…but she wasn't hurt.  She was fine with having her paws touched but following that first trim, she wouldn't let them do it again.  They tried all sorts - treats, holding her etc - but the only way they could cut her nails was when she was fast asleep on the sofa with her paws in the air.  There she would be, snoozing away blissfully dreaming of chasing rabbits (or Pukekos) when all of a sudden there would be a click and she’d be a nail down.   Damn those humans…now she’d have to leave the sofa and go and sleep somewhere where they couldn't get her.  This little routine went on every few months for about 3 years.

Once she even went to the Vet to have them clipped because only being able to do a claw a night at best, her owners had left it too late and they all needed doing before visitors arrived.  It took 3 people to hold her in place and she looked so scared that her owner decided never to put her through that again.

Then one of her humans read this book by Dr Sophia Yin called Low Stress Handling for Dogs & Cats. 

One of the chapters was about desensitization to nail clipping, so Asha found herself one evening lying on her side on the floor being fed yummy high value treats by one human, while the other one held her paw.  As soon as her paw stopped being held, the treats stopped so she enjoyed having her paw held.  The next evening there she was again lying on her side being fed the same yummy treats while the other one touched the clippers to her paw, then clipped in the air so she got used to the sound.  Again, lots of treats but slowly the length of time paw holding was going up and she was getting the treats now when the hands came off.

The next evening, she knew the drill so she led there patiently waiting for the treats, while the other one played with her paws…and clipped her nails!!!!  All of them that needed doing, front and back!  Awesome J She was jack-potted with treats for that.

The moral of the story…go at the pace of the dog, don’t hurry, let them get comfortable with what you’re doing in their own time…and always always associate it with good things.

I can’t believe we’re at the end of the first week in January already

We had a wonderful time in Perth over Christmas and then went camping with friends in Ocean Beach for NY.  We even took the pooch camping which was an interesting experience…we now have half a fly screen between the 2 rooms of our tent.

This week I was lucky enough to spend 2 full mornings at Complete Canine Care building up my observation hours.  I 'observed' from inside the big dog section, the medium dog section and the small and puppy groups.  On my first session I wanted to run away with a Ridgeback and on the second one I was torn between a young Vizsla and an Irish Wolfhound :).  It was a fantastic experience and I have learnt SO much being immersed and surrounded by so many dogs. CCC have a great facility and the handlers are super knowledgeable about canine behaviour.  I loved it!

Over the holiday period I was given some advice on the “right” way to discipline my dog.  The person subscribed to the method of feeding your dog once all family member have already eaten, to show it who’s boss.  Now I’m sure that there will be some evidence out there that could show me how this works but honestly it just doesn't make sense to me.  Each to their own so I am not telling people how to train their dogs, but for me, this is nonsense and I can find far more sensible ways for Asha to understand who the leader is.

On that note I’m reading a brilliant book by Suzanne Clothier called “If a dogs prayers were answered bones would rain from the sky”.  It’s fascinating, loads of interesting and useful information but written in a non-textbook way with humour, stories etc.  I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about how to build their relationship with their dog(s).

I also saw my newest case studies this week – a gorgeous GSD and a Moodle (MaltesePoodle).  I've finished case study sessions with the dynamic Tusk and I've continued with sessions on Aggie, Kingston and Mako.

For the rest of January I am focusing on finishing all my home study exercises so that I can get my Certificate showing I've completed 300 hours in Advanced Canine Massage – woo hoo, can’t wait!!