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!