Canine Massage Therapy and Pippin.
By Tracy Gwillim
Its strange how sometimes two parts of our lives become so interlinked. A year ago I qualified as a canine massage therapist and while I was training, my 3 year old toy/miniature poodle Pippin, had a disc explode in his spine. Explode may sound dramatic, but his was. He had what is called a low volume, high explosion rupture. This meant the disc ruptured so violently, that most of the disc material was sent into the spinal cord, compressing his spine over 4 vertebrae. This made decompression by surgery almost impossible. He did have the surgery in an effort to improve his chances of survival, but it was of little help to him.
Incontinent and unable to walk, his prognosis was extremely guarded. Hydrotherapy and body awareness exercises slowly began to bear fruit, and eventually Pip could once again walk and control his bodily functions. A year on and a second disc has been diagnosed as a problem and he has now been diagnosed with degenerative spinal disease.
All this sounds bleak and heartbreaking, but Pippin's spirit will not allow that to be, he loves his life and lives it to the full. Massage therapy helps him to relax, stops massive muscle spasms building up in his over worked chest and shoulder muscles and helps keep muscle tone in his back legs. Stretching exercises help keep good loose mobility and keep the muscle memory in his right leg which he is reluctant to bend at the knee at times. The therapy, along with TTouch and acupressure, is having as good a result on Pippin as it would on any human. He will come and ask me for a massage and will then respond with immense pleasure, just like we would. It is such a huge blessing that I felt the need to take the massage course. Pip's life will be longer, happier and more comfortable because of the therapy.
I get a similar positive response from all my clients dogs and regularly massage a young bitch who has Addison's disease. Dogs with Addison's disease tend to find it hard to relax totally both mentally and physically, Tiggy adores massage, it relaxes her completely and the effects last many days. Cruciate ligament injuries can be helped enormously once the initial trauma has settled down. Our friend Erica's dog Poppy injured her cruciate ligament and we were able to get her back on her feet and exercising again, despite the fact that she is quite an old lady now.
The list of physical problems massage can help are endless. However, you do not have to have a sick, injured or post operative dog to find a place in your routine for massage, it is brilliant for stressed and nervous dogs also. Rescue dogs and dogs with phobias can make the process of moving on towards healing quicker if massage is incorporated into their rehabilitation. It teaches their body how to relax, this is a physical relaxation not just a mental one, all body systems are helped, including the circulatory, endocrine, muscular, digestive and nervous systems.
I think that this just goes to prove that our dogs are no different to us. They suffer the same pain, respond to the same enjoyment and physical healing found in our touch and they will make the most out of the gift of life as we should (in fact, I believe most animals are better than we are at that one!). Yet so many owners still see massage therapy as a bit of a joke, going a bit too far, or an unnecessary luxury used by over indulgent owners who have to much money to spend.
Pip and I don't agree. Other than love, great nutrition and good veterinary care, massage therapy and stretching exercises are vital to Pippin's well being, without it he would certainly be on a much higher dosage of pain relief. Without massage Pip would be far less active (he does walk with a strange gait; he paces on his right side and moves his legs alternately on his left) and his deterioration would greatly increase.
But like I said earlier, you don't have to have a sick or disabled dog to use massage therapy. My other dogs all enjoy regular massages as part of their on going care. As a tool, massage is amazing. You benefit by getting a closer bond than ever with your dog, most owners can learn how to do a basic massage, and there are an increasing number of people like me around who are qualified to help you with the more difficult problems. I hope that more and more people will accept the therapy as valid, so that it will soon become a part of the mainstream care we give to our dogs.
