Welcome And The Big Question

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Welcome to the Animal Naturopathic Medicine Educatum podcast, specialising in canine, feline, and equine animal health from a biological perspective. My name is Leslie and I welcome you today. I am your host for today's topic, which is a question we get asked a lot. And the question is: what are the benefits of canine massage and why should I consider traditional massage for my dog?

What Massage Does Inside The Body

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Well, dog massage is a powerful medicine, also known as remedial massage or myotherapy. And with that, remember that myo my o means muscle, and then the therapy aspect, that should relate to the measurable therapeutic positive physiological outcomes of the therapy. This is of course where we look at the whole body perspective, where you are able to assess outcomes for the dog to be more than just an emotional release. So, have you ever wondered about the need or benefits of massaging humans' best four-legged friends? Well, canine myotherapy has been recommended by veterinarians and animal care experts for years. Across the world is a powerful healing tool in the treatment andor prevention of many conditions. The treatment of canine massage is very safe when professionally studied and applied correctly. It is supporting the body to behave as it should. It is assisting the release of contracted strained muscle fibers that resist or shorten movement to protect skeletal joint function. Massage stimulates blood flow, carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, but also drawing blood carrying the healing tools to the areas in most need. The positive physiological effects are on a cellular level. Stimulating the healing tools aid in maintaining flexibility and extensibility within a dog's range of movement. So given the instringic and deep connections between the body's various systems, like the musculoskeletal system, but along with the nervous system, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, endocrine, integumentary, and even the digestive system, these are all indirectly receiving positive physiological effects from the massage. No other body type modality has the same thoroughness to its application and its outcomes.

Movement Mechanics And Injury Risk

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So think about a common scenario. When dogs are chasing a ball or they're training in a sporting activity, the dog's brain sends electrical impulses through the nervous system to activate many muscles. The muscle groups involved are working in unison as the dog moves. If any muscles via neuromuscular function are becoming overworked, fatigued, they're feeling tired, heavy, or strained and tight, the possibility of impaired function can lead to compensation and injury if prolonged. The risk of muscle atrophy and joint dysfunction then can occur. Every stride a dog takes is a biomechanical balancing act over four limbs. Dogs as quadrupeds have or should have a natural core abdominal lift that engages throughout every stride sequence. No matter the size of the dog, it's a part of their natural biomechanics. This is what they're being born to move like. Therefore, strength and engagement of muscle, tendon, and joint function from their pores right up through to their shoulders, their abdominal core and hips should balance through to their top line and their hindquarters, but think of their tail also working like a rudder, communicating messages all the way along the spinal column in the vertebrae to the head and neck. This highlights alignment of balance and function, and it's important to a dog. So there's no doubt many muscle groups are working in unison every time the dog moves, and this is no different to humans. Massage is a physical, hands-on practice. The manual application of canine massage works first and foremost directly on the dog's soft and connective tissues, addressing dysfunctional issues that may be occurring. Approximately 40 to 60% of a dog's body weight is comprised of muscles and connective tissue. Maintaining this major movement component of the dog in optimum condition is extremely important. This is the primary purpose and role of a canine myotherapy practitioner.

Massage Versus Patting Explained

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Now, the difference between massage and patting. Many times I hear people say that they that they massage and it's and it's really no different to patting. Well, nothing could be further from the truth in this aspect because patting a dog is a way of showing affection or rewarding the animal for good behaviour. Padding does not activate the full spectrum of positive physiological effects that massage does on each individual muscle right through to muscle tendon junctions. And a massage can go for quite a few minutes, whereas patting only lasts for a few minutes. Research confirms in both human and dogs that each and every cell of the body responds to massage through the stimulation of the circulatory system and the relaxation of neuromuscular function. The combination of supple, relaxed body and improved circulation offers profound results. Massage is the application of using controlled manual techniques directly into the muscle.

Safety Checks And When To Refer

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Specific canine anatomy facilitated techniques are taught within our canine remedial, myotherapy, and myofacilitation courses, where students also learn to identify and address contraindications and whether it is safe to proceed with massage or not. Instead, the massage practitioner may suggest a veterinary consult first to clarify if there are these positive, negative skeletal joint functions that are coinciding with pain responses being displayed by the dog. The practitioner and the dog's owner really need to know what the pain is in relation to and forge a plan that will benefit the dog, or understand what will now or never benefit the dog. Transparency of the dog's health and welfare is important. Canine massage practitioners must understand how muscles move the skeleton, how muscles injure, how they heal, and the importance of treating the whole body, but also respect each individual muscle and its almighty powerhouse muscle belly, right through to the muscle tendon junctions and the interrelationship of myofascia and neuromuscular function. All to which leads to the positive influence that the treatment as a whole will stimulate, so the body can reap the healing benefits of each treatment.

Prevention Tailored Treatment And Wrap

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More than ever now, a large percentage of dogs are requiring surgery and ongoing treatment programs. It is also unfortunate that many dogs are carrying compensational soft and connective tissue injuries that first go unnoticed, and sadly, then over time that dysfunction further exasperates. As the saying goes, prevention is often better than the cure, but having that sound understanding in the first place is what majority of dog owners simply don't have or think about when they are purchasing their very beloved, you know, puppy or taking on a rescue dog. Movement in dogs, in fact, in all animals and humans, is fundamental to good health. Properly functioning, well-balanced, supple and well-developed muscles are fundamental for healthy movement. Every dog is different, therefore, every treatment can be tailored to meet the needs of each individual dog. A quantifiable measurement of each treatment outcome is where the dog will reap the benefits and the dog's owner will feel reassured. Each and every dog can benefit from the application of massage, and I believe that for the very short life that a dog has compared to a human, there is no doubt that every dog deserves a quality CMT treatment. I really hope this was helpful to you today. And of course, if you had questions, you could always email us. Thank you ever so much for listening. Bye for now.