Most of the work that we do involves helping pet owners help their animals through some type of acute or chronic conditions like allergies, thyroid imbalances, sensitive stomachs and arthritis symptoms. Sometimes we get a call for massage services for a dog or cat, and we appreciate these owners' understanding of how important body work can be for our animal companions. Animals, like us, can experience severe back strain, leg cramps and other musculo-skeletal conditions that cause great pain and discomfort. Like us, massage and body work that helps put movement back into stiff joints, also has the added benefit of lowering blood pressure, increasing feel-good endorphins and de-stressing the body and mind. These effects are not exclusive to people; our animals share the same benefits of massage and other body work. Just the other day I was working on a horse who had fallen onto her back almost a year and a half ago. It was the second session with her, and her owners had first approached me because they were concerned that, despite some treatments, the horse (a proud, beautiful Arabian) was unable to lift her tail into the air like Arabians love to do. I told them that this was, very often, a sign of lower back pain, and that it was likely that she was in some constant state of discomfort in her lumbar/sacral region (you know that feeling, don't you)? After putting some movement into her sacrum area, and trying some techniques designed to relax some tight muscles and ligaments, I called the session done. As her owner released her into the corral, the horse trotted off, raising her tail at a 35 degree angle. "She raised her tail!" exclaimed the client. Needless to say we were very excited to see that tail lift, knowing that it was because that horse was in less pain than when I first arrived to work on her. Remember that our animal friends can't tell us when something hurts, and they often try to 'hide' it as an instictual protection; they don't want the rest of the pack to know that they are weak, for example. If your animal companion shows any of these signs, body work, along with other holistic protocols, may help: * General malaise - more 'tired' or 'lazy' than usual * Slowness in rising in the morning * Slowness in getting up, sitting down, or laying down * Moodiness and/or a short temper * Eating less, or getting more picky * Biting or growling more than usual * Limping, stumbling, or general lack of coordination * Keeping the tail down and tightly tucked * Whining or crying out for no obvious reason When asked, every pet owner I've ever talked to desires to keep their pet free from pain. Many times, body work is a highly effective way to do just that. Thanks for reading! |
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Categoriesbody work for animalsdiet and nutrition herbal therapy holistic/natural health skin and coat care Testimonials
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