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About Clinical Canine Massage

What to expect from Hounds & Hands

Hounds and Hands Clinical Canine Massage offers results-driven, effective massage therapy that uses a blend of clinically tested techniques to address the entire body top to tail, ensuring both primary and secondary areas of discomfort are addressed.

Results are typically seen within 1 to 3 treatments and it is appropriate for dogs of any breed, age, size, or level of activity, from household pets to performance dogs. I provide support for dogs with a broad range of musculoskeletal issues, such as orthopaedic conditions, soft tissue injuries, neurological disorders, myofascial pain, and post operative rehabilitation.

Treatments are carefully evaluated through a range of assessments that include presenting clinical symptoms and clinical history, gait and posture analysis, advanced palpation, body mapping, and owner observations. Each session is customised to your dog's unique needs and temperament, ensuring a comfortable experience and maximum benefit from each treatment.

Clinical trials have demonstrated its effectiveness in alleviating pain and symptoms associated with conditions that include arthritis, cruciate ligament degeneration, hip and elbow dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), luxating patella, spondylosis, canine degenerative myelopathy, post-surgical rehabilitation, and myofascial pain.

Some of these conditions are sadly degenerative and lifelong and impact the entire body and mind.

Whilst massage therapy can’t cure underlying orthopaedic or neurological conditions it can, as part of a multi model approach relieve secondary symptoms/injuries these include; chronic pain and hypertonicity caused by uneven weight bearing and overcompensation and referred myofascial pain.

Results you can see, and your dog can feel.

Techniques
Used

Swedish Massage – Gently warms up and softens soft tissue, helping to soothe, relax and release tension.

Deep Tissue Massage – Targets deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. Relieves chronic tension often sustained from injury, overcompensation, and repetitive strain.

Sports Massage – Identification and rehabilitation of soft tissue injury. Using knowledge of muscle origin and insertions to isolate and treat specific muscle groups, and scar tissue remodelling to realign scar tissue and restore elasticity.

Myofascial Release – Involves techniques that release restricted fascia restoring normal tension and elasticity.

A quick intro to fascia and why myofascial release is so effective:

Fascia is a three-dimensional web of connective tissue that integrates the entire body enabling a slide and glide movement that allows the body to move in harmony. It extends from the superficial tissues through to the deeper layers that envelope cavities and organs including the heart and lungs and it surrounds muscles nerves and bones. As the body’s largest sensory organ, it contains more mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors than muscles. Therefore, it's not surprising that restrictions in fascia can have a profound and debilitating effect on the whole body. Myofascial pain is often a source of chronic and long-term discomfort, that may remain undiagnosed, leaving dog owners puzzled about their pet's unhappiness and sensitivity to touch.

Conditions That Can
Benefit From Canine Massage

Orthopaedic conditions: Examples of these are arthritis, hip/elbow dysplasia, cruciate ligament injuries, luxating patella and spondylosis.

Soft tissue injuries: These include strains, sprains, myofascial pain, muscle splinting and trigger points. These are often caused by acute injury, over compensatory loading and postural imbalances.

Neurological Conditions: These include Canine Degenerative Myelopathy (CDRM), Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), Cauda Equina Syndrome and Cervical spondylomyelopathy (Wobblers Syndrome).

Post-surgical rehabilitation: Common examples are spinal surgery, luxating patella and cruciate ligament surgery.

Senior Dogs:

Many senior dogs experience a remarkable improvement, regaining a spring in their step and a renewed zest for life following massage therapy. Massage therapy is an excellent way of alleviating tension from general wear and tear, or compensatory loading due to underlying orthopaedic or neurological conditions. The results can be outstanding, including reduced stiffness and pain, enhanced mobility, improved muscle tone, stimulated circulation, and overall increased comfort levels

How to tell if your dog is in discomfort or pain.

Dogs exhibit pain in many ways and unlike humans they adapt and conceal their discomfort. Often, by the time a dog is showing the more obvious symptoms, they will have been experiencing pain for a significant amount of time. It's the subtle changes in a dog's behaviour, posture, and movement, which are frequently overlooked, that signal the early signs of discomfort.

Recent research carried out by the NC State University showed that out of 123 clinically healthy dogs 40% between the age of 8 months and 4 years old were found to have radiographic evidence of arthritis, and 24% of them had pain associated with the arthritic joint. For further details on their research please
click here

As dogs cannot verbalise their pain the Five Principles Of Pain are a useful guide to help assess a dog's comfort levels.

If you're worried about your dog's comfort, mobility, or behaviour, the 5 Principles Of Pain can help detect symptoms of musculoskeletal issues that Clinical Canine Massage Therapy can address.

For further details on The Five Principles Of Pain please click HERE to download a PDF directly from the Canine Massage Guild website. Please contact me if you have any queries to discuss if canine massage can help your dog

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The five principles of pain and examples:

Gait Issues:

Lameness, stiffness, hopping, skipping, and pacing, along with crabbing and limb abduction or adduction.

Postural Signs:

Postural Signs: Kyphosis (roaching), lordosis (swayback), abnormal head and tail carriage, and rotation of the hip or stifle when the dog stands or sits with the knee pointed outward.

Activities Of Daily Living:

Dogs may show reluctance to navigate stairs or furniture or slowing down on walks, and general signs of aging.

Behavioural:

Changes may be seen as a reluctance to be handled, groomed, or stroked, alongside anxiety, restlessness, snapping at other dogs, chewing/licking themselves and skin twitches or tremors when touched

Performance:

Agility dogs might knock down poles; gun dogs could show reduced stamina and early fatigue; flyball dogs may turn widely on the box. Any alteration in their natural
performance across disciplines could suggest underlying discomfort

Behavioural:

Changes may be seen as a reluctance to be handled, groomed, or stroked, alongside anxiety, restlessness, snapping at other dogs, chewing/licking themselves and skin twitches or tremors when touched.

Performance:
Agility dogs might knock down poles; gun dogs could show reduced stamina and early fatigue; flyball dogs may turn widely on the box. Any alteration in their natural performance across disciplines could suggest underlying discomfort

For further details on The Five Principle Of Pain please click HERE to download a PDF directly from the Canine Massage Guild website.

If you are unsure if Clinical Canine Massage can support your dog, I am always happy to discuss their individual needs. Please complete the contact form or Tel 07977 016999.

· Supports chronic pain management for underlying orthopaedic and neurological conditions: Specifically targeting areas of protective splinting, tension, and overcompensation.
· Resolves or reduces lameness and stiffness.
· Improves gait, posture, and movement.
· Resolves or significantly reduces sensitivity caused by myofascial pain and trigger points.
· Aids in the rehabilitation of debilitating strains by giving the muscles and supporting soft tissue back its natural flexibility.
· An excellent therapy for dogs that are intolerant to non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs (NSAID)
· Maintains muscular health, tone, and mobility.
· Improves stamina, enabling dogs to enjoy their walks again.
Enhances generally mobility and wellbeing allowing dogs to maintain their daily activities such as climbing stairs, playing with toys or other dogs, and generally moving with less stiffness and increased comfort levels.
· Addresses muscular imbalances.
· Supports post operative rehabilitation, improving comfort levels and recovery time.
· Improved performance in working or agility dogs.
· Improved temperament
· Reduces anxiety and stress by decreasing sympathetic levels (Stress) and inducing a parasympathetic response (relaxation)