After a talk about dog massage with Charlotte from Vejen Dyrehospital, I realized how important it is to take your dog to the masseur. Are you curious why? Then read on.
In humans, massage is good when we’re tense – and that’s actually true for dogs too. But there are many good reasons to take a peek past the dog masseur, and with the help of Charlotte I will share some of the reasons.
STRESS AND NERVOUSNESS
If your dog is very stressed or nervous, it can be helpful to give your dog a massage. It has a calming and de-stressing effect, and as mentioned above, it is good against tension. Of course, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t help with outright behavioural problems.
OLD DAMAGE? - AVOID NEW DAMAGES
If your dog has been unfortunate enough to sustain an injury, it is important to be aware of it. However, not only on the old damage, but also on any new damage. You know it from yourself. If you have pain in one leg, compensate for the bad leg with the other leg. So do dogs.
Fortunately, if a dog has pain in one leg, it has three others to run on. It seems pretty harmless, but it can actually be the cause of new injuries and unpleasant tensions. The dog masseur can detect these compensatory injuries and provide treatment for them. In addition, canine massage is generally highly recommended for rehabilitation after injury.
SHOULD YOUR DOG HAVE CUT NAILS, OR MAY BE LOST?
A dog masseur can also tell you if your dog’s weight is causing problems. For example, it may have problems with its joints, which an overweight problem will only exacerbate. The masseur will also tell you if it’s time to have your dog’s nails trimmed if too long nails have caused muscle tension.
SPECIAL CARE FOR OLDER DOGS
An older dog may have special needs for muscle care. The dog masseur will be able to alleviate the age-related problems in the dog’s musculoskeletal system. Older dogs may tend to have stiff and sore muscles, but they may also have problems with arthritis, joint stiffness, imbalances and dysplasia.
MASSAGE FOR THE NEWBORN PUPPY AND THE MOTHER
After a birth, special care of both puppy and bitch may be needed. If it’s been a hard birth and the bitch has been working overtime, she may benefit from a visit to the masseuse. Just as the bitch may have had a hard birth, so can the puppies. Puppies can experience pressure during birth, and massage can be a good aid to recovery.
WORKING DOGS - HUNTING AND AGILITY
It’s a good idea to think of your dog as an athlete. Get your dog masseur to show you how best to warm up your dog and how to stretch. This can in many cases result in a more supple and flexible body, which avoids injuries far down the road.
SPECIALLY EXPOSED DOG BREEDS
Remember that your dog masseur can help you further in a course or discover injuries that require other forms of treatment. Muscle tension may seem harmless at first, but after prolonged tension, problems may arise that require a longer course of treatment. So for the sake of your dog – and your wallet – it might be a good idea to take a trip to the groomer, even if everything seems fine.
Charlotte is a trained dog masseur and works daily in the Petshop at Vejen Animal Hospital. If you want to read more about dog massage, then Charlotte has previously been a guest blogger on this post, where she talks about dog massage in her own words.
