“Her strength shows me how it can be done… mind over matter”

 I had an emergency call for help from Marley’s Mum.  Marley is a 13 year old Staffie who suddenly lost all use of her rear left leg.  Her vet suggested suspected neurological trauma as there was no proprioception or superficial pain reflex although deep pain reflex was present.  They advised that the issue was likely disc or spinal disease and it was unlikely that Marley would regain use of that leg.  They advised physical therapy to maintain tone in the muscles of the left rear leg and keep the remaining legs strong.

We managed to see Marley the next day as it was clear that both her and her Mum needed help as soon as possible.  Her Mum needed some hope.

Marley was determined.  Oh, so determined.  She was not going to give in.  She managed to get herself into the therapy room with her three working legs which had quickly adapted to keep her moving.  She reminded me so much of our Sarah who never accepted her limited abilities.  She still wanted to enjoy her life and wasn’t going to let wobbly legs get in the way.  Dogs have a strength and grit that is simply awesome.  No wonder the term “dogged” is used for tenacity and persistence.

Marley’s left rear leg muscles were already showing signs of softness while her other limb muscles resembled those of a weight training athlete.  Everything needed help, but in different ways.  Left rear leg needed pumping massage and stimulation, while front and right rear leg muscles needed help to make sure they didn’t overexert themselves and tighten up restricting movement further.

Her mid back was also tight, understandably.

Marley had brought along her two human sisters to help their Mum with the therapy routine. 

By the end of the session, which Marley thoroughly enjoyed, she was moving even more fluidly.  I sent through a personalised workbook of what to massage, why and ways to ensure the left rear leg is kept stimulated while she is not using it herself

The next day her Mum wrote “I wanted to give you an update on Marley.  She is weight bearing on the leg and is showing signs of using the muscle in the upper leg……The improvement this morning after seeing you last night is phenomenal (I am secretly hopeful and believe she may use the leg again).  Marley is definitely the strongest dog I have ever met and her strength shows me how it can be done… mind over matter.  Oh and I tickled her toes earlier and she spread her paw!.  You and your partner are amazing people and extremely kind.  I will keep you updated. DAY 3 and look how far she has come”

The following day an additional text “I was doing her massage this morning and she curled her bad paw round my hand”

And a week later...“Marley saw the vet yesterday, the vet is confident that she will regain full function!! She told us that you can see the work we have done for her and that is because of your immediate help.   Thank you for supporting me through this process.  It really was true team work.  Thanks for passing that knowledge and seeing what I see in her”

Now that was the feedback we wanted to read.  With hope from the carer, determination from the dog with some empowerment and knowledge sharing from us, team work has helped Marley to recover and maintain some mobility. 

 

One size doesn't fit all

13 year old Staffie Pickle was rescued 18 months ago when she was only 48 hours from being PTS. Her new Mum and Dad think she was kept in one room and possibly used as a breeding dog or maybe even a bait dog as she had big ‘cauliflower ears’ which still need constant attention. When they first put a lead on her to take her for a walk, she simply did not know what to do. She sat down and wouldn’t move. Luckily, she had brother Archie for a while who taught her how to dog. When he passed, she grieved but then settled into being the new head of the family. 

Despite all her past, she is a loving sweetheart. Her Mum and Dad are experienced Staffie parents – and are very bad at fostering. They nearly always end up as failed fosterers adding the new dog to their family. They used to have Archie and Pearl who I visited a couple of years back to teach them how to perform an appropriate massage daily routine 

They introduced me to Sussex Pet Rescue which, in turn lead to a training session for many of their volunteers. 

Although they knew what to do for Pickle, they also knew that one size doesn’t fit all. They wanted me to show them how to use manual therapy for Pickle as her needs were different from those of Alfie and Pearl. 

Pickle has a variety of issues including arthritis and Rhinitis. For these, and other conditions she takes a lot of medication. But alongside that, she is also on supplements and complementary therapy – hydrotherapy and acupuncture. Adding manual therapy is a good multi-modal mix. 

Over the last months, she has started to struggle with her hind legs – her Mum and Dad say that she sways. There are days that she really can’t walk and even on the good days, they have to be her advocate for knowing when is enough. On a good day, she will walk and walk but will then be stiff the next day. So they now decide for her when she needs to turn back. 

Because of her hind leg issues, she has put on muscle mass to her front legs. But these too have now been diagnosed with arthritis. She was very tight fascially having held herself tense for the past month or so with a stiff mid back. 

She truly enjoyed all the interventions, so much so that at the end, when I was taking pictures for her personalised workbook, she remained fast asleep on her Dad’s foot. Even when her Mum and I got up, she stayed fast asleep. Even when I got the treat box out to show them some appropriate stretching exercises, she didn’t move. I had to demonstrate the exercises on myself. 

That was Dad trapped for the rest of the afternoon. 

He did, however, manage to free himself to write a review on our page “Our arthritic Staffie, Pickle, has been a bit of a wonky donkey for a while now, and, although happy , she was obviously very tight and uncomfortable. Enter Les and his magic hands, and such a transformation!! You could literally see her muscles and stance opening up and relaxing. Such a fantastic thing for everyone who loves their dog. Predictably the session ended with a totally relaxed Staffie, fast asleep, grunting and farting happily as Les left. Results are still very much in evidence two days later”  

Prevention rather than cure – or – Make hindsight your foresight 

When we treat, we also teach, educate and empower. Sharing the skills of how to help a dog with their Mum or Dad is an integral part of each and every visit. How to start with massage and exercise and then things to add as mobility improves or changes. 

Massaging your dog is not only beneficial and makes them feel good but if you have another dog in the family who is sitting there watching, you can work with them too. You don’t need to wait for an issue to happen. 

Recently I went to treat little Maisy. There are two other rescue dogs in the family. Maisy’s Mum wrote “I’m also practicing a little massage with our other two, Binky and Milly as they get jealous when Maisy’s sessions start! It’s great to have that skill now to share with our other two pooches.” 

Our Mr Sam might not need as much help as his sister, but each has their own therapy session. There are many more examples I can think of where the sibling has benefitted from the newly acquired therapy skills of their Mum or Dad. Luther and Hugo, for example. Luther was the dog who needed help. Typically, while working on him, his Dads were working on Hugo. 

After I visited Sophie, her Mum wrote back “Molly's on the same regime - prevention rather than cure is my new motto !!!” 

And after a session with Jack, his Mum wrote “I was massaging Jack under Pixie’s watchful gaze, and he did his get up and wander off routine. The very instant he moved off she flopped at my feet waiting for her massage too. She was pretty comatose by the time Jack decided he’d let me do a bit more!” 

Archie’s Mum had a training session with me. But in pictures you can see sister Molly peering over his shoulder. Their Mum wrote “Thanks so much for this and of course for your time yesterday I feel sure that both Archie and Molly will benefit hugely from the techniques you have shown me.” 

Bailey and Ruby were another couple who posed together after the Bailey’s treatment session. Whoopi might still be a puppy, but her Mum Sarah does the same exercises with her that she does with her senior brother Harry and now has added knowledge of things to look out for 

And it’s not just the manual therapy. Included in each and every therapy visit that we make is advice and assistance. Ways you can make your home more dog friendly, simple adaptations such as rugs not slippy floors, steps and slopes. Seeing things through a professional experienced eye can benefit. These changes are going to help ALL the dogs in the house – helping to prevent any injuries occurring in the first place. That’s means we can use hindsight as foresight for other dogs in the family. 

If you want us to come and show you how you can help all the dogs in your family through manual therapy, exercise advice or household adaptation, please give me a call. If there is more than one carer, we’ll teach you all. We are always affordable and accessible. 

#whystopwithone

Accessible & Affordable therapy for all dogs and their Mums and Dads

We aim to make canine physical therapy accessible and affordable to every dog and their Mum or Dad. When we read Charley’s story on the Hanover Dog page where his Mum was saying how he slipped in the mud and went down on his side I offered to help and try to see Charley as soon as we could. This entailed Chris making a couple of visits to their vets to deliver and then pick up the signed vet agreement form. But all was completed and Charley was booked in with us shortly afterwards. 

Charley is a 10 year old Chocolate Labrador with arthritis in most of his joints but particularly in his hips. After his fall, Charley cried out in pain and then couldn’t put any weight on his front paws. He had to be carried home by car and hobbled after that clearly in discomfort. 

Charley also likes to make it known that all conversation has to be about him. If not, he vocalises. That made the consultation and treatment session much fun. Every time I would ask him Mum something or show her a massage move that would help,  Charley wanted to join in the chat. 

But he needed help and he knew it. Charley is smart really. It took a while but gradually the vocalising slowed, then stopped and Charley ‘got it’. This was good. This is helping. This is oh so relieving. 

As if by magic, after an hour, he got up on the sofa allowing his Mum to sit next to him while he placed his head in her lap. We went through all the things that would help and could be added to a daily therapy routine. Meanwhile not a sound from Charley – just lots of “I love you Mum” eyes. 

He already has mats around the house but the food and water bowl needed raising. His Mum didn’t have anything of the right height so ended up holding his bowl up for him. Now that is a Star Mum. 

We went through some stretching techniques and exercises – Charley needed space opening up in his back and neck connection, increasing his movement & ease. This should help create a more fluid rotational movement in his spine making it more comfortable for him to stand. Charley LOVES our special Back Space technique and now demands it from his Mum, stretching forward like a giraffe. Sometimes this one move can help address so many other issues. 

Charley’s Mum wrote us a lovely review “Les was absolutely fantastic with Charley. He showed such love and patience. He has given us both hope that we can help his arthritis….I finally feel like I am doing something to help Charley through this.” 

I warned that Charley might become a Massage Diva – this typically takes a few days. Not our Charley. 2 hours later his Mum wrote “It is amazing! He is on my bed and I’m doing it now. If I stop, he lifts up his paw to touch me to carry on! …..He is so calm now. And he keeps rolling from side to side when he wants a change!” and then the following morning Charley himself wrote “Hi Uncle Les. It’s not even 10 o clock and I have had a warm up, a walk and a cool down. I did my tricks- you left your treats here (I don’t mind)I have had a long massage- my eyes actually rolled back my mum said! I am now going to sleep. Thank you for teaching my mum this- I love it!! ” 

His Mum said that her “worry face has been replaced by a big grin xx” and that through touch and knowing that she can help him rather than just watching him look uncomfortable “it’s like we have found each other all over again” 

This will be the start of Charley’s new life. An empowered Mum full of positivity and armed with the tools to help him. Can’t wish for a better outcome than that. 

Thanks Charley x

Empowering the canine carer

We are sooooo proud of the dog Mums and Dads we work with. 

We always explain everything we do – the why and the how. They are the prime carer after all – they’re with the dog every dog. Each dog gets their own tailored workbook after the first session of a personal massage and exercise – with annotated pictures of the dog. That means during the therapy session the carers can be active participants and not panic that they’re going to forget everything when Chris or I leave. 

Most carers understand how they can help with the healing process or the maintenance or prevention or any of the many multitude of reasons we have been invited round to help. And it shows when we go back for the second or third session, or from the feedback we get. 

Billy’s Mum, for example wrote “….We all slept like logs! No night barking, no midnight squabbles. Got to nearly 6 am before Bill decided he needed breakfast….. Hope we can continue as we’ve started……The other strange thing is that Billy keeps coming up to ASK for a massage!”. 

Henry’s Mum wrote Thank you so much for the massage information. ….Henry is so much better and stronger now. I've been massaging every few days since I saw you and his shoulder was moving normally again after about 3 days after seeing you and massaging twice a day. He actually loves it now and pushes into me for me to massage him. It's like he's saying 'Mum I need my massage after my run today'. You become so much more aware now I know some of the reasons for the massage. Thank you for that!” 

And the latest convert is Crystal’s Mum. Crystal is a Greyhound who exhibits intermittent lameness due to an existing hock injury. Being a Greyhound, she accepted massage therapy like an old friend. In fact, we had great difficulty asking her to turn over so I could work on the other side. We always tell carers that, if you are aiming for relaxation when massaging your dog and they have fallen asleep on one side, the last thing you want to do is flip them over. Make a note and do the other side on another occasion. We tell of our trick of our kitchen Blackboard. It has each of our dog’s names with the day of the week and the side we massaged that day. Means they don’t end up going round in circles with the massaged side! 

Imagine my smile when Crystal’s Mum showed me the weekly planner she has brought which she is filling in with “Done Left side”…”Right side done. And left done”…….. Total brilliance! Dee & Crystal – you get a 10 from us!

Autism in dogs - Helping with multi-modal therapy

Sometimes it is about using ALL our experience when helping a dog, particularly autistic dogs. 

We had a call from a carer who came along to our training session with Sussex Pert Rescue enquiring if massage therapy could help with her anxious rescued collie cross Billy. She said that although there seemed to be nothing wrong with him physically (she had had him checked over by her vet) he had been diagnosed as mildly autistic by Holistic Veterinary Surgeon Tim Couzens some time ago. 

Recently he had become very excitable, particularly when people come into the house - the result being almost hysterical, non-stop barking. He had also recently started displaying jealousy of their mild mannered, tolerant older collie. This manifest itself as showing aggression towards him, again a recent development and one which, luckily, so far, Pip just ignores it and puts up with! 

They had a rather sketchy history of Billy having been ill-treated as a pup and he is wary of men. Surprisingly he is very affectionate, although he is still nervous with sudden loud noises and they live near a pheasant farm and shoot.... 

Chris went to see them, armed with ideas to try, research on and an article about autism in dogs. He was met with a very vocal greeting from Billy as soon as he parked his car and this continued as he entered the hallway. He told the carer not to worry – which she clearly was – and told Billy that was enough now, we’re not playing that game. And, much to his carer’s surprise – he stopped. They said that they felt they’d got him there under false pretences as Billy was behaving so well. 

During the 2-and-a-half-hour session, Chris used a variety of techniques on Billy – not just manual therapy. There was:
• Ear and relaxing effleurage massage 
• Kneading of shoulder, neck and chest.
• Reiki 
• Tellington T Touch (using the Half Wrap which calmed Billy down immediately) 
• Suggestion of considering the use of a pheromone diffuser and/or diffuser oils such as lavender to calm everyone down. 
• Relaxing music (As a human Holistic Massage Therapist, Chris has relaxing music on his phone. He played it to Billy and his brother who both pricked up their ears and then lay down snoozing!) He put this all together in one of our personalised workbooks which he sent back the same evening. 

The next morning, we received an email saying “Hi Chris. Thank you for all your help yesterday. Billy stayed much calmer for the rest of the day. I needed an early night, so he came upstairs with me and hopped up on the bed. I did a bit of the massage for about five minutes - he went all soft and sloppy! His night bed is on a small landing just outside the door, so I played the candle music and put a couple of drops of lavender in the diffuser. We all slept like logs! No night barking, no midnight squabbles with Pip. Got to nearly 6 am before Bill decided he needed breakfast. So, thank you again, we will keep in touch. Hope we can continue as we’ve started” And then we received “…A further update ………The other strange thing is that Billy keeps coming up to ASK for a massage!” 

Not restricting yourself to one set of skills or a single discipline, and instead using all your skills and experience can be very effective when holistically treating the behaviour and nature of a dog. Having a toolkit of skills and techniques available to call upon allows the therapist to adapt to the circumstances they find and develop a strategy for dealing with any issues they encounter. 

In this instance it wasn’t ‘just massage’ (it rarely is - and we’ve stopped saying ‘just’), but a whole raft of skills brought to bear, very quickly, and producing such a profound change in the behaviour of the dog. 

In addition, our use of personalised workbooks helps to empower the owner to be able to ‘do something to help’ rather than feeling helpless. As seen by the response from the owner the next day, the effect can be quite dramatic. 

Avascular Necrosis and Complementary Therapy

Sonny’s Feedback 

In June of this year, I was invited over to help Sonny. He was then not even a year old but diagnosed with bilateral Avascular Necrosis affecting both hip joints. The vet decided the best plan for his recovery was Femoral head & neck excision. While this condition is common-ish in young dogs, to be affected with both legs at the same time is rarer. 

It meant that little Sonny could not enjoy being a puppy. He has only known wobbly gaits and compensation for his weak hind legs. The vets operated on one leg in May with the other hip booked in for 6 weeks later. 

His Mum wrote “It is very important that the muscle and scar tissue around these joints is built up to ensure as good a mobility as possible. Is this something you can help with?” She is already a Reiki practitioner and wanted to combine physical therapy with energy healing to give Sonny as much help as possible. He was also on anti-inflammatory medication. 

When I first visited him, he was walking with his hind legs closer together but was not showing any signs of gait discomfort placing both legs down equally. I guess he had never known anything different so was doing the dog thing of “Getting On With It” 

The session was more aimed at training for his Mum to build up the muscles of the leg that had been operated on to help support him for the operation on the other leg. Literally, to give him a leg to stand on! I often get asked what a fit muscle should look and feel like. 

 I use the analogy of a chicken fillet. A high-quality chicken fillet. A Waitrose or Marks & Spencer’s chicken fillet (although other supermarkets are available). The affected thigh muscles of Sonny looked more like a ham slice or lower quality fillet. They needed considerable building up. 

He had other compensatory issues, including tight neck and overused shoulder muscles. 

I devised a massage routine plus physiotherapy exercises for his Mum to perform daily. 

I recently had an email saying “I just thought you'd like an update on Sonny. The massage techniques and exercises you taught me were so helpful in his recovery. He went on to have the second surgery carried out in July from which he has recovered equally well using massage and exercise. He hasn't needed any further intervention and his Lidl chicken fillets as you called them are now looking like Tesco Finest!! We've just returned from a break on the Isle of Wight where he ran freely on the beach for hours on end. So a big thank you to you from us!!” 

I asked if it was OK to share this story and his Mum said “It can be very worrying for people who find their dog needs this operation, but it is generally very successful and Sonny is living proof!! If his story can help other owners that would be wonderful.” 

 She also sent some photos of Sonny post-operation and allowed me to share his before and after X-rays. Look at the way the femoral head was not fitting in the socket in the ‘before’ picture on the left and how the head was excised in the ‘after’ picture. Here are all the pictures – shared. 

Poor old Sonny had spent his puppy days with those ill-fitting joints. Physical therapy, massage, exercise, Reiki and medication all working to allow Sonny to run like the puppy he should be on the beach in the Isle of Wight. What a great transformation and testament to the power of complementary therapy. 

Benefits of physical therapy – and some obscure ones

There are dozens of established benefits from massage and physical therapy. There are the physical and mechanical benefits such as : 

• Rehabilitation 
• Prevention 
• For exercise and sport 
• To manage pain 
• Stimulation of the healing process 
• Increase blood, lymph and nutrient flow 
• Increase joint movement 
• To improve muscle tone and strength 

Then there are the psychological benefits including : 

• Relaxation 
• Bonding 
• Reducing anxiety, stress and other emotional issues 

And then added benefits such as : 

• Give the owner peace of mind 
• Education 
• Beacuse it feels nice

Every now and again I get the odd one to add to my list. For example, I was once referred a dog who really struggled to poo. When she came to see me, she hadn't been for a couple of days. Would massage help? Dunno, but stand clear and let's try. For the next few days I received multiple texts from the owner detailing quantity and quality of that dog's movements. It worked. There's a new benefit then...helps to poo. 

And yesterday I added a new benefit. Lovely anxious Whippet Sonny has been suffering from neck issues for some weeks now causing yelps and general depression. He came to see me last month and has now visited a chiropractor who put his pelvis back in alignment while making tweaks to his neck. Yesterday's massage was much easier with Sonny adopting his usual "I'll just lie here Dr Les" pose. 

When I got home I received a message and photo from his Mum saying "First cuddle we've been allowed to have in longer than I can remember! Very rare, he must be feeling better. Thanks again". So there we have it....massage benefit number 7654321 : Increases and Restores Cuddling Ability. That's going to be one of my favourites. 

“Unfortunately both Archie and Pearl are now rolling about on the floor in front of us, constantly, trying to get massages!!!“

“Unfortunately both Archie and Pearl are now rolling about on the floor in front of us, constantly, trying to get massages!!! “ 

Ooops. 

Meet Pearl & Archie 

Some years ago, at Bark in the Park, we met the lovely rescue Staffie Pearl. She immediately sat in our laps taking every bit of touch we gave out. This was quite remarkable for a dog who had been a street dog who had both front legs broken at some time. She is now 10 with arthritis of both elbows and a stiff back. Her brother, Archie was also rescued and is now 8 years old. His Mum and Dad say that they are no good at fostering, they tend to end up adopting all their foster dogs. I think that makes them excellent fosterers.

After all that time, I was called to go over and teach them how to perform a massage routine that would be appropriate for their age and mobility. Although Pearl is 10 she tends to have the two speeds of a Staffie, zero and 100. Then after a bout of 100 mph, she struggles to get up. Although Archie had no specific mobility issues, he had a cruciate operation a few years ago. 

I always start my workshops with a “Get-to-know-your-dog” session where the owners learn about Palpation – a vital part of any treatment. You shouldn’t just dive straight in with muscle kneading until you’ve had a feel of what is going under that fur. It turned out that Archie did have an issue even though that was not presenting itself in obvious lameness. Touching his lower back was quite reactive. It is possible he is still carrying some imbalance after recovery from his cruciate operation. 
Pearl also displayed an amount of discomfort in her back and legs which would be expected from her arthritis. 

Pearl’s Mum is not able to work on the floor but can work from her chair. No problem.  Pearl simply jumped onto her lap and massage was done there. 

The session went on well past their normal dinner time. Their Dad looked at the clock and said that they ALWAYS get to the kitchen waiting for food at the same time. That day they were already 20 minutes late and not looking for food at all. Well, they were, in fact, asleep. 

When we wrapped the session up, we told them it was now dinner time, which should have sent them into ecstatic bounciness. Instead they looked up at Dad as though to say “Oh Dad…just feed me here. We’re too comfy after all that massage”. 

Pearl & Archie can now go from 0 to 100 knowing that Mum and dad will be able to help ease them out afterwards. 

Their Dad posted a review later saying “Fantastic and informative visit by Les yesterday. gained so much help and information from him which will benefit our dogs in the future. Why didn't we do this sooner??? Many thanks for all the help and advice.” 

It doesn’t matter if you wait a while, learning how to massage your dog whether they are puppies, middle aged or seniors, will help their quality of life. 

Archie

Pearl

Pearl

Pearl with her Mum

Pearl for the rest of the day

Legg-Calve-Parthes Disease in dogs & Femoral Head & Neck excision

Meet Sonny 

This stocky little lad is a Border Terrier / Lhasa Apso cross who has been through the wars already in his 11 months. Instead of being able to jump around like the puppy he is, his owners noticed that after exercise he had started to limp. On investigation, it was found he had bilateral Avascular Necrosis – one of the worse cases the vet had seen. This is also called Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease and is an issue I have treated before. To explain, the hip is a ball and socket joint where the head of the femur bone acts as the ball and should fit neatly into the socket of the hip. In this condition, the head of the femur starts to lose its blood supply becoming necrotic so no longer functions properly. This means the ball and socket no longer fit. This will clearly make walking difficult and painful. 

There are different treatments but the one recommended for small dogs like Sonny is to remove the neck and head of the femur. Sounds dramatic but as bodies of dogs are amazing, usually new fibrous tissue is laid down and a ‘false joint’ created. More amazingly, with proper rehabilitation, most dogs are running and playing as if nothing happened. 

Sonny had the operation on his left hip 3 weeks ago and is scheduled for the right hip operation in July. It is even more important for him that we get his rehab programme started as soon as possible to start building up his left side before the right side is operated on. Then to continue the good work on both sides. The aim is to allow this brave little man to enjoy being a puppy again. 

When I sat on the floor, Sonny thought it was playtime. Which was OK as it allowed me to see how he walks. If he hadn’t had his operation ‘haircut’, you really wouldn’t know. But touching his hip it was clear that his left side needs a lot of building up while his right side was still tender. 

We moved to the sofa where he realised this was not playtime after all but therapy time. His Mum, who is also a Reiki practitioner, was fully involved in what he felt like and the plan to help Sonny. His shoulder and neck had been working overtime and felt like he was in training for the World’s Strongest Man. His lower back and thigh muscles, on the other hand, felt like they needed a good pumping up. 

Which is exactly the massage techniques we did on him. Kneading at the front, gentle pumping over the back. Within 30 minutes he was asleep, deep sleep. Thoroughly relaxed and totally comfortable. 

His Mum was left with lots of ideas for rehabilitation exercises that needn’t be too hard and don’t need special equipment. When he walks uphill, they can just stop for a few seconds so he will have to balance out his front and back legs adjusting his weight. Similarly, when going downhill. Simple but effective. Walking slowly over Dad’s outstretched legs is another that he will enjoy but makes him raise all his limbs to get over. 

With this rehabilitation plan in place plus the energy healing from his Mum, he should be better prepared for his next big operation and hopefully make that recovery to enjoy the rest of his puppyhood. 

It seems like the plan is working as his Mum wrote to say “Thank you so much for today's visit and for all the useful info you have provided for Sonny. He continued to have a nice sofa snooze after you had left and since he's woken up he's had lots of energy, been drinking lots of water and has been in and out for massive wees all afternoon which I'm sure you will agree are clear signs of a healing response so that is a very positive result! ….Many thanks again for visiting and sharing your knowledge with us, I'm sure it's going to help enormously with Sonny's recovery” 

Another #result. 

AchyPaw Canine Mobility Advice

An important element of what I do is education….or maybe the term should be awareness. Nothing is really rocket science but it is just making the Mums and Dads of the dogs I see, aware of environmental or daily living changes they can make to help the mobility of their pet. 

The classic one is flooring, and I’ve mentioned this one many times. Wooden floors are lovely and easy to keep clean, but little paws, older paws, arthritic legs, find them tricky to keep their footing and sometimes slip and slide. Mats and rugs help enormously. You don’t have to carpet the whole house, but adding ‘islands’ of rugs as places the dogs can use to get up or lie down on, can make such a difference. Doing the homework each dog parent is given – tailored massage routines that can be done daily – help enormously as well as doing the appropriate recommended exercises. 

AchyPaw Mobility Advice

Poppy’s Mum has done EVERYTHING I suggested since my first visit last week. I was met today with “Poppy loves walking over the poles, she really lifts her hind leg to get over them, can you show me again the Incline exercise?” She showed me the little buggy she bought for £15 from the Friday Ad which she uses so that Poppy can be pushed to the park while her other dogs walk along side, and can then get out to play with her brother and sister. This means Poppy doesn’t get tired before she actually reaches the Park and her siblings don’t feel like they are missing out on their exercise. Everyone is happy and it has really benefitted her mobility. Poppy's Mum showed me the 'half steps' I suggested she bought so that Poppy could get in and out of the garden more comfortably.  She is even going to buy some more.  As I sat down on the floor to work with Poppy I had to move away the lavender heat pad that Mum had bought for Poppy to be placed over her hips after a walk to help ease out her muscles (not hot, just gentle warm heat). She has even bought a new bed for Poppy with sides so that she can fit the new memory foam mattress inside and Poppy can sleep on the floor without any draughts aggravating her arthritis. Add to that the daily massage she gives Poppy and I think the entire check list has been checked and some. And that’s just the first week. 

Very heart-warming…well done Poppy’s Mum.

A Day in the Life of a Canine Massage Therapist

I recently became a featured member of the Good Vet Guide and they published an article from me about the Day in the Life Of....

I warned them it would be long but they published anyway.

"A Day in the Life of a Canine Massage Therapist – Dr Les Ellam from AchyPaw

I love writing, probably because I was an academic for 21 years before starting my new career. Researching new stuff, explaining what I do, writing about the benefits and conditions that can be treated with canine massage and myotherapy, are all things I do every day. But to explain a single day in the life of a canine massage therapist stumped me for a while

I looked back through my records at the dogs I have treated in the past 3 years. No day is actually the same. There have been a variety of ages. My youngest was a 6 month old puppy where I was actually called to help the owner bond with him more. By teaching her a daily massage routine the power of touch was remarkable and within a few weeks they were inseparable. The puppy had finally stopped climbing the ceiling as he found climbing into his mum’s lap for a massage was far more fun. Then there was the 1 year old who I was asked to help after they became over exuberant and strained some leg muscles. In the middle range, I have had lots of 8 year old dogs who have started to display signs of slowing down. They can often be treated on a regular basis to maintain mobility and quality of life for as long as possible. At the far extreme I have been referred a couple of 13 and 14 year old dogs for palliative care. The aim with those was not to treat the disease that was affecting them but to help them relax, ease their muscles and joints, so they could be relatively pain free with regard to their mobility to help their own internal healing.

Then there were the conditions I have treated. The list is lengthy. Muscle issues are clearly the most frequent on the list, followed by joint issues, arthritis, sports massage, spinal problems, lack of symmetry due to amputation, dogs with a fear of fireworks and even a dog with epilepsy. It is not just about prevention but also maintenance, treating specific injuries, rehabilitation, sports and relaxation. Personally I think to pigeon-hole the rationale behind canine massage and myotherapy as having one benefit is not the way to go. I prefer to think holistically – where the therapy can work on the whole body since everything is ultimately interrelated and interconnected. 

Recently we have expanded our toolbox of therapy techniques to include Reiki and Animal Healing for those dogs or owners who prefer a less physical treatment. Dogs have no guile; they don’t understand the concept of placebo. If Reiki or Animal Healing works on them, then it works, no need to question the whys and hows. 

As far as the numbers of dogs seen in a day, that can be anything from 1 to my largest number of 5. On one occasion I worked on 4 dogs of different ages and abilities back to back (literally too). They each had their own issues, their own ways of lying for me and their own 'feel'. The first dog was a true athlete, an agility dog who had muscles like Usain Bolt (I guess, not that I have massaged Usain Bolt.....) firm and plentiful. Dog #2 was a retired athlete, still possessing the sporty muscles but they were a lot looser with the beginnings of evident wastage. He fell asleep for me. Dog #3 was the puppy of the first dog and didn't know the meaning of “just try to relax”. I think she heard that as “wriggle as much as you can”. Dog #4 was an ability dog who had thyroid problems which had resulted in the loss of all his fur before being diagnosed and treated with thyroxin. With him it was all about the skin, no kneading. Lots and lots and lots of skin lifting, fascial work and stimulation. By the end of his session he was not only fast asleep but had noticeably softer fur. His owner said “Oooo...is not spikey anymore”. A variety of dogs, a variety of conditions, a variety of aims, but in each the outcome was successful. 

Feedback typically comes from the dogs (apparently!) I am always surprised how many are able to send me selfies of them snoozing after a session or texts telling me how much better they feel now. 

There is also education. At AchyPaw, we not only treat animals but also like to share our knowledge with owners. After all, they are the people with their dogs 24/7. When treating a dog I always work with the owner. They sit in the treatment session with me and if I feel a tight muscle, or find a move that is very beneficial then I will share it. Everyone goes away with some ‘homework’ and I always follow up a session with a workbook of things to do tailored to each dog. This could be massage techniques or exercises, which is where the myotherapy side comes in. Massage is easy to explain but the explanation I like best is “The scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, as apart from mere rubbing” (Prosser, E.M. (1941) A manual of Massage and Movement. 2nd ed. Faber & Faber: London). The effects and benefits of massage can be mechanical, physiological and psychological varying according to the intent with which massage is given, the selection of techniques used, the condition of the client and the frequency of sessions. Myotherapy describes muscle therapy or, as I like to explain it, the therapist exercising the muscle for the client. It is a form of manual therapy focussing on the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain. The term is not just a technique taught at a particular school but was originally used in the 1970’s by Bonnie Prudden to describe a specific type of trigger point therapy which she developed following earlier research and studies into pain and from myofascial trigger points. Used today, the term myotherapy incorporates a wider range of techniques including massage, joint mobilization, therapeutic stretching, exercise, postural advice and, most important for me, education. 

Demonstrating a few appropriate exercises to the owner that they can do with their dog to stretch and mobilise appropriate joints and muscles can then be their ‘homework’ to build on the therapy session with me and maintain the mobility until the next session. These exercises don’t have to be expensive with lots of kit. They can be simple walking, sitting or standing exercises. Our Sam loves the beach and loves digging in the sand. This is a great free exercise that is under my control. When I think he has had enough, I take the ball away. But while he is digging he is exercising his shoulders, back and rear leg muscles…..and it is free and fun. 

There are also days when we deliver one to one or group training sessions. These are great fun and allow the academic in me to resurface. The day always starts with a game and I ensure the session is not just a lecture but interactive and hands on. Those days in the life of a canine massage therapist can be hard work but very rewarding. Seeing a frisky boisterous puppy turn into a slumbering snoring dog in a couple of hours of being massaged by their owner can’t fail to make me smile. Or an older dog who struggles in but leaves with softer fur, a wagging tail plus an owner who is happy that they can now help their dog themselves. 

One thing that is always constant in my daily life though, is my own dogs. I never forget the reason why I started AchyPaw Canine Massage, which was to help our Sarah. Every night, she and her brother Sam, sit either side of me on the floor and have their daily treatment. Instead of being petted now by stroking, they get therapy. Not always intensive or long, but always some kneading, some effleurage, some stretching, all of which result in smiling faces and “Don’t stop now Dad” stamps of their paws. 

Is this the best thing I have ever done? Most certainly. The best job in the world"

Further canine massage workshops : Next Steps and Warm-up / Cool-down routines

Last weekend we delivered our first “Next Steps” workshop which included a warm-up / cool-down routine. This added an extra 9 massage techniques to the 8 that were taught in the Introduction workshops. One of these moves was a move unique to us which we have called the "AchyPaws, Play & Stay technique" in homage to Paws, Play and Stay for hosting us.

That gives everyone a huge toolkit of techniques that they can now use on their dogs. We also included a demonstration and knowledge of a routine for warming up and cooling for everyday or specifically for sports. And to add to the bundle we included some revision of passive movements, joints and bones and a brand new active stretch technique. Not bad value for two workshops.

As usual we started with an interactive game. To assist with revision and see what everyone had remembered we started with the Post-It game but this time it was joints and bones.

It was Skye’s third time in the class so she resolutely lay down enduring the sticking.

Skye with her 'joints and bones'

It was first time for Little Millie and Big Disney but both behaved incredibly well as their joints and bones were stuck on.

Millie has an expression like "Dad...I'm only small.  I'm covered now"

Disney's first time with the Post-It game

During the event all sorts of lightbulb moments went off. We found a previously undiscovered trigger point on one dog, we found an area on another which caused a back leg to flick when the rear leg and lumbar muscles were massaged (possibly due to 'sticky' fascia or simply to muscle tension) and also discussed how the new active stretch could really benefit the Cani-Sports dogs.

Discussion time at the end (note all the chilled dogs)

We received some great feedback. Gary, the owner of Paws, Play & Stay Dog Hotel wrote “Furthering our knowledge and benefitting our dogs is what it is all about. The difference in Milly over the last 4 months is so noticeable - her feel, movement and recovery all affected with positive noticeable impacts, this transfers over on all of the dogs we lay our hands on in both massage sessions and just in general bonding in daycare Paws Play & Stay. Today's activity of warm up, cool down and further techniques has cemented the basic fundamentals and given me yet more substantial tools to benefit my dog's health and the relationship I have with them. Most noticeably for me is the enjoyable calming effect and bonding on both myself and the dogs I interact with. The valuable tools to take care of daily the impacts on our canine friends cannot be underestimated from diet, training and interrelationship bonding to recovery from injuries and maintaining a healthy dog. I cannot thank AchyPaw & Massage by Chris enough for your time and professional approach to Canine Massage."

And from one of the owners : "Great day today and all the dogs were really well behaved! Disney is still chilling even now Les, he went out on a double walk (first with Skye then puppy Toby) and has spent the rest of the day completely zonked! I am just about to see if Toby will let me do a bedtime massage so we have a quiet night!"

So another very worthwhile session. We are looking forward to our continuing relationship with Paws, Play & Stay.

“With a little help” - Feedback & there seems to be a pattern emerging here!

I don’t often put up individual feedback from a therapy session as usually the smiley googly pictures of the dogs that come for treatment says far more than words. But I had a lovely piece of feedback yesterday so thought, oh well, to help share the experiences of other owners and dogs who have been here I’ll put up a testimonial page on the AchyPaw site. 

I went through many of the emails and texts and messages that I had received over the years and started to put them together onto a page. As I was copying and pasting I realised a pattern seemed to be emerging. As well as “My dog says thanks for all the help Dr Les” I was getting a lot of “…and the individual handout you sent me has been very useful” type of responses too. 

I guess being in academia for 21 years and teaching health service staff how to use computers for many years before that (and this was in the days of real floppy disks when most people had never used personal computers and the nearest thing you got to an email address was something weird from Compuserve like 12344679uyts@xxx.com – really memorable) (Oh…I have given my age away…whatever) have taught me the value of giving people feedback that is tailored to them. 

After a treatment session I typically supply the owner with some personalised homework. Things such as a printout with the moves that would be most beneficial for their own dog’s needs, or a picture of the areas that I found to be an issue with big fat arrows saying “Work here gently” or “Fido LOVES this bit being massaged”. Surely sharing my knowledge has to be a better plan than simply keeping it all to myself. I’m a physical therapist not a magician with secrets, so being able to explain ways to benefit their own dog to the person who looks after their dog 24/7, seemed common sense to me. 

Helping the dog AND giving tailored homework were both mentioned in the email I received yesterday that sparked off this observation of what we do. I went to visit Alisa in Crowborough last month to see her dogs. Buzz needed treatment, while Alisa wanted to learn a warm-up and cool-down specifically for her agility dog, Sassy. Alisa wrote “Aw bless you Dr Les, you are such a lovely man and it was a pleasure to meet you and I think Buzz would agree with that! He really does seem to be so much better in himself due to your Midas touch and I have used your warm up and cool down routines on all of the dogs and I found that Sassy found it quite relaxing when we were queuing for our turn at our agility show a couple of weeks ago. It was great knowing how to do it correctly, so I really did appreciate all the extra effort you put in providing me with an individual procedure print outs for each of them that I could refer to remind me. I do hope that your wonderful business continues to grow as I know how passionate you are about what you do and you deserve for things to go well for you as you have a special gift. Please do keep in touch as I love hearing all about Sam and Sarah who are such a brilliant advert for what you do. Best wishes Alisa, Buzz, Sassy and Holly. Xxxx” 

Gosh. 

The feedback I had received had lots of “My dog says come back Dr Les”, but also many comments with “What an excellent ‘how to massage my dog myself’ booklet: so clear, explanatory, & helpful, which we shall be using daily, I’ll see how we get on and will be in touch to let you know” and “Update on my dog, just given him a lovely massage- even let me touch his toes!” and even a “Many thanks Les – he’s just been out for his afternoon walk, and I may be imagining it, but he seemed more sprightly than usual! I’ll have a go and see how we get on – he certainly enjoyed it and we’ve had a few nuzzles today, I guess asking for some more massage!” which seems to be good feedback for the treatment as well as the simple homework aftercare. 

I guess that being small enough to offer the personal touch is another reason why we like to do workshops and demonstrations which are all about helping your own dog. Most of our workshops are manageable in size so we can make sure we can get round to everyone to ensure that they are doing the moves correctly whether they are working on a tiny terrier or a massive mastiff. 

Some of the other collected feedback can be found here.  Chris said that helping the dogs AND the owners ought to be our new USP. Having just bought loads of new business cards with our latest strapline of “AchyPaw : Home to Supple Dogs”, I’ve now got to think of a new line. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of lovely smiley relaxed happy dogs we have treated over the last few years. 

Bodhi deciding it was too much effort to move after his treatment

Alisa and Buzz who sent me the lovely email

Feebee receiving two pairs of hands

Issey bringing me a flower after helping her walk properly again

Leo was saying "I'll lie here, you take the selfie"

Millie was lapping up therapy and sun

The handsome Mr Obi

Ollie may only have three legs but he is a happy boy

Hetty receiving some Reiki therapy