Working with a rescue dog

Working with a rescue dog is notably heart-warming.  Their new carer often doesn’t know all of their history.  What we do know is that they are now able to live their best life.  But for someone new, like me, getting their trust is very special.  And Bobby was very special.

He is an almost 5 year Romanian rescue – a bit of Collie, Labrador and Hound.  But the eyes are all Bobby.  When he was first adopted in 2017, he had separation issues and was anxious about many things.  But with calming consistent work from his carers, he has blossomed into a wonderful family dog. 

Recently he started to show signs of apprehension again.  It was thought that maybe he was in discomfort, especially from his rear end which he displayed by a “don’t come too near me please” behaviour.

Imagine if you have a constant back ache.  You don’t particularly want random cuddles or people in your face.  Dogs are no different.  But they can’t just phone up a therapist or pop some pills.  Luckily, Bobby’s Mum was able to call a therapist for him and along he came.

He was oh-so-sweet as he walked in.  Looking round surveying the room but within a minute saw the massage mat in the middle and plonked himself down.  My brightly coloured dog sized massage mat has seen that behaviour so often.  “Not sure what to do?  I know….I’ll plonk myself on that lovely colourful place.  It looks safe and me sized.”

He allowed me, and sometimes helped me, find where his issues were.  He had a stiff neck which was probably due to anxious shoulder raising.  But his main tightness was in his lower back.  He had clearly been holding himself quite rigid which would, understandably, be giving him anxiety.

It took a while for him to trust me to work there.  We were helped by treat distractions……good old Primula Cheese tubes, the best solution for any distraction.

After about 40 minutes he looked as though he needed a stretch and went for a walk round our garden.   This has a double use.  The dog can have a well-deserved pee and it means for the next few days our Sam can patrol ‘his’ garden sniffing out the new pee smells.  Win, win.

When Bobby came back it was like he was a new boy.  The old anxious Bobby had shaken himself off in the garden and Mr Relaxed Bobby came back in.  He simply lay down and allowed his Mum and me to work wherever we, or he, liked.  It was a very special moment.  Trust established.  Back pain eased.  Bobby returns.

We ran through some appropriate exercises and I prepared his workbook for his Mum.  She replied “Bobby has literally been a different dog yesterday afternoon he has been smiling and generally seems so much more comfortable. It really was amazing to see the shift in the room. Thank you so much 💓”.  You’re more than welcome Bobby.  You are a special boy.

 

Best Feedback

Bobi and Pixie have a lovely sunny garden which is ideal for safe working. The dogs get their massage and heat therapy which is a double bonus. 

Both love their sessions enthusiastically – sometimes over keen. One minute Pixie can be purring contentedly in my arms and the next she is off racing round the garden showing her new flexibility. 

But she comes back. Equally Bobi can be lying on the ground smiling his oh-so handsome goofy smile and then he’s off in a wrigglefest. But the end result is always the same – two sparko dogs relaxed for the remainder of the day as in these pictures. 
 
We really can’t ask for better feedback.

Multimodal therapy in one session

Rescue girl Bambi had developed a limp from her right rear leg which has been slow to respond to rest or medications. 

Bambi was lying on the mat with the PEMF mat below and started her therapy session laying there while also receiving Red Light Phototherapy. That’s 2 therapies. 

Bambi then had the smaller PEMF mat directly on her rear leg while I gave her some massage. Therapies = 3 

Chris then took over with Bambi and gave her some Trigger Point therapy and stretching. Therapies up to 4. 

At the end she did not want to leave the treatment room. Relaxation = therapy 5. 

Multimodal in one session. 

#result

"Oh....she needed that"

We hear that quite a lot. A dog who hasn’t been able to settle, gets straight into the massage zone and stays there for the full hour long session. 

11 year old Staffie Pickle had just recovered from an operation which has limited her free walks. Her Dad wanted me to go over and give her a therapy session now that everything has healed so she doesn’t harm anything when she finally becomes harness-less. 

I’ve visited her 4 times now and she has her own pattern during the session. At first, she simply won’t settle, meaning I sit on the floor by the mat and catch up with her Dad until she decides she is ready. That can be 10 or 20 minutes. And she can settle anywhere in the room. Also during the session, she has several ups and downs. 

This time though, she totally amazed us both. She was ready on the mat within seconds. And her left arm (where she had been operated) was up in the air waiting for some help. 

And there she stayed. A full 60 minutes of snuffling, grunting, sighing, Staffie noises. But as soon as the session was over, she woke up, looked around as though to say “Oh….there you both are” and made her way to her favourite chair to sit in the sun for the rest of the day. A longer, happier more comfy Pickle than an hour previously. 

Yes, she needed that.

Respect

Hector is almost 13 now and a big Staffie. He was rescued a few years ago and his new Mum found he had intermittent lameness due to arthritis, calling me in to help from the start of his new life. 

Over the time I have worked with him, his personality has changed to being quite shy to a bundle of Big Bouncy Staffiness. He smiles, he plays, he rolls around showing me his ample tummy, he has a wander round the room and then settles. 

Hector is a classic example of the way we work with dogs - namely respecting their terms. The dog shouldn’t be forced to stay in one place because that is comfortable to the therapist. Hector may start on the massage mat and then move to his Mum’s feet or, more recently, up on his favourite chair. In fact, the latter is quite a good place to work with him as he fits exactly between the arms of the chair when he has a stretch – great for back work. 

On the last session, he was 100% a chair dog. 30 minutes one side then, without prompting, he turned around so I could work on the other side. He has a large magnificent Staffie head which suits cheek massage perfectly. And he LOVES that technique as the picture shows. 
 
During the session, his eyes went from wide, to dozy to sleepy. His smile grew bigger and his snores got louder (listen to the videos on the next post). 

The difference finding a Forever Home makes

10 and a half year old Staffie Bertie, found himself in Arundawn Dog Rescue a few weeks ago (http://facebook.com/arundawn7 ) where Elaine put up a video of him walking with a limp. We offered to visit to help him in the kennels, but he was immediately fostered which is where Chris saw him the next day. 

At that time, his coat was quite dull and his fur was very tight, He needed a lot of myofascial release. 

4 weeks later Chris went round to see how he was progressing. First thing – he is in his forever home. His new Mum and Dad became failed fosterers. They said, “He saw a mat in the middle of the room. He lay on it. He crossed his paws. He gave a look of I’m home now”. 

Second thing - his Mum has been keeping up the massage with him from our workbook and said that he can jump up onto the sofa, which they were amazed the first time he did. 

Third thing – he has lost weight. He has started to get his Staffie wiggle back. His Mum said they could see a change in his shape, albeit slowly. He is walked twice a day and they are looking at starting hydrotherapy with him. 

Fourth thing – there are carpet runners in the hall so no slippy stocky Staffie legs. 

All in all, Chris was so pleased with his improvement. His coat is now glossy and loose. He was no longer guarding his body when touched, no reactive looks. Instead his muscles were all moving freely and his gait was balanced with a big grin as he showed off his moves. 

And his personality has really come out. He is a real Mummy’s boy and happily throws himself at your feet and smiles. 

Bertie has clearly landed on his paws.

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”  

Adopt, Don't Shop

Dogs everywhere…and it was heaven! 

I went back for some volunteering with Arundawn Dog Rescue and this time I took an extra pair of hands – Chris’s hands. The dogs loved him – he had a very patient line of them at one point, queuing up and waiting for their turn. Typically working two hands at once. 

We worked with whoever was nearest at the time – sometimes they were resting on each other so one hand could slide over them both, sometimes they were within reach of both therapists so received a double helping. 

By the end, they were all asleep, rested and snoring and we both had wide silly grins. 

Best day. 

#adoptdontshop

Helping a rescue dog

I’m scheduled for another volunteering session at Arundawn Dog Rescue in a few days. But I saw a recent post from Elaine about Bertie the 10 and a half year old Staffie who was sadly back in kennels at the time – although now is in a wonderful new foster home. 

When I looked at the videos, I felt sure that we could definitely help him – he clearly had issues which would benefit from a physical therapy session. I showed the video to Chris and he agreed. A phone call to Elaine, agreement from their vet and 36 hours later our back expert Chris was with Bertie and his new fosterers to offer a voluntary session. 

Initially Bertie’s coat was quite dull and his fur was very tight – you could see him struggle to get any fluidity in his movement. He was our classic “36 inch chest in a 32 inch coat” dog. This where the fur is so tight it is like you’ve put on your favourite coat after a rather over-indulged Christmas – the buttons pop. We can, at least, tug at our clothes to stretch them. A dog can’t do that – but we can help with plenty of myofascial release. 

Bertie was a dream to work with – all he wanted was attention and touch. As Chris was working with him, he was demonstrating the techniques with Bertie’s new fosterers. They both have monthly massages so fully understand the benefits and didn’t need any convincing that it would help Bertie. 

Chris also left a few suggestions about household adaptations to make things more Bertie Friendly such as following where he walks to see where he might need a carpet runner or two. We offered them support if needed and suggest follow up in a few weeks to check progress. 

At the end of the session, Chris had left behind a new dog who tried to stop him leaving and with a loose shiny coat that actually fitted him. It won’t take Bertie long to become another AchyPaw Massage Diva.

Treating Femoral Head & Neck Excision in dogs

Bobby’s Mum came to meet us at the RSPCA Open Day a few weeks back. Bobby was rescued when he was 3. He had a femoral head & neck excision as a salvage procedure when rescued. 

His Mum says that, at 6 or 7 as he is now, he’s a little stiff first thing in the morning and after walks but doesn’t have any issues as such. And that is exactly why she asked us for a visit. She doesn’t WANT him to have any issues. 

An operation like that can lead to imbalance. This can, in turn, lead to chronic mobility issues over time. If we can help sort him now and make sure everything is working well, hopefully Billy will be happy for a long time. He already has a number of adaptations in place, such as he uses a ramp to get in and out of the car or is lifted. But during the home visit, we suggested that a few carpets and rugs as Mobility Islands would also be useful over the laminate flooring. 

His Mum had read our website where we suggest massage should be on a special place – such as a comfy mat or rug. The dog will then come to associate that place with therapy time. And has already bought one specially.

Bobby’s right rear leg is slightly shorter which may be a result of the surgery. This, in turn had likely caused his left front leg becoming more developed than the right in compensation. He also exhibited skin quivering when touched which is often a sign he needs myofascial release techniques to ease his skin – like making a tight T Shirt fit you better. 

He had a full 45 minutes of treatment before walking away. But that was only to turn round and give Chris his other side to work with. Dogs are very canny! 

At the end of the session he visibly appeared ‘longer’ and comfortable. Along with the homework we left his Mum, Bobby is on our 3 month maintenance programme.

Working with rescue dogs

Meet Minger

I know….there is a story behind the name. But she is actually quite a stunner. She is a Breton Spaniel, rescued by Mel Beck who fell in love with her and now has adopted her. Minger was rescued from Spain having been discarded by a hunter when she had served her purpose. She was part of the Save Our Spaniels Rescue, an organisation who Rescue, rehabilitate, rehome Spaniels in need abroad. (We are offering a discount for any local SOS rescued Spaniels who need, or would benefit from, treatment – please ask us for details.) 

When Minger arrived in the UK, she had developed a limp on her right rear leg which was diagnosed as a cruciate issue. She had an operation at the start of the year which was successful. But she was still preferring to lift the operated leg and walk using the left rear leg only. Due to the reduced exercise she had also developed a couple of extra ‘saddle bags’. 

We have worked with Mel some years ago with the amazing Mr Khan and so offered our services for free to help Minger back to full balance and mobility. 

Like many rescue dogs, her actual age is not known. She was said to be 8 but looks far younger at around 5. But with the wobbly back leg and saddle bags it is not too easy to tell. Her new Dad has plans for her to be his Cani-Cross partner when she is back to top health. When they came over, it was evident she was carrying a stiff back, loose thigh muscles for the right and tight thigh muscles for the left. She needed therapy to make her symmetrical again. 

Luckily, she adores touch and settled in to therapy immediately. In fact, she ended up doing the rounds – going from Chris, to me, to Dad, to Mum and back to Chris again. Not one to waste any therapy time. 

With now informed eyes and our ‘homework’, her carers can now continue with the massage therapy and rehabilitation exercises to help her regain her confidence to use all 4 legs once more and get in shape for the Cani-Cross season. Mel wrote up Minger’s story and messaged me “She’s doing really well. Andy has been giving her 15 mins of massage every night and she seems to be walking better. The dip in her back is variable, sometimes up, sometimes down. Loves the treats and walking across Andy’s legs fine. He’s been getting her to support her back end with right leg down only and left leg slightly raised. She’s limping a lot less and we’ve dared to let her potter about at the stables without a lead which has had a hugely positive effect on her psychologically. It’s lovely to see the bond building between them” 

Appropriate early rehab and therapy for cruciate issues can make a big difference in quality of recovery. Add to that caregiver involvement, education and empowerment and you’re well on the road to successful rehabilitation. If you’ve got a dog with similar issues, give us a call.