Helping you to help your own dog workshop

 If you’re going to come back after a long break with a brand new workshop and want to respect people’s space, then why not go for a huge gazebo with airy open sides in the middle of the countryside?  And not just any gazebo….go for one that has not one, not two but three chandeliers.  AchyPaw goes classy! 

Val Chandler organised the session at the Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary.  This was the first time for our “Helping you to help your own dog” workshop.  The focus was not just on massage but everything appropriate to help the mobility and comfort of your own dog. 

Physical therapy is not a one size fits all.  Every dog is different.  Each condition is different.  Each therapy plan should be tailored to fit that individual. 

The session covered the where, the why and the how.  13 lovely lucky dogs brought along their Mums and Dads to make sure they learn how to help them now and throughout their life.  There were big dogs, senior dogs, muscular dogs, rescue dogs, puppies and small dogs.  Each wanted their carers to help them in different ways. 

Bella and Max represented the senior larger dogs and were both Golden Retrievers.   Naturally, they soaked up every touch on offer. 

Representing the smaller dogs were 7 year old French Bulldog Milly (who adored all the back work) and Peanut, another 7 year old Jack Russell who had no issues but whose Mum wanted to keep her that way. 

Representing the anxious were 2 year old Bali who has high anxiety and 12 year old JRT Pogo who is having some emotional problems at the moment with a house move as well as a cruciate issue.  Pogo was an ex PAT dog and this time brought along her sister Aidey for support. 

Then there were the young fit and muscular.  Young Saluki Wilbur “runs like the clappers” according to his Dad, while Belgian Shepherd Savannah has 3 siblings to play with.  Also in the Super Duper Fit category were Doodle the Poodle who brought along his black Lurcher chum.  They had a corner of the vast gazebo to themselves….lots of black fur in that corner. 

In the “we’re a little stiff Dr Les but otherwise Ok” category were 11 year old JRT Toby, 12 year old Patch the Staffie (who worked as my demo dog) and 11 year old Tibetan Terrier cross Pups.  

What a variety!  A dream band for an educational session to teach about individuality. 

With a little help from me, the dogs taught their Mums and Dads over a dozen massage moves with each having a favourite technique on a favourite targeted muscle area.  Some dogs liked one move, others another.  Fortunately, there was plenty of alternatives.  And that’s the idea behind a ‘helping you to help your own dog’ session.  Giving variety for choice. 

As well as massage, the dogs were shown how to get their carers to warm them up properly before any exercise using our special Locomotion technique and then to cool them down afterwards. 

Finally, the exercises. AchyPaw exercises are simple yet effective.  No poles, no balance balls no tools needed other than your own legs and some yummy treats and maybe a cushion from your sofa.   

The day ended with all the dogs happy and content that their Mums and Dads are equipped with the knowledge to help them now and throughout their life.

 

 

Mirroring

Giant Hudson has an equally giant heart. He needs regular maintenance therapy of both Reiki and massage to keep his large body supple without getting stiff.

This means he has Double Therapist sessions from Chris and me.  As we can’t leave our Sam alone anymore, he comes with us.

He thoroughly enjoys his afternoon out, waking and sitting up in the back of the car every time as we turn the corner to Hudson’s House.

And Hudson bounds down his front path to greet Sam as if he is his bestie.

Recently Sam has made it clear he wants to become fully involved in the therapy session sitting alongside his new chum. This is something Sam never does. Even with his sister they were never cuddle buddies. But Hudson is clearly extra special.

They lie there, side by side absorbing all the healing Reiki and getting massage in unison. They even mirror each other’s paw position, yawns and nose drippings. Look at the photo….eyes equally closing, jaws equally loose, expressions equally serene.

It’s quite heart-warming to be part of this bromance. 

 

 

Getting it right from the start

Bailey is a 2 year old Sproodle who decided to have a couple of random stop and sit downs during walks.  When his vet examined him, it was noticed he seemed to have a stiff neck and upper back and was prescribed a short course of NSAIDs. 

But a few weeks later, on a return to the vets, he still seemed uncomfortable and was recommended to visit us for a check-up and advice.

Working with such a young dog is perfect for our ‘helping you to help your dog’ philosophy.  Discovering and assisting Bailey’s mobility issues as a puppy, will enable his Mum to carry those skills into his maturing days.  It’s about knowing what to do and being empowered to help and those skills can be learned at any stage.

Your dog will get older but that course doesn’t have to be predetermined.  It doesn’t have to be a case of they get old, they stop moving, they get worse which will ultimately lead to an unacceptable impact on their quality of life.

Bailey knew that he needed some help and, although timid, allowed me to work with him and show his Mum what he needs now and in the longer-term.

Things such as getting into the habit of giving him a quick warm-up and cool-down before and after exercise is something that will benefit him whatever his age.  Our Sarah refused point blank to move in the morning until we’d given her a warm-up in the park.  She knew how beneficial it was.  We simply incorporated it into our morning routine.

Daily massage on the muscles and joints that take all the stress and strains of being a dog is beneficial whether your dog is 2 or 12. 

We found that, as well as tight neck and upper back muscles, Bailey was also uncomfortable on his thighs possibly due to compensation.  This gave us a plan for a massage and exercise routine Bailey’s Mum could do now, to help with his current issues while enabling her to know how to will help him later.

As Bailey gets older the massage routine will grow and develop.  His needs as a puppy will differ from those as an adolescent or middle-aged boy.  A 15 to 30 minute daily massage, warm-up and cool-down, simple stretching mobilising exercises and generally making the most of every opportunity given, will make sure you get to know your dog’s body and needs.  This will prevent injuries by identifying tissue change before it becomes a problem.  Added to that the bond created with your dog, helping your dog with physical therapy is a wonderful skill to learn.

Looking at Bailey’s expressions during the session, he will soon start to become a Massage Diva demanding and guiding his Mum on the areas that need help.

 

 

“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. 

 

“I am seeing the world today through my dog's eyes and more particularly, her body”.

 

“I am seeing the world today through Bramble’s eyes and more particularly, her body”.

Bramble the Springer Spaniel is a 13 year old rescue who has twice broken an elbow but recovered well and remains very active and up for a walk.  Since the end of last year, however, she has displayed a limp on the other front leg.  She was examined by the vet who found nothing sinister but concluded that the findings were consistent with osteoarthritic change in both elbows.  The other front limb joints appeared to have no issues.

Her Mum wanted to learn how to help with manual therapy to keep Bramble as fit as possible.

Bramble was unsure about anyone touching her so, as her Mum is going her new therapist, I brought in our demo dog.  While I was working on that model, Bramble’s Mum was copying me on her.   That worked perfectly and Bramble settled down in no time – after a good sniff of the demo dog.

Her Mum found that most of the muscles on the left hand side were more prominent that those on the right.  Bramble had clearly been compensating for a while.  She’d also developed tighter back muscles from about half way down – again likely due to over-compensation.

This gave a good starting point for a massage plan to help ease the extra strain on the left while pumping up the tone on the right.  The Re-Balance Bramble Plan.

She thoroughly enjoyed the work her Mum was doing, repeatedly giving us extra cues by shutting her eyes and resting her head down in pure bliss. 

Her Mum wrote “……we had such a helpful and informative session.  I am seeing the world today through Bramble’s eyes and more particularly, her body.  Thank you so much – I am very hopeful of being able to help her…I also think she is going to really love it”

I think so too.