Therapeutic Massage For Pets

Despite the common idea that pet massage is only for "pampering" pets, the practice is becoming more mainstream as a complement to traditional veterinary medical care.  Today, massage therapy services can be found in veterinary offices and animal rehabilitation hospitals in addition to daycare and animal spa facilities.  Massage is not, nor is it intended to be a substitute for traditional veterinary care.  It is a complementary form of health care.

Touch is as essential as food and water to an animal. In fact, Mothers lick their puppies or kittens right after birth to stimulate breathing, clean them, encourage them to suckle, and provide comfort. Massage therapy takes touch to another level.  Through the use of a variety of techniques and focused intention, physical and psychological changes occur that enhance the animals’ well-being. 

Terry's Therapeutic Massage focuses on preventative care and health maintenance as a holistic approach to the overall wellbeing of your pets.  Massage offers non-invasive, therapeutic pain and stress relief and can improve mobility.  Along with regular veterinary care, massage is a natural, drug-free path to building and maintaining a happy and healthy pet.

After the session, I recommend that your pet has access to fresh water.  Some pets need a short walk afterwards to potty, and some pets will want to sleep.

What is Therapeutic Massage for Pets?

Therapeutic Massage for pets is a touch technique used to maintain and improve physical and mental health.  It has been practiced for thousands of years on people.  In more recent years, people have realized how beneficial massage can be for animals.  Massage can help prevent injuries and aid the body with healing.  Pet massage causes your pet's body to release endorphins, which are the natural chemical that relieves pain and makes your pet feel good.  

Pet Massage/Energy Work helps dogs regain and maintain circulation, flexibility, healthfulness and control over issues associated with pain, fear, past abuse, and grieving.

What are the many benefits of massage for animals?

 Massage can help your pet's physical and mental health by:

 Increasing their circulation and helping eliminate toxins and wastes from their bodies.

 Improving their joint flexibility and muscle tone, which can be very beneficial to older animals, those with active lives such as performance animals.  Massage is very popular with agility dogs and sport horses.

 Improving the condition of their skin, coat, gums, and teeth.

 Improving their attitude and ability to focus which can affect behavior, training, and performance.

 Massage for animals can help with behavior and temperament problems by:

 Gaining their trust through the act of being touched.

 Calming down a nervous or hyper pet.

 Helping a shy or submissive pet feel more secure.

 Relaxing an aggressive or dominant pet.

 Massage can help pets that are recovering from injuries or have chronic conditions by:

 Enabling atrophying muscles to work the way they are supposed to.

 Reducing the recovery time from soft tissue injuries.

 Providing relief from muscle soreness and spasms.

 Relieving pain and discomfort associated with conditions such as arthritis and hip dysplasia. 

 It can also help to improve the pets metabolism in overweight animals.

Contraindications

As with humans, there are some cautions and contraindications to keep in mind with animal massage. If an animal is in shock, they may experience low blood pressure, and massage might lower it further thus putting the animal at further risk. Also, fever may be a sign of infection and should be addressed by a vet before massage is administered. If an animal has cancer, a vet should clear them for massage. Open wounds, ringworm and other skin conditions are also contraindicated for massage therapy. Torn muscles, tendons and ligaments or acute diseases such as influenza or coughs also contraindicate massage.

  International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork

Mission Statement

We are a professional community that provides and teaches the traditional values and techniques of holistic massage and bodywork for animals.  We are dedicated to promoting, advancing and growing the practice of animal massage and bodywork through education, establishing industry standards and building an international network of support.