One favourite wellness treatment alternative that ’s accessible to all dog ownersbut not many take advantage of it is pet massage . Did you know that impart your pawl a massage can provide many strong-arm and genial wellness benefits ? If not , this podcast episode is for you as we ’ll discuss the study in more profundity .
Today I ’m interviewing Jacqueline Newholm , a professional eye tooth massage therapist fromBig Brown Dog Therapy . We talk about the many dissimilar techniques and methods of pet massage , how to the right way and safely massage your andiron and how can it benefit your Fido . Jacqueline touches on the scientific discipline of it , and provides us with some corking tips on how pet owners can take reward of this simple and yet effective at - base treatment .
Listen to the episode in the video above and find the full podcast transcript below . For more , visit this episode ’s mail on the officialTheory of Petswebsite .
The Benefits of Dog Massage and How to Treat Your Fido(podcast transcript)
INTRO : Have you ever thought about leave your ducky a massage ? There are in reality some awe-inspiring benefit to favored subject matter and there are professional pet massage therapists start up a lot more frequently in areas all around the Earth .
Today I was able to talk with Jacqueline Newholm and she really is a pet massage healer locate in the UK . Her company is Big Brown Dog Therapy . It latterly celebrated its first natal day , but Jackie has been involved in pet massage for much long than that . I was able to talk with her today about the benefits and she gave us some great tip for anybody who ’s interested in massaging their pet at menage . So allow ’s see out what she had to say .
Interview with Jacqueline Newholm
Jacqueline : I actually had n’t owned a dog before , until about 9 years ago when I get my first heel . unluckily , my dad was quite allergic to dog and cats acquire up . So , we only had budgerigars and rabbits as dearie .
I got my first dog . His name was Tabasco and he was a big brown curly coated retriever . He was fantastic . regrettably he died in March this year . Because of him really I became more — really attached to dogs and realized how fantastic they are and what great fellow they are .
I really wanted to do something with animal , because I ’ve spent all of my working career either working for Nipponese companies or in the IT industry . So , really it was down to Tabasco and his stupid loveableness that got me concerned and wanting to change career .
So I did a snatch of research and plant out that hot dog massage was something that you could do . I did n’t retrieve it would be too hard to study again . So I lead on a 2 year course to hit the books and opened my business three years ago and I ’ve been trade in as Big Brown Dog Canine Massage Therapy for the last twelvemonth .
Samantha : Wow . well for you . It ’s just kind of becoming popular over here as well . I think a spate of favored parent are looking more for the natural treatments — acupuncture , massage , working with essential oils . Things like that is becoming more popular in the United States now as well . So when I received the e-mail and saw that you do canine massage , I was unrestrained to have you on the show because I think it ’s something that is extremely good , but it ’s also something that a lot of pet parents are n’t aware of or at least cognisant of the benefits of it right now .
Jacqueline : Yes . Yes .
There are literally dozens and dozens of qualified canine massage therapists in the UK , but every second dog proprietor that I come across has never find out of hot dog massage before . And I think that ’s possibly down to , I do n’t eff , I recollect as hoi polloi , unless we ’re used to having massage ourselves , it ’s kind of a bite , I do n’t have a go at it … You see it as a bit of a luxury I think . And you have a massage to take some time out for yourself . Really , the treatment that you get is more of a timeout , no hassles , no mobile phone — it ’s just a relaxing environment . I do n’t consider multitude realise the forcible and mental benefits that go mitt in hand with it . And because they do n’t know about that , they do n’t realize that it ’s something that they can do for their heel , as well I think .
Possibly if people are n’t involve their veteran about it , then the veterinary might not be so mindful of it . I approximate it ’s becoming a niggling snatch more known now , but it ’s definitely not one of the therapy that veterinary would needs refer to flat aside . You be given to go to physiotherapists or hydro - therapist more often .
And then once again those therapies are used mostly for remedial purposes or if hot dog are suffering from arthritis or elbow dysplasia or something like that , that ’s the sort of the go - to therapy . Where unfortunately , message is a mo leave behind the scenes .
So hopefully we ’ll start to make it a bit more well known and citizenry will realize that actually there are quite a few trained good therapists out there that can help their frump .
Samantha : utterly . We in reality had a personal experience with it . We work with a holistic vet with our dogs , me and my husband , our dogs . And my mother has a Labrador retriever who has suffered with , it was a rearing issue for him . He ’s had hip and knee problems since he was very young , two and three year old . And they saw , were seeing at the time a traditional general vet and they were doing supplements , pain medicinal drug , they had different exercises to do with him at home . He was on a limited exercise basis I approximate , even as a young dog at two and three .
So he wanted to run . He wanted to flirt , but they restrain it . And my mother and her hubby , they were n’t well-chosen with that . They wanted to try something else . So I really asked our holistic vet about it and what they thought and they recommended massage and they started that .
I think the dog is 10 or 11 this year . It ’s been many years that they ’ve been doing massage with him and it ’s been work so well . Even now as he is previous and manifestly arthritis is a progressive disease , it ’s get a lot worse . But it ’s still assist him even in his senior years .
So , that ’s how I first watch about it . And like I said I see it growing over here , but I think it ’s still definitely something that has n’t really been brought to light all the benefits .
Could you explain some of those benefits for the dogs that get massages ?
Jacqueline : Yes sure . So you mentioned that your Labrador retriever had pelvic arch and knee problem . So what bechance with dog that have rearward end — rearward end [ laughs ] — back leg problems is that plainly they do n’t want to use those legs , those limb , because they hurt , because the arthritis and whatever joint job they have are causing pain .
So what the dogs will do is they will tend to use their front legs more instead . So heel will naturally agree … Most dogs course have 60 % to 65 % of their eubstance weight is in the front . Because they have a huge muscular triangular bandage that accommodate their front leg onto their body , which encompasses the neck as well .
And so if you have back leg problems , the back legs are used for providing the powerful locomotion . So if you ’re not using those legs so much , then the front legs take over and do that go instead . Then what happens is you kind of get an overload of use on the front and the cervix . So you kind of get a petty pain that starts , and this could develop as a chronic takings .
So not only do you have the back last problems as well , then you also have the front end problems , because the muscle are being overwork , and they ’re well-worn , and they are sign up all the time . That means that they ca n’t slack up , and a brawniness that is continually contracted — so held really tightly — it ca n’t heal itself very well . Because when a muscle relaxes , that ’s when all of the unfermented oxygenated blood rushes through the brawn and goes into the muscle fiber . So by holding it in a lasting contraction , you ’re not able-bodied to release any of the really salutary clobber into the muscular tissue . And conversely , you also ca n’t transfer toxins from the muscle either , because the brawniness are n’t moving as they should be move .
So massage — to take that as an example — will serve to relieve muscular tension by inducing a relaxation to the muscleman . It will assist to crusade saucy blood into the musculus , thus the muscles will by nature mend themselves . And it also helps to push all the toxins out of the muscles and the surrounding tissue , and all of that as well .
Massage can also release the body ’s natural endorphin , so the body ’s instinctive pain killers . So they will be released into the blood stream and then pushed around the body through the blood stream during the massage movement .
We talk about the remotion of toxins . So for old dogs , for example , and I treat quite a few older dogs , these are dogs that are n’t move around so much and have limit exercise . So , when we actually move our body , the trend of the muscle assist to push all of the toxin through the lymphatic organisation and the venous circulation , which is where all the dirty line model and where all the — we call it — cellular debris sits in the body .
I do n’t know if you ’ve heard of hydrops before ?
Samantha : Yes .
Jacqueline : So an edema is a swelling of the cells — the physical structure ’s cellular telephone . Because they get satiate with lymph fluid . And so massage facilitate to run out all of that out of the arrangement , as well .
So your whole dead body is sort of refreshed and replenished through the new blood and the toxin that are being remove . It ’s wild for the older weenie that are n’t very roving . If you go for a run , or do some exercise , or have a dance , or something like that , you feel so much more energized . And that ’s because the body ’s cleaning itself , because the toxins are all being removed and you ’re releasing really adept hooey in there that makes you palpate safe .
I guess those would be the three main thing , really . So tone ending of instinctive pain killers , aid to increase the circulation which help to labour the ripe blood through the body , and the remotion of toxins , as well . And plain then the release of muscle tension which helps to meliorate mobility .
I had a knee mathematical operation a distich of years ago and because I was n’t using that leg so much , it would hurt when I would expend it because I was n’t getting the kitchen range of question with that .
So along with some massage techniques where I was teach we also do some range of a function of motion movement exercises as well . Which basically you ’re just moving the detent ’s leg back and forwards just to help lubricate the joint and to keep everything moving . Because without crusade you wo n’t get the natural healing happen .
Samantha : And you touched on arthritis that it can be very good for arthritis . Are there other specific wellness conditions that massage can gain ?
Jacqueline : So , we ’re looking really at progeny whereby the muscular tissue are contracting to try and stop a spliff from go . So hip dysplasia , elbow dysplasia — it ’s very helpful for that . Not only for the primary reason of the trouble . So , as I was saying before that if you have sensitive articulatio coxae and you do n’t require to move them because they ’re dysplastic , then your muscularity will stiffen all the way around that region and mingy muscles mean a build up of toxins , mean pain in that expanse . You ’re not using that area , therefore you do n’t get that raw healing and then you ’re overload somewhere else .
So we tend to try and target the compensatory issues as well as the initial problem . I mean if you ’re face at an older dog who ’s just been diagnosed with coxa dysplasia , they may be 10 years old . The likelihood of you putting that dog through an operation to deal with that issue is going to be quite low . It ’s different if they ’re a two yr old dog . So the option that you have are to negociate it rather than deal with that job so to speak .
So management consists of making certain the environs is suitable for the wienerwurst . We tend to .. When I say we approach thing from a holistic point of view , it ’s not just the hand on message we ’re using as well . We are prepare to depend at the heel ’s domicile surround , talk to the owners about the exercises that they do with the pawl as well . In the UK , it ’s becoming really pop to have really prissy wooden floor in our homes , and courteous roofing tile in the kitchen . For dog that have arthritis or joint problems , it can be really painful for them to take the air on those areas , because they ’re trying to … It ’s like they ’re skate on ice , they ca n’t get a purchase , so it pose a strain on their muscles . So we recommend as much as potential to put rug down and that sort of thing .
I reckon if you had a dog that had elbow dysplasia problems , you might want to lift their intellectual nourishment or their imbibition arena up - slightly , so they do n’t need to bow down so much and those variety of things really . So we try and sort of assistance completely , if you see what I intend ?
Samantha : Yes , I entail that ’s a stack for a favourite possessor . I imagine a band of clock time when you go to the ex-serviceman , you get the medical info that you need , but you do n’t get the all encompassing things that you need to do . A lot of things like hip dysplasia , elbow dysplasia , severe arthritis , it ’s a lifestyle variety that ’s needed , and not just to know about the aesculapian side of it . So that ’s a wonderful benefit for preferent owners for sure .
Jacqueline : I guess as well , I actually solve with a group of K9 behaviorists , and they will bring case to me of aggressive dogs , or depressed dogs that for no reason at all , have embark on to become more and more intolerant of people or other frump go about them or are doing strange thing like roll out on their toys , or chase their tail a pot , or licking their paws a fate . And sometimes the underlying cause of this can be muscular pain . If you have a huffy neck for example , and so your husband total up to you , and surprise you , and jumps you from behind . You might not be too happy about it if it hurts a fortune .
Samantha : Right .
Jacqueline : And if you transform that into heel language that could be , a similar sort of ground why a dog might be suddenly aggressive . I ’ve worked with a couple of dogs that have had hostility issues which really are down to defense mechanisms because they ’re in pain in the ass . They may not have done something to themselves which is obvious , like been demand in an automotive accident or had a diagnosis of hip dysplasia or whatever .
But they may have been encounter with their pals , they may have fallen down somewhere and knocked themselves . Or there may be an issue there that ’s underlying which has n’t been name yet , which is then being deal up by the muscle trying to help the body . And then slow if that issuance is n’t care for , then it just gets worse and bad . It ’s sort of , well , the pain deepen on itself . Then it can take quite a while to unpeel the layers of irritation .
One bounder that I ’ve been treating — it ’s consider her a little while to get to like me — [ laugh ] — because when owner bring their dogs to me , sometimes I can really only spend five or ten moment actually regale the dog if they are nervous or nervous . And it takes a little while , it pick out a couple of treatments at least for the dog to become used to what happens . They get to realize that they ’re not go to the veteran .
I do all my treatments on the floor so that the dogs are n’t up on the table , which sometimes resemble the vet ’s , for example . I treat this dog and now she just lays down for me flat away when I go and see her , so it ’s magnificent .
So there ’s another matter as well that I just consider of while we were chatting .
With behavior issues you may ascertain that your dog may not like going to the groomer ’s for example . That can sometimes be down to bare tension underneath the pelt where they do n’t actually like being brushed .
So there are massage techniques you may apply to help keep the skin supple . Thus absent hurting from those domain . That ’s another way that it can be helpful . It ’s amazing the number of lotion it can have . All from what might be very difficult to diagnose issue can sometimes be facilitate by unsubdivided massage .
I ’ll give you another illustration . A massage colleague of mine — a andiron came to her who was having intermittent lameness on the front . It was becoming so hard to diagnose , that potentially the cad might have to undergo surgery to have some part of their osseous tissue removed or something like that . My friend adjudicate to target her treatment on the dog ’s cervix . The lameness stopped . The dog did n’t postulate to go and have any operation .
Samantha : Wow .
Jacqueline : Kind of goes back to what I was say about the way the dog is put together . They have all these muscleman that are all the style along here that are hold the front legs on . If you have potentially a problem with a afflictive neck , it might have in mind that that is displayed in lameness for example .
Samantha : That ’s very interesting and surely something that hopefully anybody take heed to this podcast or doing enquiry on cuspid massage would recollect twice before perchance you decide to a surgical procedure or something major .
Jacqueline : It ’s deserving get a go , really , it is .
Samantha : It absolutely is .
Jacqueline : Nothing to lose because at all . We ’re all about sort of helping the dog , not require to not causing the anymore pain . require to check that that they live their lives to the fullest because they are only with us for a little while .
Samantha : Exactly . Are there any conditions …
Jacqueline : no-account . Sorry . If you get a line jumble around I ’ve got a piffling puppy that six month old that ’s essay to chew my feet and my chairman at the moment .
Samantha : [ laughs ] Are there any dogs or any different stipulation that you would n’t recommend ; where massage may be prejudicial to sure condition ?
Jacqueline : Well , there are time where you would n’t massage specifically because of the potential damage you could cause . By that I mean , you would n’t massage over open wounds or over a bad jut or if an area was — if a wiener was in bother in a particular orbit .
There are some cases of , there are some sum conditions or some malignant neoplastic disease consideration that are recommended against massaging . If you thought about it , you ’re actually , increasing the circulation and you do n’t want to increase fight bad cancerous jail cell around , for example .
So , therefore , we require — in the UK — we postulate to have consent from our vets before we do anymassage on any frankfurter . I can massage my own dog , that ’s not a problem . If I wanted to knead someone else ’s dog , I would ask consent from their vets .
Samantha : That ’s interesting . I will have to ensure and see if that ’s the fashion it is here in the United States . I ’m not sure about that but it certainly make since . dead .
Jacqueline : We also use as well to avail sporting dogs , so , dumb dogs , dogs that are in obeisance rival , display or agility on fly bollock , that sort of thing .
We ’re coming to the end of our agility season in the UK at the moment , so we wish to recommend that dogs are given a act of a check - over muscularly , because all of these different dog athletics have their own stage set of compensatory issues that dogs will get .
It have in mind that we give the andiron a bit of a chance to have a residual during their off - time of year , and that we can try and help to treat any muscular issues that may have arise during the competitive season .
What I also do as well is I like to try and teach people to warm up up and chill down their dogs before they take part in any activity . We would n’t run a marathon without warming ourselves up first .
Samantha : Of course , right .
Jacqueline : We would n’t do a gymnastics competition without warm up our muscles up . And it ’s exactly the same for the weenie . Doing any body process with cold muscles and cold tendons and ligaments can only potentially lead to injury .
Not only that , we find that if you are warming your frankfurter up via a massage , you lean to increase the hamper between the possessor and the firedog as well . So that ’s sort of another positive point that massage can give you . You are sort of really releasing all of the bonding chemical as well when you knead .
That ’s what I care to try and instill in masses if I can , and if I live that they are competing with their bounder as well .
Samantha : Yes , that ’s a great bit of advice . I know a draw of people , even if they do n’t contend professionally , they do maybe some agility or obedience things in their own grounds just to sting some energy with their dogs . So that ’s a great point .
Jacqueline : I ’ve been along to a couple of search and rescue clubs , showing them the same sort of thing .
Samantha : Oh , yes .
Jacqueline : — because these guy are left in the cars or leave in the truck wait to get to the place where they need to find the missing person . And then the dog could be in reality working for a couple of 60 minutes while they ’re on a job . And it ’s usually kind of at nighttime when people sometimes could go miss . So , it ’s cold and all of that .
Because our dogs want to do anything they can for us , because they get it on us unconditionally , they will do anything . And they do n’t actualise what they ’re putting their body through because they just desire to help us and all of that .
So it ’s sort of up to us really to take obligation as owners to help them . Not to go crazy or to help them to regulate themselves a flake . And you may do that through these therapy .
Samantha : Yes . Absolutely . Like I aver , I consider it ’s great advice for every pet proprietor , because you never know . It ’s not just something … I think a lot of people think of massage like you pronounce — it ’s either a luxury or it ’s something for older , arthritic dogs . They do n’t really mean of it as a lifelong preventative variety of treatment .
Jacqueline : Yes . That ’s correct . That ’s good .
And even if you are n’t a direct massage healer , there are plenty of books that you could buy . There are lots of YouTube video that you’re able to regain out about all of these things as well . You could even ask your own human massage therapists how they do things and then that could be transfer over to dogs as well .
I endure — in fact I ’m run one this weekend — I ’m running a class to show owners how to massage their own dog . So that they can at least help their dogs at home and do something really decent for them .
Samantha : Yes . Absolutely . I ’m certain you must just give a basic overall world-wide massage sort of a course . Yes .
Jacqueline : That ’s right . and I also go through just to separate the owners a little moment about what lie under the click ’s skin . So where all the main bones are and where the master muscle groups are and how certain organic structure organisation work as well . Because we do n’t recognise it but massage has an influence over virtually all of the system of the arrangement of the body .
So there ’s a bit of hypothesis and a bit of virtual , so I call up hoi polloi go home armed with more entropy and hopefully with calm and stressless pooches as well .
Samantha : Yes . Yes . perfectly .
Jacqueline : The other thing as well is , just to say that , with the cad that I ’ve treated — I ’ve been treating a 16 twelvemonth former Jack Russell , and he ’s just amazing . He has sort of turned into a bit of a pup again really .
My massage intervention are the only treatments , hands - on therapy that the dog ’s owner gives to the dog . She does do usage with him and they have got really great nutrition and all of that . But she has really take in a change in his mentality as well as his physical craziness .
It ’s quite a lot of the owners — what I ask the owners to do is , have and look and see if your dog has changed some of their behavior after a massage . And it ’s quite interesting how they start to become naughty again , so they will hear to snaffle food from the counter tops in the kitchen , or they ’ll be jumping into the cars and thing like that and actually wanting to get more tangled in playing with other dogs and that sort of thing .
So it ’s really joyous to see that . So I encourage everyone to try and find a good local massage therapist and see how you get on .
Samantha : Yes . utterly . I mean like we talked about earlier — really it ’s not specifically for any type of dogs . I know you cite that there are a few circumstance where you should n’t massage , but for the most part virtually every Canis familiaris could benefit from it . Young , older , does n’t matter the breed , the size of it , so yes , dead I would encourage everybody to test it as well . Like I suppose , we ’ve pick up from first hand experience the benefits that it can have especially over long term .
If you have a dog that does n’t have a specific wellness fear , like arthritis , or they ’re recovering from an injury — how oft do you advocate regular massages for just a typical , ordinary frank ?
Jacqueline : You would in all probability only really need to have a flavor at the blackguard maybe 4 or 5 times a year , plausibly , just to see if anything demo up .
call for the owner if they ’ve noticed that the frankfurter ’s doing anything other than . If there have been any demeanor modification , and that sort of thing .
Samantha : Every duet of calendar month or so , yeah .
Jacqueline : Probably , yeah .
When we ’re massaging the wienerwurst , we would feel for area of heat or cold or we would have a look to see how supple the tegument is , for lesson .
So when you could highlight those kind of region — what I was saying before about although a dog may not have had a serious injury or accident , they might have fall over or walked into a table or something . What that will do is you will get some bleeding underneath the pelt which then may form into scar tissue which then might have an core on the muscle working . And then , over the course of time , the older the scar tissue gets , the harder it is to break it down or make it more supple . Therefore , it ’s useful to have some sort of sustentation four or five time a yr , to just attend to these things .
I guess it ’s a bit like give a pedicure or something [ laugh ] every so often . Or go along when you a massage yourself . As I say , even once a hebdomad would be marvellous . I wish well I had a massage once a week myself .
Samantha : [ laughs ] utterly .
WRAP UP : So I just have to say another big thank you to Jacqueline for being on the podcast . Pet massage is something that really is undervalued in the favourite industry . It ’s something that favourite parents are n’t really educated about . We do n’t bed a lot about . But it ’s something that ’s so good and can be great for dogs of all ages , shape , size , activity levels .
And it ’s natural , it ’s holistic . You ’re not giving any kind of medications , chemicals , anything like that into your dog ’s system and you ’re really getting down to the source of the issue : the soreness – if your Canis familiaris has raw muscles or is recover from an harm — you ’re getting down to the muscles to warm up them up if you ’re using it for an active dog , something like that . So you ’re in reality getting down to the theme of the problem and not just trying to fix an issue after it befall . So that ’s really my biggest positivist matter that I love about massage for our pets .
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