The first treatment will last approximately 1 ½ hours and will include a full consultation where I will ask you questions about your dogs medical history, their activities of daily living, their diet and supplement regime and of course what you consider to be your dogs’ main area of concern.
I will undertake a gait analysis by asking you to move your dog at different paces, a static postural analysis, and a palpation assessment which will help me to identify any areas of tenderness or injury as well as feel the tonicity of the muscles and their general state and temperature.
This will then be followed by approximately 45 minutes of massage incorporating 3 styles of massage as well as myofascial release techniques.
I will provide you as the owner with feedback from the massage in terms of what I have felt and have found. I will have some recommendations for you on daily living activities and any external environmental issues that may be contributing to any muscular condition presented along with any exercises or stretches to complete at home. These will be given to you on a post treatment advice form along with some do’s and don’ts!
Depending on what I find during the first treatment I will ask to see your dog a maximum of 3 times initially and discuss with you the best possible route for your dog. If the treatment is for general maintenance then one session may be enough and of course we can then decide if ongoing maintenance sessions are appropriate depending on your dog’s normal levels of activity.
As a member of the Canine Massage Guild I always work best practice and this means that if I find an issue of concern that massage is not suitable for I will refer you back to your vet or suggest other therapies that may be more suitable in order to attain the best result.
Any subsequent follow up treatments will typically be of up to an hours duration, and will again include feedback to you on any changes seen. I will carry out another palpation assessment and approximately 40 minutes of massage.
