Massage therapy for small animals is part of Veterinary Massage Therapy. This is a form of massage deriving its techniques from therapeutic massage for humans. It adapts the various methods and methodology to suit the specific purpose. As in the case of massage therapy for humans, Veterinary Massage varies according to the choice of the practitioner.
Massage therapy for small animals can be holistic in its application. It can also focus solely on the physical. Again, it depends totally on the approach and its philosophy. Some therapists believe you have to treat the entire make-up of a living being before you can heal it. You have to restore the universal life force, returning it into balance. Others perceive massage therapy as a means of healing the body. They do not consider it anything beyond a form of physical treatment. For some therapists, Veterinary Massage is Medical Massage for animals.
You can locate various types of Veterinary Massage for small animals on the internet. There is the Tellington Touch promoted by Linda Tellington-Jones. It promotes a method utilizing circular hand movements across the entire body of the animal. It is to help the animal by improving its health. It is also a means to address and correct behavioral problems. It can also help dogs and cats with lameness, stiffness, stress and sore backs.
You also run across Hands-To-Paws and other groups offering their services. There are small animal massage therapists and those who specialize in cats or dogs. You can take courses from an accredited school. Here, they will teach you some of the basic techniques. Many of them derive from Swedish or Classic Massage.
The basic techniques from Swedish Massage are Effleurage, Tapotement and Petrissage. These techniques are also part of a specific type of Veterinary Massage -Animal Sports Massage. Though frequently associated with horses, it is applicable to small animals. There are working dogs and show dogs who benefit from Animals Sports Massage.
Sporting dogs benefit from two categories of Sports Massage. They need pre-event and post-event treatments. A pre-event treatment helps to warm up the muscles for the contest and to stimulate the body for action. A post-event Animal Sports massage helps the animal cool down. It is also diagnostic. It will help indicate any injury. Show cats can also receive similar treatment, although the intent might differ.
All small animals can benefit from the different types of massage now available. It can help reduce stress. An animal will relax under a good massage treatment. Under certain conditions, massage treatments are beneficial in healing or at least mitigating the problem and speeding up the process of healing. This is particularly true for dogs recovering from surgery.
Massage therapy can help dogs after surgery in a number of ways. It can help them to relax. Massage therapy reduces the stress and allows the healing to begin. Certain types of massage may decrease the amount of scar tissue build-up. This will help in their movement. In Pet Massage Therapy, one technique further enhances this by utilizing Passive Joint Movement.
Elder animals may also benefit from Small Animal Massage Therapy. Passive Joint Movement or Passive Range of Movement Therapy and other massage techniques can help increase the mobility of joints. This is especially effective with dogs. Pet Massage can help with arthritis and such conditions as hip dysplasia. This is, of course, along with medical attention. Pet Massage is, after all, a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
Another form of Pet Massage is Reiki. This no-touching type of massage therapy is popular for its perceived holistic treatment of the animal. It tries to channel energy into the animal. It unblocks channels to allow free flow of the life force. This helps create a healthy animal, on the physical, mental and emotional planes.
There is also the use of Acupressure as a treatment among some small animals. This even includes many reptiles. As with the case of all massage therapy treatments of animals, you need to work with the pet. Never force massage therapy on an unwilling animal. Always respect the boundaries they set. Be aware of the areas you are exploring. Be careful of the abdomen, never pressing too hard or too deeply. Above all, remember this is a co-operative effort.
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