By Michael Holloway L.M.T.

Massage and rehabilitation are necessary treatments for recovery of our pets, whether they be the family pet or champion show dogs. Massage releases tight muscles, tendons and ligaments reducing pain, correcting postural distortions, stabilizing joint structure, and increasing flexibility and range of motion. Rehabilitation can consist of walking, running, swimming, stair climbing, hill climbing and stretching routines, all of which would be custom designed around the needs of the dog. In the show ring everything about the dog's presence counts, including movement and form. To be passed over by the judge for this does not have to continue. Massage in conjunction with rehabilitation therapy can diminish limitations in the show dog's ability to move and perform while improving its quality of life and health. Lower back injuries are common in dogs due to reasons such as playing rough, jumping onto and off furniture, and jumping up onto people with their front legs. Muscle pulls could be the only real problem, but left untreated they become complicated injuries causing more compensation problems in the posture of the pet. More serious injuries to the discs, like pulled or torn ligaments that connect disc to disc, compression of the cartilage, or impinged nerves in the spinal column or in the peripheral nerves going to the limbs, should first be examined by your veterinarian. Treatment planning should be discussed with your veterinarian considering massage, hydrotherapy and exercise therapy to rehabilitate your dog. Situations in training may arise that can leave you perplexed as to what to do. Case in point: the owners of a Doberman Pinscher show dog were having difficulties stacking their dog; they could not understand why it would not hold its stance. The owners believed that more training of their dog would solve the problem, but it did not. Upon examination, assessment and the taking of a comprehensive history, it was discovered that an injury had occurred in their backyard while the Doberman had been playing with another family dog. The Doberman pulled muscles in its lower back in the lumbar region. The pain that resulted left the dog unable to go into or maintain the show position stances the owners had been trying to stack it into. Next example is Sippie, a 12-year-old female champion Irish Setter, which had competed all its life and was now in the veterans class. With an upcoming show in St. Louis, Sippie's owner, Mrs. H., was becoming concerned about Sippie's declining mobility; Mrs. H. wanted her dog ready to compete. The owner started using massage and exercise therapies to correct Sippie's decreased flexibility. To the owner's delight, the therapies worked well in correcting the range of motion problems in Sippie. Mrs. H. was equally pleased that Sippie's stance and stride opened up. Now Sippie was able to be stacked and would hold the stances she was placed in. The treatments turned back the clock for Sippie's condition allowing her to perform well for the judges and win second place in the veteran's class. -Pet Massage Rehabilitation Services, Inc. is owned and operated by Michael Holloway, a Licensed Massage Therapist. The business is a mobile operation going to the home or veterinarian office. Holloway also conducts lectures and teaching seminars to educate in the basics of massage therapy for pets. For more information contact Pet Massage Rehabilitation Services, Inc. 540 NE 45th St., Suite 11, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431. Tel: 561-393-4732, fax: 561-393-1765, e-mail: petmassagerehab@aol.com or visit the www.Petmassage-Rehab.Com website.

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