Treatment Details
Before Your First Appointment
Veterinary Consent
Before treating your dog, I need you to obtain Veterinary Consent. I acknowledge the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 & Exemption Order 1962 by never working upon a dog without gaining prior veterinary approval. All therapists are legally required to obtain veterinary consent to comply with UK Law. This also ensures that your dog does not have an underlying condition which massage therapy could be detrimental to.
Please note: I cannot treat a dog without veterinary consent. However, it is a simple process:
Simply download the form here & print.
Complete the details about you & your dog.
Ask your Vet to complete & sign the form. Please ask your Vet to contact me directly if they have any questions. Without a vet’s signature I am unable to treat your dog.
Please bring the signed form to your first appointment.
Booking An Appointment
Please contact me directly to book an appointment. When booking, please take into consideration that I cannot treat your dog within 2 weeks of:
Vaccinations
- Vaccinations
- Flea or tick applications
- Donating blood
Your First Appointment
Please ensure your dog has toileted before the session. You can take your
dog for a walk, but please allow time for their body to return to normal levels after exercise. I normally advise you not to exercise them for at least 1 hour prior to treatment, nor feed them for 2 hours prior.
Your first appointment will typically last 1 hour 30 minutes & includes:
Consultation
This covers medical history, diet, lifestyle & exercise. I will also ask if you have noted any problems or changes & if you have any specific issues or concerns.
Gait & Postural Analysis
I will observe your dog’s natural standing position & then ask you to walk & trot your dog, so I can analyse how your dog moves & holds its body. This can reveal stiffness, lameness, gait irregularities and areas of overcompensation.
Full Body Palpation
Using my hands, I complete a muscular assessment of the body to identify any injuries. I test for areas of tightness or soreness, injuries (muscle strains), scar tissue, spasms, trigger points, adhesions, temperature change & muscle wastage. In essence, I am feeling for muscles that are not functioning effectively.
Please advise me if your dog is particularly nervous of visiting the vets & I may incorporate this step into the treatment to minimise any stress to the dog.
Massage Therapy Treatment
Each treatment is tailored to your dog’s specific needs, so no session is the same. Using a blend of Swedish, Sports & Myofascial Release massage techniques, I not only treat the specific injuries, but complete a full body massage to release any areas of overcompensation. Throughout the session I constantly assess your dog, adapting to their responses. Treatments lasts approximately 45-50mins.
Feedback
After the treatment I will explain any injuries found, their location & provide you with a personalised maintenance plan tailored specifically for your dog. This comprises recommendations & advice to help your dog achieve the maximum benefit from this therapy. Please bring this plan with you to each session.
Following treatment your dog may experience the Healing Crisis. This is the body’s natural healing process, but can present symptoms that cause owners to believe their dog is experiencing side-effects. Please do not worry, this is a natural reaction & I will explain this further during our appointment. For more information please refer to Healing Crisis.
Please feel free to ask me questions at any time throughout the treatment. Should you have any concerns about your dog after I have left, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Subsequent Treatments
Subsequent treatments normally last 1 hour & I typically recommend a course of 3 treatments over 3 weeks to achieve the optimum benefit. Please click here for more information about Subsequent Treatments.
You are welcome to request:
regular maintenance treatments to help keep your dog mobile
- regular maintenance treatments to help keep your dog mobile
- seasonal treatments for working & sporting dogs
I am happy to discuss what will best suit your dog.
Keeping Your Vet Informed
Following the initial course of treatment, I complete a full case report which I send to your vet for their information & to include on your records. This details my findings and any recommendations I have made. Should your vet have any questions about the treatment or findings, they are welcome to contact me.
Acknowledges and respects the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and Exemption Order 2015 by never working upon an animal without gaining prior veterinary approval and your vet is sent a full Post Treatment Report after your dog`s treatment is completed.
Subsequent Treatments
I normally recommend a course of 3 treatments over 3 weeks to achieve the optimum benefit. However, this is dependent upon my initial findings, as it may be a simple issue that can be resolved in a single session or you may just want a health check for your dog.
Working to best practise standards, I will not see your dog for more than 3 sessions to treat the initial injury. This is a results-driven therapy & you should see a positive improvement within 3 sessions, so if there is no change, I will refer you back to your vet for further assessment or suggest an alternative therapy that may help.
You are welcome to request:
regular maintenance treatments to help keep your dog mobile
- regular maintenance treatments to help keep your dog mobile
- seasonal treatments for working & sporting dogs
I am happy to discuss what will best suit your dog.
Subsequent treatments normally last 1 hour & include:
Your Observations
- Your Observations
What changes have you seen, be it any improvement, concerns or problems since last treatment
Full Body Palpation
- Full Body Palpation
I prefer to complete a muscular assessment at each visit, to check previous injuries & ensure your dog has not accumulated any other issues.
Massage Therapy Treatment
- Massage Therapy Treatment
The treatment may not be the same for each session, as it will be tailored to your dog’s specific injuries & issues. It will still include a full body massage treatment, lasting approximately 45-50mins.
Feedback
- Feedback
I will update you on my findings & add additional information to your personalised maintenance plan. Please bring this with you to each session.
Healing Crisis
Canine Massage positively influences the body’s biological healing process. The body constantly aims to be in a state of homoeostasis or equilibrium and massage therapy promotes the body’s ability to heal itself & restore its natural balance.
The Healing Crisis is the body’s natural reaction when it is trying to eliminate waste products at a faster rate of disposal than normal. In essence, it is part of the body’s detoxification process. Canine Massage stimulates this cleansing process, flushing toxins and metabolic waste from the tissues. As the body eliminates these impurities it can display an increase in symptoms or signs of general illness.
Many people misunderstand the Healing Crisis and conclude that the treatment is not working, given the worsening symptoms. However, please be patient, this is only a temporary effect that usually occurs 24-48 hours after treatment, but it can last for up to 3 days. The severity of the crisis is dependent upon the level of toxins within the body.
The Healing Crisis is a perfectly normal reaction and is a positive sign that the treatment is working. It is only called a ‘crisis’, because the body displays illness-like symptoms whilst it is actually healing itself. Once complete, old tissues have been replaced with new.
Potential Symptoms
Please bear in mind that all dogs respond differently, but common symptoms include:
Being quiet, lethargic and tired (increase in sleeping)
- Being quiet, lethargic and tired (increase in sleeping)
- Insomnia or restlessness
- Increased joint or muscular pain (seen as aching, stiffness or lameness)
- Increased thirst
- Runny nose
- Frequent urination or possible diarrhoea, nausea or digestive upsets
- Fever, cold or flu-like symptons
Alternatively, it can cause:
The ‘feel good’ factor
- The ‘feel good’ factor
- Increased energy levels
- Playfulness & active
Supporting Your Dog
You can help support your dog through the Healing Crisis, by encouraging:
plenty of rest
- plenty of rest
- reduced exercise
- light meals
- constant access to fresh water
A Healing Crisis can potentially occur at any time the body undergoes detoxification, but the onset of symptoms may not be immediate. Please remember that this is the body’s own healing response to toxic overload and is trying to restore its natural balance.
The Healing Crisis is a natural occurrence, but if you are concerned with your dog’s reaction, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Pricing
| Session | Time | Price |
| Initial | 90 mins | £40 |
| Subsequent | 60 mins | £35 |
Home visits may incur an additional charge to cover petrol costs, if travelling over 10 miles, but this will be discussed prior to booking the appointment.
Payment
Payment is due at the time of treatment & can be made by cash or cheque,