Animal Massage

Dr. Jamie provides a therapeutic massage for older dogs or those recuperating from injury or surgery and a deep tissue massage for competition dogs, training partners or active companions. Because every dog is different, Dr. Jamie builds an individualized program tailored to meet your companions specific needs.  Massage is a complement to veterinary medicine, never a substitute.

Therapeutic Massage
Older dogs and those recovering from injury or surgery need special care. A soothing massage helps maintain muscle tone, lubricates joints for better range of motion, enhances respiratory function and aids in the emotional adjustment to new physical limits.  
  • Sessions last 30-45 minutes

Sports Massage
Deep tissue massage therapy is similar to a therapeutic massage, but the deeper pressure is beneficial in releasing chronic muscle tension. The focus is on the deepest layers of muscle tissue, tendons and fascia (the protective layer surrounding muscles, bones and joints). A sports massage may help to prevent injuries and relieve stiffness and soreness that can follow strenuous activity. Dr. Jamie works to locate damaged areas and restore them by loosening muscles, stimulating increased range of motion of joints and removing waste products like lactic acid and toxins that cause pain and tightness. Gentle stretching, myofascial release and or trigger point therapy may be incorporated into treatment. The goal is to facilitate recovery, helping him get back on the field for his next event or vigorous play session
  • Sessions last: 30-45 minutes
Benefits of Massage:
  • Massage helps muscles function more efficiently by loosening restrictions as a result of misuse or over use of our muscles. We all know the pain created when we continue to work when exhausted. One example is working out too long or too hard at the gym, or when we take longer walks after a sedentary winter.
  • Massage is an effective tool to detect stiffness, pain, swelling, and tension.
  • Massage improves our dog’s agility whether in play or competition because of its positive effect on stretch receptors, tendon apparatus, muscle fibers and fascia.
  • Massage reduces the build-up of adhesions in the muscles that result from inflammation due to injury, surgery or trauma. Adhesions limit range of motion by shortening the muscles. We can feel adhesions as ropey areas in muscles surrounding an injury.
  • Massage, through the friction strokes and stretching, creates a deliberate inflammatory response that in turn has the effect of “jump starting” the healing process. The resulting inflammatory responses inspire tissue repair in cases of injury and strain by calling forth the healing and energy cells of our body.
  • Massage relieves stress. When done regularly, it helps prevent the negative effects of stress. Of course dogs experience stress and although they don’t seem to hold stress in their bodies the same way we do, stress, over time, can cause deeper long-term problems that require more serious intervention.
  • Massage is soothing and comforting. Who doesn’t need soothing and comforting? Consider times when your dog might need soothing or comforting.
  • Massage triggers the body’s natural ability to heal itself from injury, strain, surgery and exhaustion. There are those times when we or our dog are injured, or perhaps even have had surgery. Massage is often the best therapy to assist in the healing process.
  • Massage maximizes normal function of tissues, organs and bodily systems such as digestion, absorption of nutrients, elimination and the lymph system. Simply by the stress release and relaxation that massage produces, the entire body works more efficiently.
  • Massage encourages relaxation of the tissues through aiding in more efficient functioning of the nerves and chemical changes in the body.
  • Finally, and perhaps most importantly, massage increases the physical and emotional bond between you and your companion canine.
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