MEOW-OWWWW! YOUR PET’S ACHING BACK!

This article appeared in the February 2010 issue of E Bella Magazine and is written by Inko’s Exemplary Pet Care Services Owner and Manager, Ali O’Connor. Humans aren’t the only ones with aches and pains. Ali O’Connor explains how pet owners can help their four legged friends.

If I were lucky enough to have 9 lives, I’d be willing to bet eight of them that at some point in the last six months, you’ve grabbed your back or neck and thought “I need a massage!”. Not only is massage a way to pamper ourselves, it can help us rid our bodies of pain and toxins. After all, our bodies are comprised of bones, muscle, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue and plainly stated, that stuff breaks down.

Our pets are made of that very same ‘stuff’, and their bodies age much more rapidly than our own. Imagine if you were 11 and felt physiologically like a 70 year old?

Our pets live and breathe for us. Even when their health is failing and their bodies are giving out, they’ll try to fight on just to prove their devotion to us. So why is we overlook the wear and tear on their bodies? Our pets spend their days running, jumping and ricocheting off furniture. They walk and sleep on tile, concrete or hardwood floors. They aren’t always fed the best diet, but rather what is easiest or most cost effective for their owners. They walk barefoot on scalding hot concrete. Their necks and torsos are tugged by leashes. It’s no surprise our four-legged friends sometimes need a little relief.

One way to ease your pet’s pain is through massage which aids an animal’s circulatory, digestive, nervous, muscular, lymphatic, integumentary (skin)and skeletal systems. Massage offers relief to older or geriatric pets with physical limitations and arthritis, pets in some post surgical periods and competitive animals that need to stay agile.

Before you hire an animal Massage Practitioner, it’s a good idea to find someone who has completed at least 150 credit hours of training through a well respected national program or veterinary school, and has completed a ‘hands on’ practical (or internship) for a final exam.

I’ve seen firsthand the number of pets out there in discomfort and pain. Often, no matter how doting the pet parents are, the animal’s physical discomfort is often overlooked, because they ‘seem fine’. That’s simply because an animal’s nature is to behave as though they are alright, because in nature animals can’t show weakness and vulnerability.

You should as an owner, constantly monitor your animal’s limitations. When your dog or cat can’t climb the stairs, their condition is often too late to reverse. That’s when you’ll need the assistance of your Massage Practitioner, who should work closely with your vet or specialist to create a formatted health program.

Remember, massage isn’t just for a day of relaxation. For your pet, it can literally mean the difference between a pain filled immobile day and a day with more comfort, ease and abilities.

Tags: animal massage practitioner, arthritis, cats, circulatory, degenerative, digestive, dogs, geriatric pet, integumentary, lymphatic, muscular, nervous, pain, pet activity, pet limitations, pet massage, pets, post surgical, senior pet, skeletal, toxins, veterinary