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Your pet's health is very important to you. You want them to feel their best so their lives can be filled with happiness and well-being. There are many ways in which our pets' bodies are similar to ours. They can get sore from irregular or too strenuous activity. Changes in normal routines can make them feel tense or stressed. Our pets can even get depressed from loneliness or debility. Touch has long been known as a curative. For many centuries massage has been used to help both people and animals restore their bodies to health, soothe their emotions, and to re-establish internal balance. Massage can improve your pet's well-being by returning the animal to the easy and unconstrained way of moving that is naturally theirs. It can relax an animal's nervous system when it becomes over-taxed by the stresses of modern domesticated life. It can even bring a sparkle back to a tired eye. In my many years of practice, I have seen massage bring relaxation, joy, and the pleasures of elastic and free movement to animals of all kinds. Certainly, any pet owner who has had a massage themselves knows how good it can make you feel. |
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Zachary gets a
massage |
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Zachary, a German Shepherd
mix, is receiving his first massage. As you can see, it didn't take him
long to figure out that his only part in the massage was to relax and
enjoy it! Working in the ribcage area during a massage can be very important. Many times, animals that seem nervous and jumpy are very tense in the rib cage from habitually holding their breath. Massage can help relax the muscles of the barrel allowing for deeper and more relaxed breathing.
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Many large dogs have chronic |
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Here is a close-up of Zachary's hindquarters during the massage. This area includes the low back, hips, and heavy gluteal and hamstring muscles. | ||
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Wearing a collar or harness can be hard on the neck
muscles, even in well-trained dogs. A neck massage can be very important
in helping dogs remain obedient to your wishes. After all, how can anyone
follow subtle commands with a stiff and |
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Massaging shoulders is important too. Without free-moving shoulders how can anyone be expected to have a truly good time at the dog park? | ||
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