Canine Treatments:

Madi enjoying a gentle massage

Dogs have highly flexible spines, allowing them to manoeuvre easily at high speeds, much to their pleasure!  Unfortunately, stopping, turning, jumping and crashing at speed will all place the body under strain, resulting in muscle spasms and skeletal misalignments.  Other causes of musculoskeletal discomfort may include:

• Rough play
• Pulling on the lead
• Trauma / Accidents
• Running up / down stairs
• Slipping on wood / lino floors
• Repetitive activities (e.g. fetch, agility, playing tug)
• Underlying conditions that influence gait (e.g. arthritis, hip / elbow dysplasia)

Often the subtle signs of back pain go unnoticed in pet dogs that are not required to perform competitively; however, over time the dog will alter his movement to avoid discomfort, placing his body under further risk of injury.  Signs that your dog may benefit from an Animal-Balance treatment include:

• Reluctance to jump in / out car or on / off furniture
• Changes in temperament (snapping / growling)
• Obvious back pain (flinching / whimpering)
• Difficulty going up or down stairs
• Moving with quarters to one side
• Stiffness before or after exercise
• Loss of enthusiasm to exercise
• Sitting to one side

Working and competition dogs with musculoskeletal pain may present with a gradual or sudden loss of performance or reluctance to work.  Often the activities they undertake are repetitive, placing strain on specific areas of the body and thereby resulting in muscle spasms and misalignments.  For example an obedience dog that is continually asked to heel to the left of the handler with head turned to its right will develop uneven neck muscles and present with misalignments of the cervical vertebrae.

Regular maintenance treatments (every 4-6 months) will ensure that the body maintains correct alignment, promoting even muscle development that will support correct movement and reduce the risk of injuries.