Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. It is important that the owner plays an active role in the daily care of his or her animal(s). At Animal Massage Awareness we design individual daily care programs for you and your animal and teach you how to perform them so that you can do it yourself at home.

Benefits may include decreased pain, increased relaxation, increased rate of healing, decreased chance of further injury, and re-established strength, endurance, and range of motion. You may also notice improved coordination, limited rest, and restored function.

In the case of special conditions such as skin infection, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, enlarged heart, or congestive heart failure, you must consult your veterinarian first before proceeding with massage, hydrotherapy and stretching. Otherwise, with healthy animals, for the care of body stiffness due to exercise and activities, it should not be necessary. However, when in doubt, always contact your veterinarian.

As its name implies, this care is to be given on a daily basis. This is especially important with older animals who experience a lot of body stiffness. In some cases, caring for them several times a day will make a big difference in the quality of life of some disabled animals. On the other hand, with young and vigorous animals you can be more lax, and use your own judgment on how often you wish to participate in their fitness.

Most common conditions benefit from daily care including general muscle stiffness due to heavy exercising or from arthritis, hip and elbow dysplasia, intervertebral disk disease, wound healing, luxated patella, disk degeneration, fibrocartilagenous emboli, degenerative myelopathy, wobblers syndrome, discospondylosis, joint injuries, tendonitis and bursitis, and soft tissue injuries. Post-surgical procedures such as arthrodesis, cruciate ligament tear, fracture repair, amputation, hip surgery, OCD, and post-laminectomies will also benefit.

Older animals heal and recover at a slightly slower rate than younger ones, but they will benefit just the same, and often even more so, from the increased attention. Remember, age is not a disease.

With conditions such as skin infection, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, enlarged heart, or congestive heart failure, you must consult your veterinarian first before proceeding with massage, hydrotherapy and stretching.

Hydrotherapy modalities refer the various ways in which you can apply heat or cold onto your animal. It speaks of the various forms of applications and time allocations for each application in order to secure a desired benefit.

Your animal’s attitude will show immediately how much he enjoys the attention and care. After only a few applications you will notice a marked improvement in mobility, flexibility and an overall happier mood in your animal.

In some cases, you will see immediate results. As your animal releases his muscular tension he will revert quickly to his natural self. In other cases where the animal is afflicted with a more serious condition such as arthritis, it might take a 3 to 5 sessions before you see a marked improvement. But in any case, the care and comfort you bring to your animal will show immediate result in your animal’s happiness.