Did you ever think of getting a massage for your dog?

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Massage for Four-Legged Clients

 

Did you know that there are massage therapists that specialize on four-legged clients, such as horses and dogs?  Massage therapists work in veterinarian offices, barns, tack rooms - wherever their animal clients call home.  Some therapists work on people, their horses and their dogs. There are some therapists that began their massage career working on humans while others specialized on animals first.  

"Many pet owners willingly invest in services to enhance their animal's well-being, even when they won't spend the money on themselves."   It is expected that US spending on pets will top $55 billion in 2013!

Animal massage therapists not only work on horses and dogs; they also may work on cats, ferrets, minks, rabbits, goats and sheep.  Massage can be used to help deliver babies by using acupressure points to help with contractions.

Interesting Fact - Often pets and their owners seem to suffer from the same ailments.  Active owners with active pets both benefit from sports massages.  Horses and their riders may both experience neck pain.  When a rider is not in balance, they may cause their horse to be out of balance.  Sympathy pains are also common, especially with dogs.  

Both humans and animals can benefit from receiving bodywork.  Bodyworkers can also benefit through working with both animals and humans.  

There is a National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage and an International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork.

--  Information obtained from the article "Four-Legged Clients" by Rebecca Jones in the 
July/August 2013 issue of "Massage and Bodywork."  --
Location: 4848 Tecolote Road, San Diego, CA, USA 92110

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