Nervous Dogs

Today was the lovers and leashes event in support of neutering cats around Jaya One which was supported by SPCA. There were many dogs of different breeds there. In the morning, there was lots of huskies and malamuts. I had a table there selling anti-oxidants and other goodies for the canines. I was also snapping some photos. This photo below started me thinking. How many of us know the dog's behaviour? Look at this picture, look at it's little face and look at it's body language. She's looking away from the camera. It tells me a lot about this dog. It is not because she is camera shy, it is because she is a nervous dog, she does not trust anyone easily and she's scared. So much information that we can read from just one picture. So how do you approach a dog with that disposition? With nervous dogs like this one, you cannot run up to it as it will run away, you cannot just start patting her either because you will run a risk of getting bitten because of her nervousness. Luckily this little one here did not suffer from aggression/fear. She was merely afraid of people and will turn away if anyone tried to pat her.

The next photo shows how you should approach a nervous / scared dog. First approach the dog quietly and softly. Do not create loud noises as this may spook the dog. Then offer out your hand to let the dog sniff your hand. The hand offer is to show that you mean the dog no harm. Here you can see the dog is still looking nervous. The correct way when extending out your hand to the dog is have your palm facing downwards. This reassures the dog that you mean him / her no harm. The without any sudden jerking movement, stroke the side of his / her face first before gently moving to stroke his / her head. She may not allow you to stroke her at all the first time and that is fine. At least contact has been made and she knows you mean her no harm. To create a relationship with a nervous dog takes time but once she trusts you, she will be your friend for life. So be patient and keep trying because I promise you, the gift of friendship and loyalty from your new found friend is priceless.

Dogs and spirituality

There is something I want to share. As the above title suggest, dogs and spirituality. As most of you will not be aware, I am an animal communicator as well. Yes animals (not just dogs) communicate with me and I with them.  The communication is not done orally. It is done mentally. They talk to me when they need me most to communicate their emotional state. How is this done? With energy. When I read that animals cannot talk, I have to disagree. They do communicate but we are not listening. Perhaps with all the 'noise' and our busy schedule have de sensitized our senses. It is easier to not listen then to listen. And when we do not listen to our pets, it shows up in our lives as well. Who are we not listening to? Just like how we treat our pets, it is the same with humans. I believe how we treat our pets reflects on how we treat each other. If a person abuses their pets, it shows me the character of the person and I stay far away from him / her. If a pet does not like someone, be cautious with that person. Your pets will give you their most honest opinion and will never lie to you unlike humans.

The pets in your household are part of your family and as part of your family, they are selfless and gives the owners unconditional love. They will do anything for their owner without expecting anything in return. How many people in your life gives you unconditional love?

I have had communication with pets with terminal illnesses who will not cross over the rainbow bridge because their owner cannot let them go. They stay and live through the pain until the owner says, 'It's ok to go.' They stay because they care and love their owner and will only cross over when the owner is ready. I stand corrected, they will stay only if their body permits them to for as long as possible. Their spirit will fight on. Make no mistake, when the animal's spirit is ready to go, it will leave it's physical body but because of their love for their owner, they will the spirit to stay for as long as physically possible. Let's face it, we as 'parents' of our pets do not want to lose our 'kids' and even I have that issue but I know when it's time for them to go, they will go. I recall when my little female west highland terrier passed on, she was struggling with her breath, rasping away yet hanging on to her life, the minute I whispered to her, 'It's ok baby, you can go,' she let go and passed on. It was the hardest thing for me to do and to say, but I knew I had to in order for her to pass on peacefully.

So the next time you stroke your pet, thank your pets for being part of your lives.

Canine Muscle Therapy

I am constantly being asked, how long is the session? What does it do? The statement I often hear is, "I can do it myself too!" Here's the short version of muscle therapy for dogs.

I can massage my dog too!

Yes I have no doubt that dog owners can massage their own dogs. In fact I'm sure lots of dog owners do. What I do is very different from just massaging the dogs. I work the muscles of the dog. I pinpoint which part of the muscle that needs to be 'unknotted' and sometimes the dog I work with will experience some discomfort but the result is, they normally end up relax and will fall asleep for a long time. I am a qualified therapist for dogs and have studied the musculoskeletal system of the dog. I am aware of the contraindication whereby I cannot and will not provide therapy for the dogs as it may injure them further.

How long does one session last?


For the first session, it may take up to an hour. The first hour I will sit with the owner and find out more about the dog and it's medical history. The diet that the dog is on, if there are any x-rays that I need to be aware of. Then I take a look at the dog's gait / movement. Which way he is swinging or favouring, whether he is lame..etc. Then I will sit and do a session on the dog. As it will be the dog's first session, it may not want to sit still and will fidget. The session may last only 20 minutes with the dog. As I do not believe in forcing the dog to sit still for the session, I will call it a day. The session will take time for the dog to adjust but he/she will feel the benefits from the first session. Eventually, the dog will be begging for a longer session!

Benefits of muscle therapy.


The benefits of muscle therapy for the dogs are many. For healthy dogs, it maintains their optimal level of health so as to ensure that their muscles are healthy and supple. This would in turn lessen any vet visitation. For dogs that do have health issues like hip dysplasia, muscle degeneration, sprain, strains, arthritis, this therapy will benefit them in helping them to loosen up their muscles. Dogs that have hip dysplasia will have better movement for their legs. Please note that this is not a cure for hip dysplasia. This treatment mainly helps the dog to ease the pain that they experience from hip dysplasia and gives them a better movement. Also note that if a dog suffers from hip dysplasia, they will be more reluctant to move or take their walks and their weight will slowly increase which in turn is bad for their hip, hence a vicious cycle. I have seen dogs that just got up after a treatment and started running around because she felt so good! For older dogs that suffers from arthritis, this is when the muscles and joints stiffen, this treatment will allow them to move around. Wouldn't it be great to see your dog being able to run again?
I currently have a dog that I have been treating for 3 years that was suffering from muscle spasms which is caused by muscle degeneration from her neck area. Since I started treatment with her, her spasms have stopped. Now her treatment has been reduced to once a month.

How often does the dog need treatment?


The frequency of treatment will depend on the vitality of the dog. For dogs that have health issues, I advise treatment once a week.  I will then observe the dog for a period of time and see how he / she is progressing. If he / she is improving, the treatment will then be reduced to once every two weeks and eventually once a month. The observation of the owners is also very important as I can keep up to date on it's progress.

What does this therapy do?

Muscle therapy helps in oiling the muscles, create fresh oxygen flow and releases the toxins in the body. When the muscles are in optimum health, there will be less injuries and the dog will have a long and happy life.

What are the charges and where am I based?


Currently I do house calls. The charges for 2012 are as follows:
One time consultation fee RM10
Small dogs     RM65
Medium dogs RM75
Large dogs     RM85
There are packages that I'm offering. Please email me for details on happydogz13@gmail.com
I will also be available on the 12 February 2012 for the lovers and leashes event organized by SPCA at Jaya One from 12-8.

12 Feb 2012 - Lovers and Leashes

On the 12th February, nearing to Valentine's day, SPCA is organizing an event called Lovers and Leashes. It sounds very S&M but rest assured, it is all about your pets on that day. There will be booths set up, a play pen area for your little ones to play and proceeds of that day goes to cat sterilization in Jaya One.

I will have a table on that day whereby I will be promoting Nzymes for pets. This is an anti oxidant for your pets. It is not only confine to dogs but also to birds, horses, cats..etc. The products Nzymes, promotes a better health for your pets. I have been giving this to my two little ones. My male westie who usually seem lazy, sleepy and slow, is now very alert, active and it shows in his eyes. It's as if he's come alive! I discovered Nzymes on the internet some years ago. I decided to read up on this as I wanted to give my dogs a healthy diet. Upon reading the testimonials, I decided to purchase this product and try it out. It turns out, it was the best thing I have purchased for my dogs. As a Canine Myofunctional Therapist, I am always on a look out for holistic product for your pets. Nzymes provides your pets with enzyme rich food plus a powerful antioxidant protection. The live ingredients add the key nutrition needed for a long and vital life and quality building blocks a pet's body needs to cleanse toxins and free radicals from soft tissues to maintain the normal healthy functioning of the immune system. With today's pet food sold in the shops, there aren't enough nutrition in their food for our pets. I cook for my dogs. I do so because I know what goes into my dog's stomach but I am also concern that they do not get the nutrition and enzymes they need. So, Nzymes helps protect my dog from illnesses and I must admit, both my dogs are in good health.

Aside from providing protection for your pets, Nzymes full range product aids for dogs that has itchy skin, yeast smell. This product has helped in the dog's skin problems, aids in hip dysplasia, joint health, post operative recovery, paralysis, nerve damage and much more other ailments. You can read about the benefits of Nzymes in their website on: www.Nzymes.com

Happy New Year 2012

Happy Dogz would like to wish everyone of my readers here, HAPPY NEW YEAR! If you're a pet owner, be a responsible pet owner!

Santa Paws Event on 11/12/11

Santa Paws event held at Jaya One has come and gone. There weren't many booths taken up on that day but that didn't matter. There were plenty of canines! There was a section where the dogs could socialize and there was even a trainer available to give out advice. Santa was out and you could take photos with him with your canine friend. The photos were free and there was a donation box where you could donate some money to the SPCA.

On that day, I had a table whereby I was selling holistic supplements for animals, promoting and raising awareness on canine myofunctional therapy and the benefits of it. There was a sale of novelty collars and jewellery for humans too! There was a box whereby I was raising money for an animal shelter in Egypt named Touch of Life as well as 10% of my sales will go towards the organization as well. Why I am raising money for a shelter not based in Malaysia? Well, Malaysian shelters have gotten a wide awareness from the public. They get donations from the public as well as the government (if they have NGO status). I decided, why not try raising awareness for other shelters from other countries? In Egypt, the animal shelter do not get governmental aid and they rely solely on donations by the public. Vets are hard to come by. Recently there was a horse that was abandoned, with broken legs that was lying on the road for at least a week. It was emanciated and who knows what was wrong with it. The shelter was desperately looking for a vet but I think none was found. The horse died a few hours after being found. That is just one of the heart wrenching stories in Egypt. I did raise some monies for the shelter. This will be a continued task on my part to raise so more monies for this shelter in order for the animals be fed and taken care of.

Back to the Santa paws event, my ambassador for that day was my little female poogle (poodle/beagle). She was an adorable little dog on that day. All calm, cool and collective. She checked out everything that was there, sat and took care of my stall and behaved herself. I am a very proud mum!

Photos of an English Cocker Spaniel

This is a great photo of an English Cocker Spaniel. I had the privilege

of taking his photos a few days back. Many owners who owns an English Cocker Spaniel are aware of the problems that occurs in them. Namely, the cockers are prone to ear infection. It occurs because their ears covers over and the ears does not get air to circulate. Hence, ear infection and constant visitation to the vet. Ear infection can be under control. Just monitor your Spaniel's ear constantly and watch him closely when he starts to scratch his ears more than usual. Catching it early will help a fast recovery.

For more photos, please visit:http://lifeofexpression.blogspot.com.