Canine Myofunctional Therapy
What is it?
It is the manipulation of the dog's muscles, in layman's terms, dog massage. This can only be done by a qualified myofunctional therapist because, if a dog is massaged incorrectly, it could result in injury.
Why Dogs Need Massage
It may seem like a fancy and frivolous idea but the fact is that massage has so many physical and psychological benefits for your dog. You could almost call it essential of health care, like grooming, feeding and exercise.
Yes, you can argue that in the wild animals do not massage each other and hence becomes a pointless exercise The fact is, wild animals do engage in one form of massage - social grooming. For example, when a dog licks its offspring which facilitates the digestive process. It is well known that animals will not thrive because they do not have adequate physical contact with their mothers. Our dogs these days are so domesticated and most days are confined indoors lacks the much needed exercise and toning up. Therefore, massage will help to tone up the dog's muscle. Applying massage to an aged dog helps greatly in alleviating his /her degenerative disease that affects his/her hips. Abnormal body ailments and related imbalances can benefit greatly from massage.
Our dogs these days, through domestication have altered their structure and physiology Dogs that suffers from depression or have suffered a recent loss in the family, a massage helps to alleviate their state.
Pets learn to enjoy their massage so much that they will come back for more.
Benefits of massage
increase oxygen and blood flow
increases the flexibility
relaxes and calms nervous dogs
improves the behaviour of the dog
early detection of illness in the dog
improves the dogs overall health
as a stimulant to enhance postoperative recovery
Massage is therefore not limited to dogs who have got problems. Even canines that are in good health need a massage from everyday strains and stress. Even in simple play or failure to warm up could result in an injury. It must be pointed out that canine myofunctional therapy is not a replacement for seeing your vet when there is a physical problem in your dog.
