Canine Myofunctional Therapy

With a blink of an eye, I realized that I've been a therapist for dogs for 5 years and yet my profession as a canine therapist is undervalued and looked upon as new. I admit that while I haven't done much to advertise, what I do, on the main stream. I set up booths during SPCA events or any other doggy events that others happen to have. I sell holistic products to bring awareness to those who owns dogs and try to raise the care of their dogs and in turn create a healthier dogs. However, this is a slow endeavour. Malaysians aren't very perceptive to change just yet. I stand corrected, a majority of Malaysians are slow to take on to the changes in animal care. In this day and age, it is no longer acceptable to just keep your dog outdoors, ignore it for hours and just feed it once a day. It is no longer acceptable and it is frowned upon to chain your dog up for hours or keep him or her in a cage! It is considered as animal cruelty. In my years growing up in Malaysia, I have seen changes in how dog owners care for their dogs but alas not everyone treats their dogs as part of the family.

Dogs are very much a part of the family. They crave attention and love just like a child. Therapy is also part of what the dog needs because as we 'humanize' our dogs, they do not live in their natural environment anymore. They crave touch and in the wild they will massage themselves by rubbing on a bark of a tree. These days, with animals living in condominiums, there aren't many trees they can massage themselves on to create fresh oxygen in their body.

Muscle therapy helps in keeping the animal's muscle supple and prevent muscle injury. In fact one treatment you can actually see the difference in your dog and the way he / she walks. I have a client which have been ongoing since 2008 which was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy - early stages of spinal degeneration. The first time I treated her, a miniature pinscher, named Eppy fell into a deep sleep for hours. The owner was so worried she called me. I assured her that it was normal and that her body was repairing itself. Eppy used to suffer from spasms where her muscles would stiffen and she wouldn't be able to move during her attacks. She would just stand for 10 minutes or so during her attacks. The result, her muscles were very stiff and hard. She would limp and she couldn't lift her head. It was very painful for her. After a few treatments, her spasms lessen and in time her treatment was reduced from once a week to once every two weeks to once a month. After 6 months of treating Eppy's attacks lessen. In 2011 she had mild attacks. Today after 5 years of treatment, she has had no spasm. Her last attack was in 2011. Today she's a happy little girl, she greets me with her monthly 'bark' (she's actually scolding me because I don't see her as often these days which I don't mind). When I treat her, she just sits in her bed quietly and falls asleep. A dog knows when something good is happening in his / her body. Her muscles are back to normal and she can now lift her head. Her owner is very happy on her progress. She has maintained a monthly therapy so that Eppy's attacks never occurs again. Eppy was also said to not live a long. She was 6 years old when I started treating her. Today Eppy is 11 years old and going strong. I am quite happy to see her up and about and her progress after her treatment.

This photo was taken by my client recently on me treating her dog at my holistic centre in Bangsar. She has hip dysplasia and her gait was a little bit off. After this treatment, she had a bounce in her walk and was feeling quite happy. Look at her face during treatment. She looks so content and happy.

So why not give it a try? Your dog may not necessarily have any ailments, start early when they are healthy. Eventhough you may not see the obvious result on a healthy dog, at least you know they are in good hands and will have a healthy life. You know the saying, prevention is better than cure.

Functions of Muscle

As owners of canines, we take it for granted the health of our dogs. We expect them to be healthy, perfect and be our companions. We take them to the vet for their yearly vaccinations (which by the way, I do not vaccinate my dog every year for obvious reasons). We walk them, bathe or send them for grooming and shower them with love. So what happens when you're dog suddenly wakes up one morning and become lame? You send him / her to the vet, get pain killers, antibiotics if there's inflammation, cold compress...etc etc. Vet bills increases. 

We must understand and be aware that in every living creature, the contraction of the muscle is what causes movement. In a dog, it's the same. The primary function of the muscular system is the move different parts of  the body. It stabilizes the joints to keep them functioning. There are 2 types of muscles in the body : Voluntary and Involuntary muscles. Involuntary muscles are based around the cardiovascular region, the cardiac muscles and surrounding the arteries, bladder and intestines are smooth muscles.

The second voluntary muscle are the ones that aids in the movement of our canines. It is the skeletal muscles that is attach to the skeletal system. The muscles that is attached to the skeletal system are the ones that helps the canines to walk, run, wag tail, chew, stretch and stretch. It is these muscles that consist of many cells which is held together by connective tissue that causes muscle contraction and therefore movement. 

So if the muscle gets injured, pulled, stressed, sprained, the dog will experience lameness in his / her gait / movement. It may cause inflammation to the muscle. For degenerative disease like hip dysplasia, the muscle surrounding the joint plays an important role. As the humeral head in the femur bone isn't sitting properly in the socket, the muscles play a role to hold the humeral head together to socket or close to the socket. This is important because as your dog ages, if no treatment is done for the hip dysplasia, it will get progressively worse and your dog will eventually become lame, refuses to go for long walks because he / she is in pain. 

For the dogs that are healthy, maintaining your dog's optimum muscle health is important. Muscle therapy for your canines even once a month will lower your canines from injury and save you high vet bills. You will see less sprains, strains on your canines. For dogs with degenerative disease, this therapy is important to ease your canine's pains, increases the oxygen flow, prevents the hip from degenerating further or slows it down at the very least. He / she will be a much happier dog. 

I always believe that prevention is better than cure. If your dog has got a degenerative disease, than maintenance is important. It is not a cure for those dogs that have got hip dysplasia, but it will give your dog a better life free of pain.

This is my boxer, she is 10 years old and already finding it a little difficult to get up due to age. She gets her muscle therapy once a week. In this photo, she is resting from a vigorous play with our 11 month old Rottweiler. Look at how happy she is in this photo. 

So, call me on 016-3940968 for free consultation today.