Myth #7: I canʼt tell that my animal is feeling or moving any better, so the massage must not have worked.

There are many reasons that the benefits of

a massage may not be obvious right away.

For example, there may be some

inflammation from an injury or arthritis

causing pain that is still affecting how your

animal moves, even if many benefits were

accomplished. Most pain or movement

issues that we or our animals may want

help with have happened over a number of

days, months and often years. It would be a

lot to expect one or two massages to “fix”

it, although this can happen sometimes.

More often, you should expect noticeable

progress to take two or three massages, or

more, as well as other forms of treatment

such as chiropratic, acupuncture, or medication. Other treatments are often

complementary to massage, and vice versa.

Taking action towards preventing a recurrence of the problem is also

important. This could mean any number of things, such as changing

something about an activity that is causing repetitive stress injuries,

changing nutrition and/or weight, or providing regular maintenance

bodywork to alleviate the stresses that inevitably do accumulate.

Copyright © 2010 All About Animal Massage

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Of course, if you're not noticing positive effects after two or three sessions,

massage, or that particular style of massage at least, may not be the (only)

solution for your animal's current needs. Meanwhile, you should certainly be

consulting with you veterinarian if there are acute problems such as

lameness, injury or illness.

Myth #8: If “location x” is where it hurts, then thatʼs where you must focus the massage to help.

There are two reasons that massage

attention in other areas of the body may

be more helpful than where it hurts at the

moment.

1. If there is current inflammation and

acute pain in an area, many massage

techniques would simply irritate the area

further and be counterproductive, or even

outright harmful. (However, some

techniques, such as lymphatic drainage

massage or acupressure, may still be

quite helpful!)

2. Very often the location of pain is not the location of the restriction that is

causing the pain. That is, a tightness or an adhesion, some form of a

restriction somewhere else in the body, may be (and likely is) pulling on

"neighbors", resulting in pain where sensitive structures are being stressed

by the pull. Over time, the patterns of tension, along with the body's efforts

to compensate, can create very elaborate and unique patterns of restriction.

This means that any pain could potentially have it's root cause virtually

anywhere in the body, and part of the process of receiving bodywork over

time is unraveling these layers that eventually led to the symptoms. (Why

don't the symptoms just appear right away? Because we and our animals, are

so good at compensating and adapting. Much more on this in Chapter 4:

Adaptation vs. Healing in The Dog Lover's Guide to Massage and The Horse

Lover's Guide to Massage.)

Myth #6: Sure, go ahead and try massage. It couldnʼt hurt....

While massage is not likely to do harm, it most certainly can. Generally,

people who believe that it can't are also not aware of how powerfully it can

affect the body for good. And anything with that kind of power can

potentially cause harm, too, if not used appropriately. This is just like

medicine, which can either heal or poison, depending on how it's used and

also on the condition of the person who takes it.

Copyright © 2010 All About Animal Massage

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So the two factors for whether

massage will do good or harm

are,

A. how massage is applied,

and

B. the condition of the animal

(or person) receiving it.

Here are a few easy tips to help

you avoid causing harm for either of these reasons.

1. The changes caused by massage for the circulatory and neurological

systems in particular, can be harmful if your animal has a fever or is in

a state of shock. Do not massage in these situations.

2. Applying massage strokes or stretches too quickly can lead to damage

of tissue before your animal has a chance to communicate with you

about something that hurts.

3. Listen to your animal's feedback. If they don't like something, stop.

This will help you avoid most problems, but there are some important

exceptions to keep in mind. If your animal is too ill, emotionally shut

down and/or trained to politely endure whatever you do to it, you may

not get accurate feedback. On the other hand, many animals will

protest or try to avoid things that are not necessarily causing harm, but

may be uncomfortable or just plain unfamiliar to them, or the touch

may trigger an unpleasant memory. In these cases, if you stop what

they don't seem to like, you will safely avoid causing harm, a very

good thing, although you may also miss an opportunity to help with

some more healing for a problem area. Persisting when your animal is

unsure is a very fine line to walk, and training and experience

becomes much more important. When in doubt, an appointment with a

professional may be just thing to help you get more accomplished

with massage while avoiding doing any harm.

Because massage does have very real physiological effects on the body,

professional massage therapists receive training about contraindications

(when not to massage) and precautions (when and how to adapt the massage

for certain conditions). You can read more about this in Animal Massage: A

Consumer Guide, as well as in Chapter 6: Guidelines for Effectiveness and

Copyright © 2010 All About Animal Massage

Safety, in The Dog Lover's Guide to Massage and The Horse Lover's Guide

to Massage. You can also usually find information on contraindications and

precautions in any book on massage for animals or for people, though some

situations may be specific to one or the other.

While it's important to be aware that massage can indeed cause harm,

remember that as long as your animal is in good health and you're listening

to their feedback, you have little to worry about. If your animal is not in

good health, just ask your vet about whether and how massage might still be

used to support their comfort and wellness. (But if your vet says, "Sure, go

ahead and try massage. It couldn't hurt."

Myth #3: If my animal isnʼt yawning and falling asleep, the massage isnʼt working.

This myth is the flip side of the "no pain, no gain" misconception. It's true that relaxation is generally a positive sign that good things are happening. However, I'll give you three thoughts to consider before you decide to use this as a way to judge the effects of a massage.

1. Sometimes important healing processes can be temporarily uncomfortable: physically, mentally or emotionally. A relaxing "sleepy-time" massage may offer certain benefits, but also in some cases be a missed opportunity for addressing deeper issues.

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Copyright © 2010 All About Animal Massage2. Your animal may be experiencing positive physical effects that might normally make him or her feel a little sleepy, but may be kept alert by something in the environment, or by their expectations of

something about to happen (like a meal or playtime).

3. One form of massage used commonly by athletes (human and animal) is to help prepare the body for physical exertion. This is known as "pre-event sports massage," which can not only help optimize performance, but also reduce the risk of injury. Putting the athlete to sleep would not, in most cases, help their performance!

So as you can see, it's important to consider the goal for each individual massage, and also to be observant of the environment and the animal's perspective. Yawns and deep relaxation are just two of many signs that a massage is "working."

Animal massage: 2 Myth #2: No pain, no gain.

This myth is probably especially common when people are thinking about massage for themselves, but some apply the same idea to therapy for their animals. (It's a myth either way, whatever the species.) The fact is, most massage benefits can and should be achieved without inflicting pain.

Does this mean all pain is bad? No. Some pain may, at times, be necessary to accomplish a worthwhile "release," or therapeutic shift. But this is more the exception than the rule, and the practitioner must be highly skilled and accurate to reduce risk of damage in the process. Yes, damage is possible with massage and bodywork. That's one reason those without advanced skills and experience should avoid moves that the animal (or human) responds to with a defensive pain reaction.

While many benefits can be accomplished with zero pain or discomfort, some therapeutic effects fall somewhere in between. You may already be familiar with the "hurts so good" sensation, where there's some discomfort, but at the same time the body is still wanting the work because it knows a positive process is happening. You may see the animal really "tune in" and focus. They may go through moments of agitation, but then return to the inward focus and eventually display a clear sign of release and relaxation. So although it's not always true, a better rule of thumb for massage would be... Pain? No gain!

Myth #1: Animals canʼt tell you where they have pain or tension since they canʼt talk.

Wrong! Animals are excellent communicators. They use facial expressions, postures, gestures, and even changes in their breathing to let us know how they're feeling. And unlike many humans, animals generally give constant and honest feedback as you massage them, without worrying about being polite. And when animals learn more about massage and bodywork by receiving it again and again, they get even better at communicating more accurately and more subtly.

More on politeness: Be aware that some animals trained to have excellent manners may at first be inhibited about communicating displeasure or pain during a massage. However, if you pay attention and respond to their subtle cues, they quickly learn that they can communicate with you and still be polite. Likewise, animals who overreact at first to something they don't like, and either threaten your safety or resist receiving massage, can

also learn to communicate more politely and productively, knowing that you will listen and adjust what you're doing to meet their needs.

All About Animal Massage

All About Animal Massage

Massage and bodywork can contribute significantly to your animal’s ease of movement, health, and quality of life. In addition to reducing muscle soreness, deepening your relationship, and providing well-deserved pampering, massage can also:

• Boost the immune system
• Improve the quality and symmetry of movement
• Support better joint health and function
• Promote earlier detection of stresses and strains

• Stimulate circulation for greater health of all tissues
• Help reduce risk, severity, and frequency of injuries
• Improve athletic agility and coordination
• Reduce the effects of stress
• Minimize restrictions caused by old scar tissue
• Reduce or eliminate adhesions, knots, and other restrictions
• Improve skeletal alignment for more efficient movement
• Release endorphins (natural pain killers)
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve digestion