The healing power of touch has long been
effective and important for both humans and our companion animals.
We all know that petting and stroking animals is pleasing and
relaxing for them. The use of massage therapy, however, takes this
to a higher level by providing deep healing as well as affecting
behavioral and emotional states.
Training problems can be resolved and shy and fearful animals are
transformed. Regular massage can bring a new lease on life to older
animals as blood circulation and lymph flow is improved, along with
boosts to the immune system and healing at the cellular level. A
deeper bond is also formed as you share this simple gift of touch
with your animal companion. Once learned, basic massage techniques
can be applied to not only dogs and cats, but horses, birds,
reptiles and rodents.
Dr. Michael W. Fox describes animal massage as both therapeutic and
diagnostic because, in the course of massage, caretakers may
discover a swelling, tumor, abscess or unknown injury, thus allowing
them to seek medical care in the earlier stages of disease. Massage
therapy can then be used along with veterinary treatment to
stimulate postoperative recovery and speed healing from various
illnesses. A deeper form of communion is also established with your
companion through this healing touch.
In his book, The Healing Touch for Cats, Dr. Michael
Fox shares a personal example: “One of my cats, Sam, became
afflicted out of the blue with feline cystitis, which resulted in a
blockage of his urinary tract, painful straining, and muscular
spasms in the pelvic and lower back muscles. I combined massage with
standard treatment for this disorder, and he quickly recovered. When
Sam subsequently had a bout of cystitis, he would solicit a massage
from me, especially a massage of the muscles around the root of the
tail. He’d crawl into my lap, look at me, meow, and then place
himself in the usual position I put him in to massage his hind end.”
A massage session for your dog or cat should be fairly short — 10 or
15 minutes to begin with — and may be done up to three or four times
a day. Find a place where your animal can be comfortable and
relaxed, on a fairly firm surface. Do not massage immediately before
or after feeding or right before a dog expects to go out for a walk.
You may want to play soothing music to set the tone. Never force an
animal to accept massage, and proceed slowly and gently while
talking in soothing tones.
Patience and perseverance are the key words as you accustom your dog
or cat to being touched in a therapeutic manner. The animal will let
you know if you are pressing too hard. Make adjustments accordingly,
even if you have to start with short sessions of a few minutes at a
time.
Start with relaxation. Slow your own breathing while talking quietly
to your animal. Using the palms of your hands, stroke slowly from
the back of the head down to the tail. You will be able to feel your
animal relax as you use these slow strokes for two to five minutes.
Next, position your thumb on one side of the spine and first two
fingers on the other side. Begin to massage in a circular manner as
you proceed down the spine to the base of the tail.
To massage the neck and head, start at the base of the neck. Gently
massage with your thumb and fingertips in circular movements. Move
from the base of the neck up the sides of the head, and gently
around the face and the top of the head. Massage the ears with thumb
and forefinger. With flattened fingers, massage the muzzle in the
direction of fur growth.
Holding your animal’s leg with one hand while massaging with the
other, start at the paws and move up the legs using the fingertips
in gentle kneading movements. Increase the pressure of the
fingertips while closely observing your animal’s reaction and
backing off if necessary. Continue in this way over the shoulders in
the front and thighs on back legs.
Using light kneading strokes, massage both sides of the chest and
abdomen. Finish your massage session with slow palm and finger
strokes from the head down the back to the base of the tail, from
hip to hind foot, and shoulder to forepaw, while talking gently in a
soothing tone for about 30 seconds to a minute.
The amount of pressure you use will vary with your animal’s
tolerance, and you may increase it as time goes on. The important
thing is to tune in to your animal and let him tell you what feels
right. With a small dog or cat you may use more fingertip movements,
and with a larger dog the palm and flattened fingers, especially
over the abdomen and chest.
Massage can be very important for the older dog or cat. In The
Healing Touch for Dogs, Dr. Fox gives an example of this
through a dog named King, a 6-year-old golden retriever who lived a
very sedentary lifestyle. King began showing “accelerated senile
changes such as obesity, lethargy and a lack of interest in life —
all complicated by hip dysplasia, a debilitating, inherited defect
that greatly limited the animal’s activity. … I instructed the owner
to groom King daily and follow up with a general body massage. It
took a couple of weeks for the owner and King to develop a trusting
and confident relationship through the general massage sequence.
After that, the owner learned how to give King a therapeutic massage
to help alleviate some of the chronic degenerative changes that
affected his hips. Within three months, King was like a different
animal — active and with a new zest for life. His owner, too, was
feeling healthier because of his less sedentary regime, brought
about by ‘actively’ caring for King.”
You can develop a diagnostic massage routine to quickly examine your
cat or dog for painful areas, swelling, tenderness, and any
body-surface subtleties such as dryness or moisture. As you become
more comfortable providing healing massage to your animal, you might
consider exploring acupressure and other forms of deep massage.
Regular massage is both a preventative and active healing agent
which we all can use to give our companions a longer and healthier
life as well as a closer communion with us.
Jude Whitebear does
private consultations using animal communication and energetic
healing for animals in the Anchorage area. She can be reached at
529-1833,
animalhealer@mtaonline.net or
www.AnimalPsychicTeam.com.
