Bella & Her First Massage
Posted: January 14th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Bella, my perfect Lab/Rotty mix had her first massage last night. Yes, it sounds somewhat indulgent and crazy LA, but Bella really needed it. While she is quite fit for her age(12ish) and size(80+lbs)- remember the bigger the dog the more challenging aging can be- she is slowing down and has been limping especially on those very cold — ok somewhat cold LA mornings.
Bella had already been on a regular protocol of pain meds and anti-inflamatories, but the were clearly not working well enough on their own so my vet referred me to a Jan Naud, a great trainer who has recently been certified as a canine massage therapist. As Bella has had some behavioral challenges in the past, we were familiar with Jan and her good work (she’s also featured in my book) so I booked an appoitment asap.
Jan came for the first of five sessions last night and let me tell you, it was amazing. Jan and my vet had already discussed his diagnosis (pinched nerve in her neck) but Jan went far beyond working on just that area. She gave Bella a thorough evaluation from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail; identifying where Bella was sensitive and stiff.
She had tension all over her body and through the use of various massage techniques we started to work them out. I will write more about all of them but the one I find myself using is called T Touch. Check out this great link that tells you all about T Touch!
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I’m totally fine with the crazy dog massage, but how does one become certified as a canine massage therapist.
Kidding!
Hope Bella is feeling better.
Becoming a certified canine massage therapist is actually no joke. Jan who has years of training experience http://www.trainingasateamla.com went to a 5 week full time class in Ojai. Maybe if politics doesn’t work out you can head up to Ojai for a training class http://www.ojaischoolofmassage.com/animal.htm.
she deserves a massage every day! and this is really incredible.
hello,
it was great talking to you tonight.
Good luck with Bella. it looks like you two have had many great days.
Gabriel
hi, thank you for your help today. please check out my newest post and let me know if i can refer some people to you directly who are interested in getting insurance for their dogs.