Have you ever heard of dog massages?
Neither did I!
Recently when I was playing with my little cat, I was unintentionally massaging her. And then I realized how much comfort she was getting from it.
I quickly did some research and found massaging can be a deal-breaker for relieving pain, stress and flatulence of pets.
And believe me, my dogs loved every bit of it when I did the same with them.
In this post, we will talk a lot more about dog massage and how you can do it on your own.
What is dog massage?
Massage simply means rubbing the muscles and joints to relieve pain. Every creature undergoes some sort of pain through their lifetime. And it can work for anyone.
In the case of dogs, massage can be a powerful technique to relieve stress from an anxiety disorder, old pain, and injuries and to aid in post-surgical recovery.
A gentle massage can also get rid of bloating and excess air from the stomach.
It’s more like an advanced version of petting!
Why dog massage is so important?
1. Helps to boost physiological functions
Massaging your dog can regulate the circulatory system and provide blood flow to the area of pain or discomfort. It also acts as a cleansing system as toxins can get removed through the lymph glands.
Massaging can also trigger the flow of synovial fluid that can increase the motion of joints.
2. Pushing gas out
Dog gas can become a serious issue if your dog in unable to get rid off it for days. In some cases, you would need to rush to the vet.
So, before that ever happens, it’s always a good idea to give a stomach massage and get those bad gases out.
Dog gases are almost always are related to change in diet or issues with the current food. Other than massaging, you should always look for the best dog foods to prevent gas.
3. Bonding and emotional well being
When you are massaging your dog, you are essentially making him feel more loved and safe. This makes your dog emotionally sound and also strengthens your bonding together.
4. Detect physical problems early
Probably the best thing I found about massage is that you can find early signs of injuries or cancers. So, you can take some measure faster than you ever did.
Basic dog massaging techniques
Out of all the massaging techniques out there, I found that these 3 are the most effective for dogs:
Effleurage
This is the technique you should follow at the initial and ending stage of a massage. All you have to do is to provide long flowing strokes. The following video demonstrates it better:
Petrissage
This technique involves kneading and twisting the skin and muscles of your dog. This is a great way to relieve stress, and pain. Here’s a demonstration that you can follow:
Compression
Compression means to apply pressure in a pumping motion to aid circulation and relieve muscle stress. This is the best way to apply compression:
How to massage your dog to relieve stress
These are the exact steps I followed when I massaged my GSD dog:
Step 1: Get your dog to relax and calm down with a bit of soft verbal tone and touch.
Step 2: Start with the effleurage technique and just gently pet him all over his body.
Step 3: I generally start with the neck area and let him feel the comfort. Apply slight pressure and massage in a circular way.
Step 4: Now do the same for the shoulders. You can apply the petrissage technique here.
Step 5: Next move on to the chest and legs. Massaging the legs can be tricky. So, just apply compression all over his legs and joints.
Step 6: If you are done with that, it’s time to move onto the back. Use a circular motion and slowly go down to the back legs and the tail to finish it off.
This video demonstrates it in more details:
How to massage your dog to relieve gas?
Step 1: To get the gas out of your dog’s stomach, you just need to massage in a way so that the gas can reach the rear end. Here’s what you can do:
Step 2: Get your dog in a relaxed position with the stomach facing you. Let him calm down.
Step 3: Start by massaging his sides with the palm of your hands in a circular motion.
Step 4: Continue the massage on the center of the stomach and push the gas from the front to the rear end.
Step 4: Use both of your palms to apply very light pressure. And the gas should be out after a few minutes of massaging. Yikes! Make sure to hide your nose!!
Here’s a video I found for you. This might not be perfect but will give you a good idea to get started!
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My beagle is experiencing lots of gas and even vomits ..he has lost 4 kgs in a month ..very worried for him …giving him only rice and chicken piece that too like a broth and less quantity..the doctor has told to give him colic syrup as he is saying lots of gas formation is taking place…I’m v confused and seek help