Dog Massage for Injury Recovery
We have seen dogs suffer from various injuries and wondered how to improve their recovery rate without breaking the bank. We found typical injuries dogs can suffer from that can very well be improved or even prevented through canine massage therapy.
The problem is that most people don’t know the benefit of canine massager or don’t have the financial means to afford professional physiotherapists or rehabilitation professionals.
Luckily, you can perform gentle massage to prevent injury and speed up your dog’s recovery process after obtaining an injury.
Typical Injuries in Dogs
Most dogs suffer from injuries that include their muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, etc. Each of these body parts is critical for your dog to move around effortlessly and have the best life quality going forward. The typical dog injuries include:
- Limb or joint injuries
- Muscle injuries
- Tendon injuries
- Major trauma (e.g., being hit by a car)
- Spinal injuries
- Torn ligaments
Suppose your dog suffered from one of the injuries mentioned above. In that case, they will definitely benefit from massage therapy to help recover from those injuries and to reduce pain.
How Massage Helps Dogs Recover from Injuries
Canine massage helps recovery time by increasing your dog’s blood circulation and working on your dog’s peripheral nervous system.
Increased Circulation
When a dog gets an injury, the tissues around the injury get inflamed (swollen). These swollen tissues restrict the blood vessels from circulating much-needed healing properties like white blood cells.
With massage, the percussions improve your dog’s blood circulation, helping the body get the healing properties to the injury site. Usually, a dog needs anti-inflammatory medication from the vet to reduce the swelling before they are referred to a physiotherapist to improve circulation.
Fortunately, you can take it upon yourself to provide your dog with necessary physiotherapy/ dog massage with the help of the Karypet Dog Massager.
Stimulates Peripheral Nervous System
Rhythmic percussions through dog massage stimulate your dog’s peripheral nervous system. The science behind canine massage therapy suggests that this stimulation controls both voluntary and involuntary functions in your dog.
Then, this stimulation and control release a “feel-good hormone” called endorphins, which helps your dog to feel less pain.
So, by including regular massage, especially when your dog recovers from an injury, you help reduce its pain while promoting the healing process.
How to Massage an Injured Dog
There are specific ways you should go about massaging a dog that obtained an injury. Before blindly massaging your injured dog, keep the following tips in mind:
Take Your Dog to the Vet First
Ensure that your vet examines the injury to determine what kind of injury it is. Some injuries can benefit from immediate massage, while others need anti-inflammatory medication to do their job before massaging can commence.
Allow the Medication to Work Before Massaging
When your vet puts your dog on anti-inflammatory medication, allow your dog to complete the entire course before commencing massage. If you massage your dog before the medicine does its job, you risk injuring your dog even more.
Slow and Steady Massage Movements
When you start massaging your injured dog, ensure that you start your Karypet Dog Massage Gun on a slow setting, using the large head attachment. It will allow for soft, smooth, and careful percussions while helping your dog’s recovery speed up.
