What can I expect with each visit?
The care and comfort of my clients and their dogs is paramount.
This is why I am transparent in my approach and services.
It doesn’t matter if the visit is your dog’s first or fiftieth visit with us, we will always assess him or her before ANY treatment. This lets us know whether the intended treatment is appropriate, if there are any “red flags” that may change our approach or in some cases defer the massage until other problems are resolved.
An assessment includes a review of any veterinary records that are available. A discussion about your dogs condition, lifestyle and previous history from your perspective. We’ll discuss your goals and aims from treatment.
After this a physical assessment will be performed through:
- Observation of your dog’s posture and conformation at rest – how does your dog sit, lay down and stand.
- Observation during movement – posture, conformation and gait.
- Palpation from “teeth to tail” of muscles and joints.
- Functional assessment – assessment of how your dog moves into and out of a sit, drop, stand position and her ability to maintain certain stances.
Once this is completed, active treatment will begin. Together we work very much within the comfort and tolerance of your dog. If he’s anxious, we may need to take a slower and more gentle approach until his confidence builds. If she’s particularly painful, we may need to address the surrounding areas that are supporting the injury. Dogs will always tell us when they have had enough and I’ll always listen.
Depending on the reason for our treatment, we will often need subsequent treatments (just like we do for ourselves).