Introducing Blaze

Blaze is a Cockapoo who enjoys his life at home with his family. Our friendship began in February 2022, Blaze was five months old when he visited me in my studio for his first ever groom. It was very clear to see that Blaze was a loving and caring dog who loves company.

Growing up Blaze couldn’t do things that other dogs did without a thought, which made his mum think that there could be something wrong. The first thing was that he never jumped in or out of the car, up or down from the sofa, and he didn’t even want to go up and down the stairs. He then started to have intermittent lameness in both of his hind limbs, lasting about 3-4 weeks each time, and had to be treated with pain medication and long periods of rest. It seemed that every time he got back to his adventures, he was back on rest again within a week. His mum was concerned about this and wanted to break this cycle.

He showed other signs of discomfort too:

• He would seem to be quite shaky or wobbly when running at speed.
• He would have leg tremors (shaking) when standing still.
• He would not stand up on his rear limbs for very long without having to sit back down.

The vets had recommended scans and X-rays to diagnose the problem, but she wanted to try massage therapy first to see if I could find why Blaze couldn’t jump in and out of the car.

 

Blaze melts into massage…

Already having a lovely friendship with Blaze meant that he was happy and comfy to sit with me and start his massage journey. It was clear, as soon as we started our first session, he was going to absolutely love it. He lay down as soon as we started and relaxed so much he started to nod off after 10-15 minutes.

Massage revealed that his problems were in his rear limbs, in the form of large trigger points, which are similar to the knots that we get as humans, apart from they also remove nutrients and oxygen in the muscle, causing it to become very hard, irritable, painful and can also reduce the strength and functionality of a muscle. He had multiple trigger points in his hamstrings which are muscles in the rear of the leg. This would restrict Blaze’s ability to jump in and out of the car.

Working on these trigger points made it clear that Blaze was uncomfortable and they were causing him pain. Knowing we were scheduled for three sessions, I used the first session to introduce touch to the area, knowing that this would help Blaze ease into it. Over the next two sessions I used more complex therapy, such as The Lenton Method®, deep tissue and Swedish massage techniques, as well as myofascial release to reduce the severity of the trigger points and both Blaze and his owners saw an immediate positive change in him.

 

Blaze celebrates his session…

Blaze celebrated feeling much better after his first massage by walking out and jumping straight into the boot of the car! Although this worked against the home care plan we put in place his mum was so pleased – “I can’t believe it, he has just jumped into the boot of the car, he has never done that before, and I know I should have stopped him but I never thought he would do that! Thank you so much.” As much as she was frustrated she was also over the moon that even after just 1 session he was obviously feeling more comfortable to jump and just surprised everyone.

After the three sessions we have seen amazing improvements to Blaze and his mobility, comfort and daily activities. We have:

• Released all of the muscles around his body that had been effected by the trigger points.
• Removed overcompensation issues caused by him shifting a lot of weight on to his front legs and shoulders.
• Removed hypertonicity in the neck muscles. Hypertonicity in muscles can cause a reduction in function and mobility, so treating this will aid in his general movement and comfort.

 

 

How did massage therapy help Blaze?

It is important to understand and treat the body as a whole. Everything is connected, and a problem in one area will almost certainly affect other areas too. As conscientious, professional and caring therapists we will always work to alleviate the issue that is causing the main symptoms, however, working on the entire body is the most effective and efficient way to return the muscles to their normal working order. For Blaze I helped:

• Increase comfort and mobility in the rear limbs, helping him be more comfortable and confident when tackling an upward or downward slope.
• Reduce the pain associated with his trigger points, meaning he had more confidence to walk, run and jump.
• Reduce the tightness to his neck meaning it is now a lot more flexible and has an increased range of movement.
• Relax and unbind the muscles in the shoulder, meaning that he has now has full range of movement in his front legs.
• Improve his general mood and happiness by treating and removing a lot of the muscle dysfunction.

 

What mum says

“Blaze has responded brilliantly to his massages and we have seen a massive change in both his physical and mental wellbeing. Blaze’s mobility has increased greatly and he much sturdier on his legs. He’s stopped shaking when using his leg, hasn’t injured his legs (which happened regularly) since receiving massage therapy and we have some amazing tips on how to care for his body better. He can now get into the car himself, can cock his leg, which he never did before, and is able to stand on his back 2 legs. The fact that we have all this progress without needing medication, sedation for treatments or £1,000s worth of tests really does make the difference to him but also us as a family.”

Massage therapy has helped Blaze return to his adventures, including beach visits and running as fast as he likes!

 

Closing thoughts

“As a therapist I am always overwhelmed with happiness and joy when I see such dramatic changes in my clients. Seeing improvements week after week and then seeing Blaze enjoying the beach without any flare up or incidences of pain or lameness just confirms exactly why massage therapy is a great form of therapy for our dogs. I love what I do and I look forward to helping each and every one of my clients to get them back up and about and enjoying movement once again” Stuart Kent, BelMar Canine Massage Therapy.

 

 

 

About the Author

Stuart Kent is a member of the Canine Massage Guild. He runs BelMar Clinical Canine Massage Therapy based in Oxfordshire. You can find out more about Stuart at www.belmarcaninemassage.co.uk

 

 

About the Canine Massage Guild

After 10 years, the Canine Massage Guild continues to lead the way with a network of highly skilled Clinical Canine Massage Therapists based around the country. We specialise in soft tissue rehabilitation and provide chronic pain management for orthopaedic conditions.

In clinical trials with Winchester University, which studied the efficacy of the Lenton Method®, 95% of dogs responded positively to clinical canine massage therapy. Available here, as published in ‘Vet Record’ by the British Veterinary Association.

Providing results you can see and your dog can feel!

Find your local Canine Massage Guild therapist: www.k9-massageguild.co.uk/therapistregister/