If your pup is a stress-puppy, perhaps
a comforting massage and a dose of aromatherapy or acupuncture
might help.
Organizations are popping up across the country that
specialize in providing a healing touch for pets, and that
includes deep tissue massage therapy, chiropractic treatments
and acupressure. Alternative treatments for animals are not
officially recognized by the American Veterinary Medicine
Association, but some local vets say massage can help pets
heal from injuries.
Nancy Dutton, of Healing
Hands of Energy in Louisville, is using her human touch
techniques and transferring them to dogs and cats.
Along with massages, Dutton provides an energy-giving
treatment.
"Healing energy is a technique that works with the body's
energy field. We all have one; scientists have already proven
it exists," Dutton said.
Healing energy involves practitioners placing their hands
on or near people and pets to encourage energy flow.
"The medicine is the energy," Dutton said.
Deep tissue massage is practiced to increase circulation to
an injured or painful area. It aids in pets' overall
well-being and spurs a feeling of relaxation, calmness and
balance, according to PetMassage Ltd. The organization offers
massage equipment, such as tables and anatomy charts, but also
provides training for those who wish to operate a pet massage
business or those who learn to treat their pets.
Dutton is expanding her once human-only business to include
pets because she's always been an animal lover and has treated
her pets for years.
Dutton, who said she can communicate with animals, said, "I
have a cat named Rosie that we adopted. She was kind of lame
and was getting weekly massages. I'd do healing energy when I
felt like it. But when I put the two together at the same
time, that night she jumped in bed with us and we thought it
was a different cat."
Bill Guerrera, a veterinarian at The Animal Doctor in
Broomfield, said vets use massage rehabilitation techniques,
especially in animals needing physical therapy.
He said massages for medical recuperation should be
considered different than typical relaxation massages.
"A lot of these modalities can be misrepresented or
misunderstood, as far as the scientific backing," Guerrera
said.
The American Veterinary Medical Association doesn't
recognize acupuncture or chiropractic care for animals.
"There's no certification for those treatments right now,"
he said.
The doctors at The Animal Doctor, do, however, believe
massage therapy aids in the healing process by increasing
blood flow and range of motion.
"We definitely use it as far as recovery from surgery as an
adjunctive therapy," Guerrera said. "But we don't recommend —
if a dog threw his back out, for instance — that massage
therapy be a sole source of treatment."
When a pet owner hires a massage or acupuncture therapist,
he recommends they do their homework, calling around for
recommendations and the background of the therapist.
Ken Bixel, a veterinarian with The Animal Doctor, said he
and his fellow vets follow the science of massage treatment.
"Our treatments are based on scientific research that shows
treatment 'A' definitely helps the disease process," Bixel
said. "But there isn't a whole lot of science that shows
massage treatment in animals definitely leads to healing."
As far as using massage and other spa treatments for
animals, Guerrera said pet owners should be aware there is no
certification from the medical field.
"Whether it works or not is still debatable," Guerrera
said, "but also, just because someone says they're an
aromatherapist, what does that exactly mean?"
The AVMA certifies veterinarians in specialties such as
surgery, dermatology or internal medicine, which means they
are medically recognized, he said.
"Right now, there is no specialty recognized by the AVMA
that I'm aware of that deals with any kind of complimentary
medicine," Guerrera
said.
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