Balance Your Dog Canine Massage

By C Sue Furman

Balance Your Dog Canine Massage celebrates the magical uniqueness of the human-canine bond for those who want to enhance their dogs' quality of life through massage. Author C. Sue Furman provides the reader with the most comprehensive book on the study and methods of canine massage. In Balance Your Dog, she combines her deeply rooted love for dogs and strong scientific background to produce a very readable, informative reference. Her expertise in canine anatomy and physiology blend flawlessly with her holistic caring philosophy to present a thorough and well-rounded approach to canine massage. The book includes more than 30 Swedish and sports massage techniques illustrated with over 250 superb illustrations and photographs. It is perfect for owners wishing to massage and comfort their pets and for serious students planning to make canine massage therapy part of their life's work. Your dog will thank you for this book!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wolfchase Pulishing
• Release date: Mar 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386981923

Book preview

Shelter Dogs

Janette and I have started working with dogs at the local humane shelter. We are really enjoying it, but it is VERY different from Sue’s classroom and the calm dogs that we practiced on!!!! This is good training for any type of situation and any type of temperament you may run into. The shelter is a 100 year old farmhouse that is falling apart and badly in need of repair, but it works for now. There are 19 dogs and 6 puppies, and they are all precious. There is no place for us to work alone with the dogs so we usually work in the pens outside, but occasionally can work inside in the treatment area. It is very gratifying to work with some animals that the shelter workers feel will never be adopted because they are so crazy due to abuse. Many can’t calm down when a human or even another dog is near. Janette and I work with them, and in the short time that we spend (usually only 10 to 15 minutes per dog), they relax and practically go to sleep.

I met two new dogs last week. Callie is an 8-year old German Shepherd with arthritic hips, and her buddy Boots is a Jack Russell Terrier mix. Both had to be given up by elderly owners who were relocated. Callie was eager for attention, but Boots was shy and ignored me at first. After working with Callie for about 10 minutes, Boots suddenly came over and stuck himself between the two of us and leaned into me as if he were asking for a massage too.

I know that much of the response we see is their need for attention, but I really believe, as does Janette, that they remember us from each visit and know why we are there. Sometimes they are very anxious and can’t focus so we don’t seem to get anywhere with them. Other times they seem to know immediately what is going to happen, even if it is only their second massage. That is certainly obvious in the case of Monster, an old Rottie who belongs to the young woman who runs the shelter. He has arthritis down his spine that is apparently quite uncomfortable. Whenever we go in he comes right over and leans against us so we know that he wants his massage! We really love the work and feel the dogs do too. It will be interesting to see if, over time, the massages help the hopeless cases to become more relaxed and adoptable.

—Pat Reid

Touch. Humans and animals alike crave it. The desire for touch is an instinctive need to fulfill a physiological requirement. Caring touch from another can provide a calming effect and cause a feeling of well being to spring from our inner depths. Touch can bring comfort to the weary or infirm, joy to the sad or lonely hope to the apprehensive or frightened. It is a miraculous remedy that can improve virtually any condition in life.

Massage, a touch therapy, is considered instinctive. The wonders of touch were probably recognized in prehistory when the first primitive man bumped his head on his cave roof and without thinking reached to rub his aching noggin. The practice continues today. Who among us has not automatically rubbed a sore muscle or painful joint to ease our discomfort? Similarly, we have all seen a dog lick or even nibble at an injured paw or stiff joint in an effort to soothe it. This, too, has surely been a habit since the first dog existed. Relying on instinct, both humans and animals no doubt understood the benefits of touch since the beginning of time. Touch is obviously powerful, but what is the essence of touch? How does it cause such dramatic changes in body, mind, and spirit? Scientists think of touch as a collection of tactile sensations that arise from sensory stimulation to the skin. In simple terms, think of it this way: The skin is the biggest sense organ in the body and is chock full of sensory receptors or nerve endings that are quick to register touch, temperature and pain, and send the information to the brain. In turn, the brain sends signals throughout the body to respond. Reactions include the instant release of endorphins, hormones, neurotransmitters or other substances. Acting at a cellular level, these chemicals immediately change the outlook of the one who is touched.

Compelling scientific evidence regarding the power of touch is accumulating. One study concerning the many positive effects of massage on preterm babies was conducted by Tiffany Field and coworkers. The researchers compared preterm infants who were massaged with a similar group who received no massage. Both groups of infants were born at approximately 31 weeks gestation, weighed 3.6 pounds on average, and spent 20 days in intensive care after birth. Experimental babies were massaged for 15 minutes three times each day for 10 days. Each massage session consisted of five minutes of Swedish-like massage, five minutes of flexing and extending the babies limbs, followed by an additional five minutes of Swedish-like massage. In this brief period, massaged infants gained 47 percent more weight than unmassaged infants even though the calorie intake of both groups was the same. Massaged babies also spent more time awake and active, scored better when evaluated for motor activity and orientation, and required shorter hospital stays than unmassaged babies.

The very young who receive massage are not the only individuals who benefit. In another study by Field and coworkers, a group of volunteer grandparents received massage and were taught to give massages to neglected and abused infants. Activity, sociability and soothability of the infants appeared to improve, as did their quiet sleep time. In addition, the advantages of massage traveled a two-way street. The volunteer grandparents apparently gained as much as they gave. They reported less anxiety and fewer symptoms of depression, and their Cortisol (stress hormone) levels decreased. In addition, the grandparent volunteers experienced positive lifestyle changes that included fewer trips to physicians and fewer cups of coffee. They reported improved self-esteem! Interestingly, the effects seemed to be greater following the month of giving massage rather than the month of receiving massage. Similarly, another group found that grandparents gained as much from giving massages to pets as they did from receiving massages. Perhaps there is something to the old adage, It is better to give than to receive.

The Touch Research Institutes, founded by Field, are dedicated to studying touch therapy by evaluating the effects of massage. Their research has revealed many positive consequences of massage. They have shown that massage therapy reduces stress hormones, alleviates depressive symptoms, reduces pain, improves immune function, alters electroencephalogram (EEG) results in the direction of heightened awareness, and facilitates weight gain in preterm infants.

Acknowledgment of the advantages of massage to both giver and receiver is not just a current trend. These benefits were instinctively realized and pursued from early times. The story of how we have arrived at the present day practice and understanding of massage is an interesting one indeed.

The History of Massage

Origins in Ancient Times

Early man’s recorded observations about life were truly crude by today’s standards. Still, accounts indicating the use of massage stretch back into antiquity. While there is no direct evidence that prehistoric folk used massage specifically for medical reasons, there are European cave paintings circa 15,000 B.C. that depict what appears to be the use of therapeutic touch, thus providing indirect evidence of primitive origins of the instinctive use of massage. In fact, artifacts from many countries point to a widespread use of massage among prehistoric folk. Later records indicate that ancient civilizations used massage with herbs and oils as healing and protective agents. In some groups, a special individual such as a healer, shaman, or religious leader administered massage to relieve pain and improve a sense of well-being and physical appearance.

Perhaps the best and most accurate early accounts of the use of massage come from the ancient Chinese, who expressed and documented concerns about illnesses for millennia. Their writings reveal the practice of massage as early as 3000 B.C. It was not until much later, during the second century B.C., that Chinese medicine took its basic form and discussed massage as one of several treatments for illness. Massage became known as Anmo amma, which means press-rub. The technique involved rubbing or kneading the entire body and included gentle pressure on joints. The Chinese were so adept in the development of massage practices that they were the first to train and use blind masseurs! Through many years of experience, the Chinese identified specific points on the body where massage techniques were most effective. This practice developed long before acupuncture, which was not referred to in early writings about massage. Acupuncture was mentioned in Chinese medical records from 90 B.C. and was eventually included in the practice of Anmo amma. The importance of health care for animals is indicated by early Chinese medical textbooks that include illustrations of acupuncture points for animals (Fig. 1.) as wells as humans.

By the sixth century, the Chinese amma entered Japan, where it became known as anma, which means massage in Japanese. The tsubu (tsubo) points used to improve circulation and stimulate nerves were similar to those used in the Chinese amma, but were derived from finger pressure points in the Japanese technique of shiatsu, which has become quite popular in modern times. Just as blind masseurs were valued in Chinese massage, they were also used in the practice of anma in Japan.

Figure 1 Acupuncture Points Early Chinese textbooks include acupuncture points for elephants and other animals of economic importance.

Of course, the Chinese and Japanese were not the only cultures to embrace and develop massage techniques. During trading forays between China and India the practice of massage was apparently introduced to the Hindus, who gradually made it an integral part of their tradition. Massage has been practiced in India for over 3,000 years and circa 1800 B.C. descriptions of treatments were included in the sacred Hindu book, Ayur-Veda (Art of Life). Avicenna (A.D. 980-1037), an Arabian physician, included detailed descriptions of the uses and effects of massage in the book, Canon of Medicine. Other records indicate that in addition to Eastern cultures, ancient Egyptians, Polynesians, Mayas, Incas, Cherokees and Navajos practiced massage.

The Greeks and Romans Embraced Massage

There is more extensive documentation of the spread of massage westward to Greece, where it is believed to have flourished before 300 B.C. Greek athletes reportedly underwent friction treatment, anointing, and rubbing with sand before participation in the Olympics. Perhaps this was the beginning of sports massage! The well known Greek physician, Hippocrates (Fig. 2), was an ardent proponent of massage, as noted in his many writings that refer to rubbing and its effects. He believed that all physicians should be trained in massage as a healing method. Hippocrates coined the term anatripsis, which means to rub upward, not downward. Although the working of the circulatory system was poorly understood in the time of Hippocrates, the theory of anatripsis holds today with firm support from modern understanding of blood and lymph circulation.

Figure 2 Hippocrates An ardent proponent of massage, Hippocrates believed all physicians should use it as a healing method.

The Romans acquired the practice of therapeutic bathing and massage from the Greeks and elaborated on the concept by building public baths that were available to rich and poor alike. The art of massage was highly respected by the Romans as a treatment for weak and diseased conditions and for relief of muscle stiffness and soreness. Like their Greek predecessors, the Romans included massage as part of their gymnastics. It is said that massage was recommended for athletes and gladiators before competition and for relief from fatigue and injuries after a contest. The Romans also used massage for the relief of illness and disease. A well-documented example of Roman therapeutic treatment is the case of Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), who had himself pinched all over each day to relieve his neuralgia and prevent epileptic attacks. During the transition from Greek to Roman dominance, Aulus Cornelius Celsus (25 B.C.-A.D. 50), a Roman physician, is credited with writing De Medicina, a series of eight books that contained the body of medical knowledge at that time. Seven of the books addressed the use of rubbing, exercise, bathing, and anointing for prevention and therapeutic treatment of various conditions. This work, along with much of the Greco-Roman medical knowledge, was lost or lay misplaced and unused during most of the Middle Ages.

Waning Interest in the Middle Ages

With the decline of the Roman Empire, the Islamic Empire adopted Greco-Roman medical practices together with much Persian and Hindu medical knowledge. Most books that were written were translations and compilations of knowledge that had been accumulated by other cultures in earlier times. While little new information was added, it was through the efforts of Islamic writers that a large body of knowledge was preserved.

The turn of events in the West was much different following the fall of the Roman Empire. The Middle Ages are sometimes aptly referred to as the Dark Ages. Due in part to wars and religious superstitions, the arts and sciences suffered severe setbacks and the popularity of massage as a preventive therapy for athletic injuries and a treatment for relief of illness and disease declined dramatically. Few new books were written and much recorded history was lost. Western medical practitioners abandoned massage in favor of other treatments. Massage was, however, embraced by the common people and became an important technique for folk healers and midwives. This allegiance to the benefits of massage ensured that age-old techniques were passed on as an art form. Unfortunately, the cost was great, as the practitioners of folk medicine were often persecuted, because the Church claimed that their healing powers came from the devil. In the face of these facts, it seems somewhat contradictory that monastic clergy probably used massage in their hospitale pauperum (pauper’s hospital) since copies of earlier Greco-Roman medical writings were surely available to them.

Later in the period, medical knowledge in the West expanded. This was due in part to the earlier Greek and Latin works that had been translated into Arabic. Western medicine was revitalized with new translations. In the late Middle Ages, Pope Nicholas V (1397-1455) rediscovered De Medicina, which had been complied by Aulus Cornelius Celsus 1,400 years earlier. In 1478, De Medicina once again came into circulation after becoming one of the first medical textbooks to be printed on the newly invented Guttenberg printing press. Celsus’ text became one of the most popular medical textbooks used during the Renaissance.

Enlightenment in the Renaissance

Massage once again regained respectability during the rebirth of the Renaissance. In addition to the revival of established Greco-Roman texts, support for the discipline was bolstered by Ambrose Paré (1517-1590), a French physician who invented the ligation of arteries and several surgical instruments, and was one of the founders of modern surgery. Paré was one of the first modern physicians to use and advocate massage techniques for joint stiffness and wound healing, especially after orthopedic surgery. He described the positive effects of massage on healing in a scholarly publication and classified massage movements as gentle, medium, and vigorous. His concepts spread to other French physicians who believed in physical therapeutics. During his lifetime, Paré served as personal physician to four of France’s kings and is credited with restoring the health of Mary, Queen of Scots by the use of massage.

Girolamo Mercuriale (1530-1606) was another notable Renaissance physician. He traveled to Rome and spent several years studying the manuscripts of the ancient Greeks and Romans concerning the effects of diet and exercise on health. Mercuriale collected his findings in De Arte Gymnastica (1569), which is considered the first book in the field of sports massage.

Around the sixteenth century new works appeared in the East where the techniques of massage had taken form so many centuries earlier. In China, a chapter on pediatric massage was included in a book entitled, Chen-chiu ta-ch ‘eng, while the Japanese mentioned both passive and active massage procedures in a publication called San-tsai-tou-hoei.

By the end of the seventeenth century, Western medicine had taken great leaps. In England, William Harvey (1578-1657, Fig. 3) established that the heartbeat propels blood through the arteries and veins, finally explaining how blood circulates in animals. Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679), an Italian, took another giant step toward better understanding how the body functions with anatomical dissections and studies of muscle contraction. Paralleling these events were the reappearance of massage and its approval by the medical profession as an acceptable therapeutic treatment for health and disease.

Figure 3 Dr. William Harvey Dr. Harvey, an English physician, first discovered the circulation of the blood and the motion of the heart in animals. Note the arterial chart in the background.

The Foundations of Modern Massage

Pehr Henrik Ling (1776-1839, Fig. 4), a Swedish physiologist and fencing master, is credited with developing the discipline of Swedish massage. Born in Smaaland in the south of Sweden, Ling led an unusual life. As a youth he left school and traveled throughout Europe. Finally returning to Sweden, he learned fencing. This background led to a position teaching fencing and gymnastics at the University of Lund where he also studied anatomy, physiology, and massage. Legend has it that Ling’s interest and incentive in studying the massage techniques of others was sparked by gout in his own elbow. Whatever the motivation, Ling combined massage moves popular among Swedish gymnasts with a series of exercises and healed his painful elbow.

Ling’s techniques were collectively known as the Ling System, Swedish Movements, or Swedish Movement Cure. The method consisted of a combination of massage and three types of movements to treat disease. The massage component of the Ling System became known as Swedish massage. It was performed using long, smooth, slow strokes that were very relaxing. The Ling System also included a series of movements classified as active, passive, or duplicated. Active movements were essentially exercises performed by the client. In contrast, the therapist performed passive movements of the client’s limbs in the techniques we now refer to as range of motion or stretching. Duplicated movements required the participation of both client and therapist, with the client working in opposition to the therapist in resistive exercises. In other words, the client would push or pull and the therapist would resist the motion, therefore making the client’s muscles work.

Figure 4 Pehr Henrik Ling Known as the father of Swedish massage, Pehr Henrick Ling developed a system of massage and movement to treat injury and disease.

Although Ling’s methods were well developed by 1814, they were staunchly opposed by the medical community for almost 20 years. This may have been in part because Ling, who was not a physician, was often unable to explain his system in scientific and medical terms that the medical community could understand and accept. This was in spite of the fact that Ling’s program was purportedly based on Harvey’s explanation of the circulation of the blood and lymph. With the support of influential clients and the Swedish government, Ling created and served as president of the Royal Swedish Central Institute of Gymnastics (1813) where he taught until 1839. Many of his students were physicians from other countries who spread the practice of the Ling System when they returned to their homelands. By the time of his death in 1839, the Ling System had received worldwide recognition. The continued efforts of his students were instrumental in establishing the teaching the Ling System in 38 institutions throughout Europe within 12 years after his death.

A Dutch physician, Dr. Johann Mezger (1839-1909), is credited with establishing massage as a fundamental component of physical rehabilitation within the medical community Mezger was born the year that Ling died so the two men never worked together. Mezger appreciated the benefits that the Ling System could afford patients in need of physical rehabilitation and incorporated the techniques into medical treatment. Mezger, himself a physician, was able to communicate with his peers in terms that were meaningful and readily received by fellow physicians. Mezger is also associated with introducing the French terms effleurage, petrissage, and tapotement to his followers in Holland. These terms are still used today, although the reason for their widespread adoption is obscure. They may have found their way into Swedish massage terminology simply because the French had translated several Chinese books, and the French terms were no doubt more easily grasped by Europeans than the original Chinese. Largely due to the efforts of Mezger, physicians and the public alike accepted massage into the science of medicine as an important element of rehabilitative therapy following disease and illness.

In 1856, the Swedish Movement System was introduced in the United States by two brothers, George and Charles Taylor, who learned the techniques from Dr. Mathias Roth, an English physician who had studied with Ling. Upon returning to the States, the brothers opened an orthopedic practice specializing in Swedish movements. Massage became widely accepted among the medical community, but its popularity also created problems for the growing field.

The programs offered by different schools varied greatly in the competency of teachers and in the breadth and depth of instruction in anatomy, physiology, pathology, and massage techniques. Furthermore, no standard certification was required. The result was an availability of practitioners of vastly differing skill levels. Some opportunists, interested primarily in profit, established schools that provided credentials for less than adequate training. Students, usually young women, were recruited into programs with promises of great career opportunities. Furthermore, recruiters usually offered to postpone payment of tuition until after graduation, and many women signed up. The women usually finished a short course of study only to find extremely few positions available. If a woman could not pay the tuition that had been so graciously deferred, the recruiters presented a much different side. They demanded the woman pay her debt or go to debtors prison. A third option was offered which required a woman to work off the debt at a clinic associated with the school. The best of these clinics provided poorly performed massage while the worst were simply fronts for prostitution establishments that became known as massage parlors. This unfortunate turn of events sullied the massage profession, which became all too commonly associated with illegal activities.

Massage Today

Massage regained respectability and importance as a medical therapy in the treatment of injured soldiers following World War I and World War II. Through the years, massage has once again become recognized by the medical community as a beneficial