Changing the Life of Dogs One Massage at a Time BY N ATA LI E LE N TO N & G I N A SA N K I
Recently, the world’s first clinical trials into canine massage therapy were performed by Winchester University, an interdisciplinary centre that undertakes research, teaching and public engagement in the field of animal welfare. With the results published in the peer reviewed journal ‘Vet Record’ by the British Veterinary Association, it clearly demonstrates how complementary therapies, both for humans and our animals, are finally becoming more visible and are in demand now more than ever. As many of our readers will appreciate, the more evidence based research out there on massage the better for our industry as a whole, and these ground breaking clinical trials asked the question “ Can canine massage demonstrate a scientifically proven effect on reduction of pain and improvement in quality of life?”. No doubt this is a question you’ll be asked when it comes to results in your human practice, so what happens when massage is applied to dogs? What are the indicators? And importantly what outcomes and changes can be expected with our four legged friends? Read on to find out more….
Evidence based treatment provided by Canine Massage Guild Practitioners In June 2021, the results of a comprehensive quantitative collaborative study between the University of Winchester, the Canine Massage Guild and the Canine Massage Therapy Centre were published in the Vet Record, the official journal of the British Veterinary Association, using a cohort of 527 dogs treated by 65 Canine Massage Guild Practitioners. Results showed that there were significant reductions in reported pain severity scores for all recorded pain indicators over sequential treatments (p<0.001) and that posttreatment, dogs were significantly more likely to have a ‘positive’ quality of life (Riley et al, 2021).
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ISSUE 118 2023
Bones of the dog