'Therapeutic Massage for Dogs'

Since my SkillsFuture Credit account got topped up, I used them on attending a one-day 'Therapeutic Massage for Dogs' organized by Ngee Ann Polytechnic and conducted by canine massage thearapist Gayathiri Elamparithi of Angel’s Wellness & Healing. The best part about this course, I get to bring the dog along because it's essential that I practice on a living breathing dog. Hahaha. 

Yes you read that course title right. While I understand muscle groups (you will too if your pet has pre-existing conditions or a patella luxation and such), I wanted to "understand the basis of muscle injury and muscle stress in order to be able to perform diverse range of massage techniques." This was like a primer before I attend more in-depth courses. Anything to help Choya stave off future surgery for her still-Grade-1 patella luxation.

They didn't ask what breed, weight or size my dog is. And how would they know that my dog is friendly to humans and other dogs? There wasn't even a questionnaire done. How to ascertain that sial. I assume Choya fits the bill.

I didn't like the sound of how my dog had to go to the "animal holding area" at lunch. I've never seen it, and I don't know what that meant. I figured that as long as Choya’s food and water were packed along, if I wasn't comfortable with the holding area, I could take her away to a corner of the building, or we could leave the premises and return later. These are the requirements for the course,

It is essential to bring your own dog so that you can learn the basic techniques. The dog will be kept in the animal holding area during lunchtime and kept separated from other dogs. You are advised to bring their leashes, water bowl and food bowl (with food). Only pet dogs which are friendly to people and other dogs are allowed.

While there was a course outline of topics covered and three detailed emails on enrolment and acceptance, payment, SkillsFuture credit claims, venue and such, I wasn’t given a detailed progam with timings for the day. I didn’t know how 9am to 5pm would be broken down. I didn’t even know if lunch would be provided for the course participants. Whatever. I’d sort it out. 

We toddled off to class early on a Saturday morning. There were plenty of green patches for the dogs to pee and poop. We could also pop in and out of class at any time to sort out the dogs' toilet needs. Humans were given a bento at the morning tea break, and at lunch. No afternoon tea break. Our dogs weren't separated from us either. There was another course on dog obedience going on, but they staggered break times, and we didn't run into them, thus minimizing the potential of conflict between dogs.

I was lucky that there was a vegetarian option for both food boxes. So I took those. Please bear in mind that food was provided as a courtesy more than to meet anyone's expectations. Bottles of water were provided too. Hot drinks weren't provided! NO COFFEE. I didn't explore the area, but I didn't spy a coffee vending machine of sorts, and all the food stalls in the area were closed. WTF. I DIDN'T GET ANY COFFEE FOR THE WHOLE DAY> WHAT TORTURE MY GAWWD. I was extremely caffeine-deprived. I should have listened to my instincts and brought coffee. 

The morning session was slow. It could have been faster. It was all theory, and obviously I absorbed that super fast. The afternoon session was way more useful for me. We took our dogs out to show off their walking and trotting gait, as well as a short walk up and down a low-gradient slope. Facilitator Gaya then pointed out what she could see in their gait. Her trained eye meant that she could spot unusual gait if the dogs are compensating with different muscles, or if their backs hurt.

Choya's got really tight hind legs, and yes, still Grade 1 patella luxation. At this stage, she doesn't even need an X-ray or an MRI yet. I suspect she has aches in the area and soreness, but her muscles have strengthened sufficiently to hold any loose joints together for a bit. This portion shouldn't affect young healthy dogs. It would be very useful for senior dogs with muscle wastage, or dogs recovering from surgery or about to consider surgery, or afflicted with various physical issues.

We also had time to run through six-step massage technique and try it out on the dogs quickly to get the hang of each finger movement. Gaya was super patient with the class and came around to each one whose dog was willing to be touched by a stranger. I tuned out the portion about essential oils and scents. Hello, I'd be the one ending up in A&E for breathing issues if I were to do that. This part wasn't for me. Then we had time to do a full massage for the dogs in a darkened room. Since this was an unfamiliar environment for the dogs, the usual one-hour session was shortened to forty-five minutes, or thirty minutes if the dogs were restless. 

Choya panicked when the blinds went down and room darkened. She thought it was going to rain. LOL. Obviously she wasn't in any mood to relax or lie down to be touched or massaged. She came to me and wanted to climb all over me. Her front paws were out, as if plaintively saying "Momma Momma Momma I'm scared but I dunno why I'm scared." I simply held her. She calmed down after 15 minutes, and the day was done. She was definitely super intrigued, but wasn't too bothered by the long day out. She had water, food and rest. And I was with her all the time. 

Was this course useful to me? Yeah, I guess. I wanted to compare what I learnt to what the structure of a massage for canines are supposed to be. How to begin, how to end, and should I use fingers or knuckles or long strokes. These aren't belly rubs, so I wanted to know if it's similar what I already know. It isn't different from the principles of osteopathy and Pilates, really. 

A massage by a professional wouldn't be helpful to Choya now. She doesn't have the temperament for that, even if it's done at home. I would have to be the one doing that since I know the times when she's more mellow, and I could rub her. I'll continue with the massages that I do, except that it wouldn't last the required hour; it would be 20 minutes at the most, focusing on all her legs and paws. Any issues popping up would be clinical and require hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and such. However, I could experiment a little — I could use the same principles of Pilates to make her stand on a bosu ball of sorts on her hind legs. Hahaha. That would ensure that the muscles are used and there would be minimal muscle atrophy.