Smell you

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 28, 2014 |

The dog you have in your hands is able to smell your thoughts and intention. Your blood, saliva and perspiration all contain chemicals; each of which is notable for its unique frequency of aroma. Every thought you have is supported by a flood of hormones that subtly shift the pH of your body and affect your blood pressure. As examples, sour mouth indicates indigestion and stress; acidic sweat indicates nervousness, fear and stress. High blood pressure indicates nervousness, anxiety, and stress. These are all signals the dog may interpret as immanent danger. 

The subject matter of your thoughts affects the rate and depth of your breathing. Shallow breathing indicates holding back/an unwillingness to commit/pain. Deep breathing which engages the air volume in the lower lobes of your lungs, indicates openness, freedom of movement (speech and assembly), and a more complete oxygenation of the body and mind. Holding your breath builds up pressure and causes the body to go into self preservation mode, redirecting blood from the extremities to your core. 

The concoction that your dog smells when you focus your intention with your words provides information that is clear and unequivocal.                       

As a friend of mine once exclaimed, cleverly offering a compliment, “Well, smell you!”

Skin rolling

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 28, 2014 |

Skin rolling: This petrissage technique lifts the skin between the thumb and fingers and is gently rolls over the area, very slowly. Skin rolling allows a release in the superficial restrictions between the skin and underlying tissue. It may be necessary to repeat rolling a few times over the same area in order to release any long term adhesions.

Weighty subject

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 28, 2014 |

Where in your feet are you carrying your weight? Forward on the balls of your feet projects an assertive energy. From this position you are signaling that you are ready to move forward. Back in your heels is calmer and more inviting to the dog, signaling you are giving your permission for him/her to enter into your space for a PetMassage.

Every PetMassage is going to be different

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 28, 2014 |

Every PetMassage session is unique. Each time you work on a dog, you are a different person. You are in a new time and place, having new thoughts, digesting new foods, in a new biorhythm. It is the same for the dog. Even if you’ve massaged her a thousand times before, she is still a uniquely evolving life form…just like you.

In a PetMassage, your new you connects with the latest and greatest version of the dog. The two of you share the experience, providing each of you an opportunity to support each other’s new lifestyle course correction.

“Taking The Waters”

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 27, 2014 |

“Taking the waters” is a phrase from ancient times that holds mysterious connotations. Taking the waters was, and is, a physical venture into healing, clearing and rejuvenation,” writes J. Paul de Vierville. “The ancients,” he continues, “believed that it cleansed the body, relaxed the heart, refreshed the mind and purified the soul.” For the fortunate dogs who get PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage it still does all that and more.

Dogs cannot tell us where it hurts, what the trauma was, and when it happened. Most of their physical and behavior issues have unknown or forgotten causes. There is no rational reason, for example, if the left shoulder is showing restriction, to only focus bodywork on the left shoulder. The rest of the body is clearly stressing while compensating for the shoulder weakness. We see the shoulder; however the imbalance is also above it, below it, next to it, and across from it. So,  where’s the stress? Where does it originate, where does it end, and what are the vectors of referrals. Each part of the body affects and is affected by every other part of the body.

The areas or systems affected during a PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage are often not directly connected to the areas that have been stimulated. As with dry PetMassage, the PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage process is both linear and nonlinear, with unpredictable unintended healing consequences. There are abundant possibilities. The effects are readily and easily integrated.

The body presents as a complicated tangle of muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and memories all interwoven amidst the layers of fascia. We could get caught up in the what, how, where, and why questions; or, we can see these as limiting, and move beyond them. Our simple directive is to assist the dog to create the best for himself out of what is going on here and now. The PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage focus of intention is on “allowing the waters to work their magic,” rather than “treating in the water.” We purposely do not get in the way of the water; rather, we direct the flow of the dog within it.

PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage becomes the process of providing the structure and the means for the dog’s self-therapy. As the dog’s body is positioned and moved, the waters are “taken”. That is, the facilitated activities combined with the properties of the water are experienced and accepted. A dog’s entire life is affected by each PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage experience.

The properties of the water, buoyancy, temperature, drift and drag, are exaggerated with specific movements through which the dog is led. The range of motion of the dog’s body is enhanced, powerfully, naturally, working up to the edges of each dog’s capacity. In PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage it is the water that does the work; however, the water cannot be as effective without the PetMassage process.

The PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage session is an artistic form. It combines specific learned techniques and the dance-like intuitive interpretation of these skills. Each session is a unique event in the dog’s life.  Dogs become stronger, leaner, and more comfortable in their movements. Their bodies enjoy the benefits from deeper sleep, more effective digestion and thorough elimination. For older dogs, physically impaired dogs, and less active (apartment) dogs, PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is an ideal modality for wellness management.

What if the dog is afraid of water? Initial sessions address any fears dogs may have about being in water. By the end of even the first session, the dogs are always appreciative of the one-on-one attention they receive, as well as how they feel, as demonstrated in their gait and demeanor.

It is important to understand what PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is not. It is not swimming with your dog in the ocean, the lake, a pond or your backyard pool. It is not observing your dog swimming independently in water. It is not physical therapy for dogs. And, it is definitely not a substitute for veterinary care.

PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is powerful canine bodywork. It has a huge potential for enhancing the dog’s ROM, ROE (Range of Emotion), and overall quality of life.

PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is a complement to the training, health, and wellness care your dog is getting and it functions to augment post- and pre-surgical protocols.

In the new field of canine rehabilitation (University of Tennessee, Canine Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy, Millis, Levine, and Taylor), two procedures are prominent in practically every program: massage and swimming. PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage can be included with, and can enhance, many veterinary post-surgical and non-surgical rehabilitation regimens. The University of Tennessee was the first to combine PT with Veterinary Medicine. The program was so successful that it is now available in every vet school in the U.S.

Quoting the page http://landofpuregold.com/challenge-physical.htm which shows a multi-state and Canadian list of schools now offering canine rehabilitation, “There are many conditions that are treated with veterinary rehabilitation. These include arthritic, paralysis, pain, disc disease, limb deformities, amputations, obesity and weight management, physical weakness, lack of endurance and strength, pre- and post-op orthopedic and neurologic surgery.  Based upon a thorough evaluation process several different rehabilitation therapies may be prescribed. These include…manual physiotherapy (joint mobilization) land and underwater treadmills, hydrotherapy… massage, stretching and range of motion activities, hot/cold therapy.”

PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is a way for your dogs, or the dogs in your care, to “Take the best of the waters” and use them for the rest of their healthy, happy lives.

Hydration

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 24, 2014 |

We usually think of hydration in terms of making sure your dog has enough water to drink, which is often directly connected to how hot the weather is, the level of exercise, and if there is enough ventilation in your home or your car, if you drive with your dog. You already know all that.

Before I go on to discuss what I would like to say about hydration, I’d like to briefly comment on the dynamics that go on if your dog happens to find himself in the situation where he is starved for water. For one, his blood cells become dehydrated and move slower. like thick sludge. The cells themselves cannot perform their duties for adequate metabolism, that is, they cannot move cellular waste products out and oxygen and nutrient rich materials, in. The cells in the brain are especially vulnerable. When they become dehydrated the entire neurological system is severely impacted.

How often have you told your dog not to go out to play in the heat of the sunshine without his baseball cap on? We know that most heat loss is through the top of the head! Will they ever listen?

This is usually what we talk about when we are on the subject of hydration. But you already knew all that and this was not what I wanted to share with you. So, I won’t. Or didn’t. Some of the signs of dehydration, by the way, that of course, you already know when you see them are sunken eyes, listlessness, dark and/or foamy tongue, slow capillary refill, when you either press on the gums with your finger or pinch the skin on the chest. Others are lethargy, loss of appetite, and unsteady gait. You knew all that. You could have written this so far.

Let’s consider hydration as an aspect of PetMassage™ bodywork. Its opposite is dehydration. Hydration is essentially, adding water. Its actual definition is: to provide water for somebody or something in order to reestablish or maintain a correct fluid balance. Dehydration, then, is removing water and diminishing fluid balance.

When you touch your dog, you are combining your liquid assets, connecting your fluid-filled body to his fluid-filled body. During a PetMassage™ session, you and your dog create and exist in your private intimate atmospheric bubble of water ch’i. Each of you is continuously and spontaneously interacting with and affecting the other’s fluid balance.

The balance is physical, such as enhancing cardiovascular and intracellular circulation, restoring heat distribution, and/or affecting things like proprioception by helping your dog with the intricate balance of fluid within his inner ear. It is mental, such as creating an ambient inner environment where you and your dog’s thoughts can drift and emotions can flow. It is spiritual, such as when you and your dog plumb the depths of the Aakash and recall ancient memories. The two of you, through the process of PetMassage™ are making a pact to continuously and forever have each others’ backs. This happens with the union of your spirits. It began while you were still within your primal, single cell organism bodies, wriggling around together in the original big chi pond. It continues and is reactivated during the PetMassage. Hydration.

PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is hydrating on several levels – or depths. PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage adds the element of water to the dynamic reeducation and revivification inherent in your dog’s PetMassage™experience. It happens in every, yes every, session.

In the water, there are three participants: the practitioner, the dog, and the water.

  1. The practitioner choreographs and facilitates the flow with a specific set of movements.
  2. The dog adds patterns of responses, reactions, emotions, expressions, passive, resistive movements, dominant and submissive interactive movements, incorporating his direct input, from his own perspective.
  3. The water provides pressure, support, heat and resistance. The water also provides waves, patterns, splashes, and offers a complex set of water sounds, such as when you slap it with your cupped hand and when its droplets slash back down onto the surface. Water ebbs, eddies, whirlpools, spouts and flows. It has a texture, a flavor, an aroma, a current. It even bubbles.

There is a delightful freedom of bodywork movement in water, with its full surround access, its buoyancy, its support and comfort. PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is a return to the birthing experience, which we were too busy surviving to notice while we were being born. PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is a vehicle for exaggerated extensions, heightening relaxation, and letting go of restrictive physical and emotional holding patterns. PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage is amazing bodywork offering the opportunity for personal revelation. Wow! That’s some hydration for the spirit!

Another form of adding water is through a hose. This is usually the application of cold water to the exterior of the body, usually the legs. These are important forms of hydration, too. Hosing with cold water has different effects on the body depending on the direction the water hose is moving.

  1. Moving the hose distal to proximal or from the extremities toward the heart, increases venous and lymphatic flow, closes pores in the skin, stimulates the erector pili muscles of the hair (and the nerves attached to them), and constricts capillaries and blood vessels until the body regulates itself and the blood vessels open again, actually increasing blood flow.
  2. Hosing down the legs toward the toes cleanses the coat of hair and debris and clears and cleans the body’s aura, energy field, of tenacious energetic gunk.

Dry PetMassage™ and PetMassage Canine Aquatic Massage provide ways that you and your dog to sit, stay, and keep adequately hydrated, in all its forms and permutations.

What is a trigger point?

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 24, 2014 |

Taber’s Medical Dictionary defines a trigger point or trigger zone is “an area of tissue that is tender when compressed and may give rise to referred pain and tenderness”. An active trigger point is ” A trigger point that is painful when the involved muscle is at rest. Palpation will reproduce the patient’s symptoms”. Latent trigger points are ” Trigger points that are not symptomatic when the involved muscle is at rest, but produce pain during palpation. Range of motion and strength may also be affected.”

Trigger points have also been found to correspond to many TCM.

Metta

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 24, 2014 |

“Metta” is a Buddhist term. It translates to loving kindness and a wish for happiness and ease.
Metta can be used as a salutation or a blessing.
Hey everyone: Metta!

Hamstring Muscles: When it comes to the Hamstrings do not get Hamstrung….

By PetMassage | January 24, 2014 |

Full Title: Hamstring Muscles: When it comes to the Hamstrings do not get Hamstrung....

Author: Arlene Johnston

Date of Publication: January 24, 2014

PDF: http://petmassage.com/wp-content/uploads/Hamstring-Muscles-by-Arlene-Johnston-2014-01-24.pdf

Research Paper Text:

Abstract

The muscles in the hind limbs of dogs, called the hamstrings are a very powerful and essential group of muscles made up of striated or voluntary muscle fibers.

This paper will show what muscles are included in this group, called the hamstrings. Why is the group called the hamstrings, what actions these muscles have, their size, their sites of origin and insertion, the tendons and ligaments involved, and nerve and blood supplies involved in these very important muscles.

When it comes to the hamstrings do not get hamstrung……

The hamstrings got their name from the way European butchers would hook through these muscles, behind the knee, to hang up legs of slaughtered pigs in their shops to sell, hence the “ham” and the “stringing”. This also correlated to the battle fields of swordsmen, and in Roman times, and as a form of torture. In battle lacerating through these muscles of men, with their swords, or their steeds, they were rendered helpless, unable to move, and the pain and blood loss that occurred, provided an effective means of torture. In modern times the term “hamstrung” is used to describe the inability to move forward, with regards to thinking or application of a project for example.

The three main muscles of the hamstring group are the biceps femoris, semitendinous and semimembranous muscles (see figure1). There is also a fourth, less significant muscle of this group called the caudal crural abductor (see figure 2). This muscle is only present in carnivores and has the function to abduct the limb, with the origin being the sacrotuberous ligament and the insertion being the crural fascia (reference 1 ).

The hamstrings cover the caudal side of the thigh and are involved with many of the functions of the hind limb joints. They begin as high as the ischium and end as low as the tibia.

The main action of this group of muscles is to extend the hip joint (reference 1).

Biceps femoris.

The largest of the hamstrings is the femoral biceps; it is superficial covered only by the skin and fascia. The origin of the biceps femoris, the semitendinous and semimembranous is the ischial tuber and adjacent sacrotuberous ligament. The insertion point of the biceps is the patella and stifle ligaments, via the femoral and crural fascia. Tendons of the bicep also join tendons from the superficial digital flexor and gastocnemus to form the common calcanean tendon (see figure 2).The function of the biceps is the extension and abduction of the limb. It causes tarsal extension. The cranial part extends the hip and stifle, though the caudal part extends the hip but flexes the stifle (reference 3 and 4 )

Semitendinous.

The function of the semitendenous muscle is to extend the hip, stifle and tarsus when the foot makes contact with the ground, therefore propelling the dog forward. On a non-weight bearing leg it flexes the stifle and rotates the leg back and out. The origin for this muscle is the pelvic head and the insertion is the medial proximal tibia and a tendinous insertion on the calcaneal tuberosity, through joining the tendons from the superficial digital flexor and gastocnemius to form the common calcanean tendon (see figure 2), (references 3 and 4).

Semimembranous.

This is the most medial of the hamstring group and has the function to extend the hip and stifle in a weight bearing stance and on non-weight bearing limbs, it adducts and retracts the limb.

The origin of the semimembranous muscle, as with the other two hamstring muscles, is the pelvic head. The cranial insertion is onto the medial femoral condyle and the caudal is onto the medial tibial condyle (references 3 and 4)

Blood supply

The abdominal aorta ends by splitting into the internal and external iliac arteries. (see figure 3).

The internal iliac artery has a branch, the caudal gluteal (see figure 3), that serves the proximal hamstring muscles (reference 4).

The external iliac is the main artery of the hindlimb, it has a number of branches as it decends the limb, the branch which is the main server to the biceps femoris, semitendinous and semimembranous is the distal caudal femoris ( see figure 3).

The veins that return the blood up the hind limb coincide with the names of their arteries. The main veins that are connected to the hamstrings are, distal to proximal, the distal caudal femoral, to the femoral vein, to the external iliac and then into the caudal caval vein (see figure 3).

Nerve supply

The main nerve that serves the hamstrings is the sciatic nerve and its branches (see figure 4). The origin of the sciatic nerve is lumbar nerves L6 and L7 and sacral nerves S1 and S2. The sciatic nerve provides motor innervations to the femoral biceps, semitendinous and semimembranous muscle group. The sensory innervations from the sciatic nerve to the hamstrings are provided by way of the fibula and tibial branches of the sciatic.

Move forward and work those thigh muscles.

These large muscles are straightforward to find and feel on a dog and when healthy the muscles feel smooth with a consistent temperature. In a dog that is very active or that jumps/bounces allot, the hamstrings may feel enlarged or even look out of proportion due to their constant use, building the mass of the muscle. Hamstring muscles are used for all running and jumping activities and therefore can be susceptible to tearing and pulling just like human muscles.

A canine massage therapist can perform work on the hamstring muscles to help reduce the risk of common injuries. Massage can be done to prevent injuries, after an injury has occurred or after surgery to correct an issue. As with human muscle when injuries occur there is pain, inflammation and possible internal bleeding. Massage strokes, rocking and stretching can help address injuries and weaknesses in the muscles. The injured muscle may feel swollen and hot to the touch and the dog could express discomfort when the area is touched. Under the consult of a veterinarian, massage work can be done to reduce the inflammation, pain and discomfort of the dog.

Muscle strain is commonly seen in canine athletes that perform activities that result in sudden acceleration, turns, and jumping (http://acsma.org/wp-content/uploads/nl/sept_2012.pdf).

Keeping the hamstrings strong and flexible can reduce the risk of common injuries in dogs undertaking any exercise.

References

  1. http://en.wikivet.net/Hindlimb_-_Anatomy_%26_Physiology#The_Hamstrings
  2. http://acsma.org/wp-content/uploads/nl/sept_2012.pdf
  3. Anatomy of the dog (Google eBook) by Klaus Dieter Budras, Manson Publishing, Sep 13, 2007, page 129.
  4. Kainer, Robert A., DVM, MS and McCracken, Thomas O., MS. (2003) Dog anatomy, a coloring atlas. Plates 31, 33 and 34.

Mall massage: stranger in a strange land

By Jonathan Rudinger | January 23, 2014 |

I had a mall massage the other day. The gentleman who performed the massage was Chinese. He didn’t speak my language and I didn’t speak his. I understood from his motioning that he wanted me to hang my jacket on a hook on the wall, and he held up a plastic box for my shoes. He smiled and patted the table as an invitation. When I laid on the table, I assumed the position I usually would when I begin to receive a massage, face up. He got very agitated and, with the help of one of the other therapists, indicated that I was supposed to be prone. So I turned over. Then I was frantically made to understand that my head was at the wrong end of the table. So I got up, turned around (three times-no, not really) and positioned my body on his table, how and where I was supposed to.

The massage was given in an open room. So, of course I kept my clothes on. Working through my shirts and pants and socks there was no opportunity for him to feel any subtle reactions that my body might be signaling his touch. He pushed, shoved, squeezed, shook, stretched and slapped. His pace was rapid; his touch, strong and deliberate. He started at the head and ended at the feet. Whatever the he did on one side, he repeated on the other. His routine was set. He was obviously trained in his style of massage. I surmised that the session I got was the exact same session everyone gets.  

I noticed the aromas on his hands and breath. Intense kim chee! Great if you are dining out; not so much when you are trying to empty your mind. Relaxation is difficult when your eyes are crossed and you are gasping for air.   Could this give us a clue to how a dog experiences his sessions? A dog understands only a few words and phrases, and reads as much as he can into our body language. A dog moves, once he figures it out, where he is told to go and stays there until it is no longer comfortable (I stayed longer than I wanted). A dog observes all the patterns of pressures he feels. A dog is not only aware of smells, he responds viscerally to each and every aroma on our hands and breath. We’ve discussed in earlier “Helpful Hints” how dogs can even smell your thoughts.  

A dog on your table, like me in my mall massage, is also keenly aware of whether the signals his body is sending are being received, acknowledged and honored.  

Your dog need not be a stranger in a strange land, as I was in the mall, when he gets on your table.