Here is an article I wrote in 2003 that got published.  I felt it important to post this now. I was on the forefront of the animal massage movement. I am blessed to be serving you and your animals.

Many thanks to my readers,

Vicki

Animal Massage?

You Must Be Kidding!

by Vicki Draper

I have been an animal lover all my life. I officially started working with animals a few years ago while living in the Bay Area. When I recently moved to Washington, I was delighted to hear that the state was just passing an animal massage law. Finally, a place where people were familiar with animal massage and the benefits! Or so I thought.

When I tell people I am a professional animal massage therapist, I get a range of reactions, from “Wow, what a great thing” to “What planet are you from, lady?” The most common reaction is an exclamation of surprise followed by “Really?” Perplexed looks cross people’s faces and they ask, “How does it work? How can you do massage on animals when they can’t tell you what they need?” I reply, “Oh, they do tell me. Their bodies let me know what they need.”

Our bodies, humans’ and animals’, are filled with information. As humans, we tend to get busy, neglect our needs, and stifle our feelings; we may not always be aware of what our bodies are telling us. Information is stored in our bodies, regardless of whether we’re attuned to them or not. If we do not listen to our bodies, they eventually signal us with pain, letting us know something isn’t working at its best.

Animals respond more to the here and now. When I work on animals, I generally see much quicker results than when working on humans. The animals live in the moment and let their bodies respond to the sessions. They don’t try to analyze what is happening or get blocked by skepticism, as some people tend to do. The animals are very present and attuned to the sessions. By listening to them, I can tell where to work and how long to work in any particular area.

Both human and animal bodies have self healing mechanisms. Occasionally, these mechanisms need assistance to get things moving and balanced again. This is where the massage practitioner comes in. A massage practitioner is a facilitator, providing input to the human’s or animal’s body to assist the self healing mechanism in working optimally.

The work I do is subtle, using about the weight of a nickel and working with the body’s own natural rhythms. Unlike a lot of humans, animals prefer light pressure. Light work is very effective. To an onlooker, it may look like just touching or petting their animal. But I sense information with my hands, working with the animal’s needs and massaging with a healthy purpose. I’ve had human clients say “I’m not sure what you did, but I sure do feel better.” While humans may not sense all my actions, animals are much more in tune with their bodies and aware of all my work.

I was once at a client’s house with two German short-haired retrievers, Heidi and Ryker, who I had never met. Ryker was very friendly and seemed ready for his session, while Heidi was very high strung and paced around anxiously. After working with Ryker for a few minutes, he settled into the session, oblivious to Heidi’s pacing. After a few more minutes passed, I noticed Heidi had started settling down. By the end of Ryker’s session, Heidi was not the same dog. She was very dreamy eyed and mellow, just like Ryker. By working on Ryker, I affected both of them.

At the beginning of one horse massage session, a mare was bucking and kicking at me and didn’t want me touching her. She then settled into the session with apprehension, keeping her guard up, being very attentive to my every move. She finally decided I was okay; she liked what I was doing, let her guard down, and became totally relaxed by the end. It really touched me to realize how much trust I had just received when it clearly wasn’t easy for her.

After people see animal massages being done, a common comment is, “It looks to me like you’re just petting my animal. How is it different than me petting my animal?” The unspoken question I infer is, “Why in the world would I pay you to pet my animal?”

As a pet owner with three cats and a dog, I do massage my own animals. By regularly massaging your animal, you’re promoting a sense of well being and relaxation, decreasing stress and tension, improving circulation of blood, stimulating and toning muscles, enhancing the immune system, increasing lymph circulation, assisting in removal of metabolic wastes, and relieving soreness and stiffness. Another benefit of regularly massaging your animal is that you will have an awareness of what is normal for your animal. If there is something unusual, like a lump, you’re aware of it early, and you can get your vet to check it out. Using stretches, you can also improve joint mobility. When pet owners perform massages, they promote deeper bonding with their pets, building trust and ensuring quality time. Just look at the benefits your animals are missing out on if you’re just petting them!

If you massage your animals once a week, it will help keep their bodies working efficiently and encourage their self healing mechanisms to work optimally, and you’ll notice if anything out of the ordinary is occurring. With animal massage becoming more popular, you can readily get information for a twenty minute weekly maintenance massage from animal massage books or on the web. I recommend this as a first step towards wellness for your animals.

There may be times when you don’t want to massage your animal friends. Do not massage if your animal has a skin infection, and never massage over an open wound or over any lump. Do not massage (and immediately call the vet) if your animal has a fever, is in shock, or if you discover a lump. Avoid massaging on top of the spine. Massage and other therapies do not replace the need for veterinary care. Massage therapists do not diagnose issues.

You may want to bring in a professional animal massage therapist when you’re ready to start massaging your animal. It may be easier to have a professional show you the massage strokes rather than looking at a diagram in a book. I like educating my clients so the animals can get many massages from their owners.

The therapist will analyze your animal’s gait and muscles, assess temperament, and review your animal’s history. With this information, an experienced animal massage therapist will be able to design a maintenance massage that’s well-suited to your pet. To find a professional animal massage therapist, contact WAMA (Washington Animal Massage Association).

Another time to consider bringing in a professional animal massage therapist is when you suspect there may be a muscular/soft tissue problem. You may notice that your animal is not moving as easily or that your animal is limping. It is better to get these issues looked at sooner rather than later, since problems can be worked out more quickly if addressed early on.

After surgery, you may want to get an animal massage therapist to outline a massage routine for you to speed up your animal’s recovery. When one part of the body isn’t working like it is designed to, the rest of the body is making up for it and gets worked much harder. The whole body must be massaged to assist recovery of an injury.

Animals also benefit from many other types of bodywork. In addition to massage, acupressure, craniosacral therapy, Reiki, Feldenkreis®, acupuncture, and aromatherapy techniques (to name a few) are being performed with animals.

I find that when massaging my own animals, if I discover something isn’t as it used to be and I suspect a problem, I am too emotionally connected to my animals to stay objective. If I discovered the same issue with a client’s animal, I would know exactly how to handle the situation. This is when I bring in another animal massage therapist for second opinions and observations. The animal massage practitioner is able to objectively evaluate the situation, suggest an outline for the massage needed, determine if it’s a muscular or soft tissue issue, and refer out to a veterinarian for other issues. I am going through this right now with my five month old golden retriever. She had been looking like her gait was off, and I asked another massage therapist to look at her. I am now taking her to the vet to get X-rays to determine if the issue is her right knee or right hip. In the meantime, I’m massaging her to support the current muscular patterns and to minimize pain.

Animal massage will promote your animals’ health and longevity. Bodywork sessions can be used to prevent illness and injury, in addition to relieving symptoms. The next time you start to pet your animal friend, give them a treat by massaging and rubbing them with healthful intent.

Vicki Draper, LMP, LAMP, SAMP, NCTMB, WAMA member, has trained and worked in the fields of acupressure and massage over the last six years. She combines Eastern and Western approaches to provide therapeutic care for both people and animals. Vicki specializes in Jin Shin acupressure, CranioSacral therapy, and massage. (425) 785-4232. www.vimiere.com.

Originally printed in The New Times, now Evergreen Monthly in March 2003.

Vi Miere

Compassionate Healing for Animals and People

www.vimiere.com

Vicki Draper

Your Animal Ambassador

Licensed Human and Animal Massage Practitioner

 425-785-4232  425-785-4232

21617 10th Dr SE

Bothell, WA 98021

Blog: http://blog.vimiere.com

Art: http://www.zazzle.com/vimiere*

Art: http://www.cafepress.com/vimiere