Treatment Prices
We like to keep our treatment prices as simple as possible for complete clarity and peace of mind.
The first session usually lasts approximately 90 minutes as this includes a full consultation with the owner regarding the dog’s medical history, details of exercise, diet and activities of daily living; along with gait analysis and initial palpation of your dog to assess any issues.
Follow up consultations and ongoing treatments are usually between 45-60 minutes thereafter.
Initial Treatment
Includes a full consultation with the owner and assessment of the dog
Follow Up Treatment
Follow up consultations and ongoing treatments
Invest in your canine companion
Why choose us? - At Fir Tree Canine Massage we provide a quiet and calm treatment room where your dog can take its time, build a relationship, and develop trust before settling into the massage treatment. Your dog is handled with empathy and kindness and at no point is treatment forced on your dog. Your dog is able to take breaks during the treatment if they need to.
FIR TREE CANINE MASSAGE
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I have to get vet consent?
Yes, by law we are unable to treat your dog without your vet’s signed consent form.
2. Do I leave my dog alone with you?
Each dog and owner’s situation are different and each plan we put together is tailor made for each individual dog. You can stay with your dog or, if you feel your dog will settle well without you there, you can leave your dog with us.
3. Where does the massage take place?
We have a treatment room set up at Fir Tree Canine Massage, where you and your dog will come to us to be treated in a calm and quiet room.
4. Is the massage treatment done on a table like with people?
We can massage your dog on either a massage table or the floor depending on what your dog is most comfortable with.
5. What signs or symptoms will my dog show if it needs to be massaged?
These can vary but the following list may be helpful:
- Lameness/limping
- Stiffness
- Difficulty going up/down stairs
- Quicker recovery from operations/injury e.g: cruciate
- Signs of ageing
- Back/neck/shoulder pain
- Performance issues eg Agility, knocking poles, obedience, send away
- Arthritis
- Hip or elbow dysplasia
- Reluctance to go on walks
- Disinterested in life
- Twitching down back
- Old before their time
- Gait/posture irregularities eg roaching/swayback
- Nervous/anxious/touch shy
- Quivering of the skin
- Nibbling at their back end
- Crying/yelping in pain.
6. What results will I typically see with my dog after a clinical canine massage?
- Better movement
- Reduced stiffness
- Significantly reduced pain levels
- Resolution or significant reduction of lameness
- A ‘younger’ dog
- An improved mood
- Happy to go on and enjoying walks again
- Able to go up and down stairs
- Able to get into and out of the car
- Got their ‘zest’ for life back
- Coping better with arthritis
- Improved working/agility performance eg not knocking poles, good contacts and weave entry
- Better posture eg no more swayed back or roaching
- More fluid, effortless gait
- And more!
7. My dog is anxious can it still be massaged?
Please contact us to discuss any specific concerns you have. We appreciate each dog is an individual with different things can trigger their anxiety. We will tailor a treatment plan for your dog. This can include some initial, shorter meet and greet sessions where we can assess how your dog is feeling and work out whether we can progress to a massage treatment or agree that massage may not be for your dog at this time. At the treatment room there are no other dogs around and nobody walking through to distract or concern them. If your dog finds the outside world too stimulating we are able to close the blinds on the outside world to create a more relaxed environment. We never rush the process and try to always work with the dog.
8. My dog doesn’t like going to the vets. How is massage treatment different?
Because you are coming to our premises, it provides a very different feeling than entering the vets. We will wait until your dog is comfortable in our presence and allow your dog to approach us when it feels able to so. We also have time for assessment so your dog will never feel pressured to comply.
9. My dog is reactive can it still be massaged?
Please contact us to discuss any particular concerns you may have. We appreciate each dog is an individual with different things that can trigger their reactivity. We will tailor a treatment plan for your dog. This can include some initial, shorter meet and greet sessions where we can assess how your dog is feeling and work out whether we can progress to a massage treatment. It may be that your dog is more relaxed muzzled and that is something we can work with. However, we do have to prioritise safety and it may be that massage is not for your dog at this time.
10. My dog struggles to settle can it still be massaged?
Each dog is an individual and working with you, we can put in place some practices that may help your dog to settle. Massage is not for every dog and if we can’t make progress you could try an alternative eg hydrotherapy or mctimoney practitioner.
11. My dog hurt its leg earlier today, can I bring it in for a massage?
We cannot treat a dog with an acute injury, this period lasts between 1-3 days after the incident has occurred. After this period and with the required signed vet consent form we will be able to massage your dog.
12. Are there any dogs cannot be massaged?
We are unable to massage pregnant females or dogs with epilepsy unless it has been under control with medication for at least 6 months. Caution is required with dogs with cancer especially lymphatic cancers or leukaemia unless the dog is in palliative care. We will be guided by the vet as to what dogs we are able to massage.
13. What happens if the massage treatment hasn’t worked after the 3 sessions?
Massage treatment isn’t for every dog. After the sessions, if together, we have not seen an improvement then we have an open and honest discussion about the treatment and what other options are available, this can be going back to your vet for further investigation or considering seeing a hydrotherapist or mctimoney practitioner.
14. What are the risks associated with canine massage?
Canine massage carries limited risks as we do not manipulate joints and work solely with the muscles, tendons and fascia. However, no treatment is risk free, if the dog has an undiagnosed underlying condition this could be aggravated by the massage treatment.
The dog can also suffer post massage from the healing crisis or Herxheimer Reaction which can happen as the dog’s body returns to natural balance – a temporary increase in the systems may occur during the cleansing process, this can range from mild to severe. The dog may feel worse for the next 24 – 72 hours and you could think the treatment is not working. These reactions are actually signs that the treatment is working and the body is going through a process of cleansing itself from impurities, toxins and muscular imbalance. This is perfectly normal and is a process the body can go through to start cellular regeneration and homeostasis.
Signs and symptoms of the healing crisis:
- Lethargy or increased sleeping
- Being unusually quiet
- Increase in joint or muscle pain
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst
- Increase of original symptoms (good sign!)
Results
Results can usually be seen by the owners after 1 to 3 sessions, additional sessions may be needed if the dog takes a while to settle or is anxious or nervous. If the dog’s condition is resolved, I will not need to see it again. There are some dogs who may benefit from regular maintenance massage treatments, and these include, but are not limited to:
Sport and Working Dogs
-
Older Dogs
-
Dogs with Orthopaedic conditions
-
Disable Dogs
-
Active Pet Dogs
