03/05/2024
Most dog owners contact me because their beloved pet has a mobility issue e.g. due to old age or an injury.
But very few people understand that osteopathic treatments on their dogs actually help heal much more than just the physical side of things.
Osteopathy addresses internal structures as well and therefore influences hormonal balance, organ repair, nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory function and it all comes together when the body is able to heal itself from whatever ailments are present.
Most of my clients let their dogs have monthly maintenance treatments after the initial healing phase for mobility concerns and it is exactly those dogs who have improved their overall health, other previous issues resolved or are getting better over time and those "oldies" just keep on going and going.
Please read on to witness one of my precious patient's story: Thanks to Rosie's mum who has taken the time to tell us what a year worth of monthly myofunctional and osteopathic treatments have done for her beloved senior dog:
"Rosie is my sweet yet sassy 12-year-old miniature Poodle/Maltese. Ever since she was a puppy, she suffered with frequent stomach pain, vomiting and haemorrhagic diarrhoea. The vet once described it to me as “Doggy Crohn’s.” Rosie spent so much time at the vet in her younger years, frequently needing IV therapy and medications to settle her extreme flares. We tried every diet-raw, grain free, home cooked, prescription food and single proteins to name a few. Nothing helped. The flares would come and go constantly no matter what we tried. In 2019, Rosie’s health and weight declined rapidly. We made the difficult decision to start steroids as we felt we were out of options. Thankfully, the steroids helped Rosie immensely. For the first time in her life, she was excited to eat and putting on weight. It felt like a miracle. However, we were warned the steroids would eventually damage her organs, especially her kidneys. We accepted that Rosie would likely have a shorter, but better quality of life on the medication.
In 2023 we sought the help of Christina for our elderly Jack Russell JD after he sustained a large fall. Christina’s treatments helped JD significantly, improving he’s mood, mobility and energy levels. During this time, Rosie began to limp on her left leg and was in obvious pain. We could no longer go on daily walks or beach trips. An X-ray and ultrasound revealed significant arthritis in her hip and an enlarged gallbladder, likely due to the long-term steroid use causing stress on the liver and kidneys. Her blood tests also confirmed her kidney and liver function was declining. We commended Rosie on catrophen injections for the arthritis with nil improvement. To complicate matters, she could not have any form of anti-inflammatory medication due to the steroid use as it would put her in renal failure. The Vets suggested trying Gabapentin which would lightly sedate her and help block the pain pathways. This is something we did not want to do. Luckily Christina was more than willing to help with Rosie’s deteriorating health.
After only a few months of treatment with Christina, Rosie stopped limping. Her energy and mood improved dramatically as we were able to go on walks again and she was no longer in pain. We were so happy and grateful in the improvement in her quality of life we continued her treatments with Christina. We took Rosie to the vet for her annual check-up in February 2024. We were convinced her blood tests would show another decline in her organ health, so we mentally prepared for bad news. However, her blood tests had actually IMPROVED. The vet was in absolute shock and disbelief at how this could be? She was still on steroid treatment and it had been 12months since her last blood test. Her words to us were “whatever you are doing, keep it up.” I explained Rosie was receiving myofunctional and osteopathic treatments from Christina for the last 12months. We didn’t change her diet or steroids in that time, the only difference was Christina’s treatments. The vet printed out the copy of the blood work, showing all the improvements. Not only did her kidney and liver function improve, some of her levels were back in normal ranges.
We are so thankful to Christina for the kindness, expertise and the genuine care she showed Rosie and JD. We cannot recommend her enough to anyone who wants the best care and quality of life for their dogs."
