Holistic Animal Services

02/06/2024

9 years ago, after much deliberation, I attended The Beginners Guide to Canine Massage with Bracken.

The rest, as they say, is history.

02/03/2024

FOR SALE

- Companion Animal Health Stance Analyser SOLD
- Canine skeleton, damage to tail, but can be repaired. Approx whippet sized SOLD
- Lifelike Bassett Hound stuffed dog

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17/11/2023

Order a personalised video from the man himself, and help dogs in need....

By ordering your child's video message today, your generosity will make a meaningful difference to the lives of those who rely on their pets for comfort, support and in many cases a reason to live.

21/09/2023

Worth a read...

As your dog retrieves the first...second...third...maybe fifth or sixth ball, his muscles start to tire and soon they reach overload, where they no longer can fully control and support your dog's movements. Now, when your dog does those amazing athletic maneuvers to snag the ball, soft tissues like the cranial cruciate ligament, iliopsoas muscle and tendon, and the muscles and ligaments that support the vertebrae are overstretching. Minor tears are occurring. Now the ball is thrown 10, 12 times or more and ultimately your dog lies down, exhausted.

That period between when your dog's muscles are in overload, and when your dog lies down exhausted, is the injury zone (Figure 1). But remember, with all that adrenaline, your dog doesn't feel the injuries happening, so you have no idea that the tissues are being used beyond their capacity.

When this game is repeated day after day, month after month, the small tissue tears become large ones, and suddenly it becomes evident that your dog is in pain and has an injury. Of course, it hasn't been sudden at all-what seemed sudden is just the final result of repeated stress and strain until the tissues gave way.

Chris Zink DVM
Discovering Your Dog

13/09/2023

We are experiencing some problems with our telephone line, and can temporarily be reached on 07957 944 305.

03/07/2023

So very true! Do your dog a favour and ditch the launcher.

Great information from Canine Principles on why ball throwing isn't good for your dog!

The physical demands placed through a dog's body when the ball is 'captured' involves hard braking and sharp turns. These fast twists and turns stress joints and the soft tissues that stabilise them leading to potential injuries.

The obsessive drive to constantly chase after the ball isn't because they 'love it', they enjoy the hormonal rush....it's not a good idea to tire them out with this sort of play.

Alternatives to ball throwing:

⭐ Sniffing out treats in long grass
⭐ Hide their ball/toy and ask them to seek it
⭐ An interactive game of tuggy
⭐ Exploring somewhere new
⭐ Teaching them some tricks
⭐ Recall practice - running for humans as well!
⭐ A duvet day with a nice chew ...dogs need rest days too.

Kayleigh Gulliford
VetPhys PGDip

29/06/2023

How massage helped Rosie a Rottweiler x who has suffered from Wobbler’s Syndrome, has had two TPLO's, Vestibular Disease and has Arthritis.

04/06/2023

Just a small part of the training required to become a Clinical Canine Massage Therapist

30/05/2023

25/05/2023