Four Borders Canine Massage Therapy

20/05/2025

❤️ Today is National Rescue Dog Day! And I’m remembering our very, very special border collie, Harry, who brought so much joy to our lives every single day. I can only hope we made him as happy as he made us.

NRDD was established in 2018 to celebrate and honour our rescue dogs and their journeys of success and happiness. Harry progessed to ‘Gold’ in Obedience at the age of two, and his favourite part of the day was to meet the postman at the end of the road, to collect our letters and bring them back to us 🥰 He was my soulmate.

This important day was founded by Lisa Wiejebrink, and helps to raise awareness for those dogs still waiting for their forever homes.

Lets celebrate those amazing rescue dogs still with us, and remember the special ones who are carried in our hearts every day. Please feel free to share photos in the comments ☺️

19/05/2025

💪 Gorgeous George 💪

This wonderful boy has regular maintenance massage, and today I also worked with his forelimb Flexor muscles.

Flexors are responsible for bending and flexing the dogs joints. Flexors = Flexing! 💪🏻 Think about clenching that fist and how that feels!

You’ll see these important muscles clearly on the diagram below - they sit behind the Extensor muscles in the dog’s upper forelimb.

Canine Massage Guild therapists are taught a unique Flexor release protocol which allows the therapist to assess the tissue, and has a number of targeted stages to help :

✅ Improve comfort in the Forelimb

✅ Increase overall range of movement

✅ Improve the Fascia function

And…this particular release technique is also :

✅ Especially good for sporting dogs and active dogs, but, all dogs may and can, benefit

🦁 George has a younger, same breed, dog in the household, and their playtime consists of a lot of jumping up, and ‘bouncing’…and they weigh over 70 kilos each! That’s a lot of weight being transfered through those Flexors!!!

I think you really enjoyed your session today, George - you slept the whole time! I can’t wait to see you for your next maintenance session again soon 🧡

Image 1 : George - used with kind permission of owner

Image 2 : Canine Superficial Muscles (Canine Anatomy 3D App)

16/05/2025

🍀🍀 🍀 💕 GOOD LUCK 💕 🍀🍀🍀

Little Fidget, laying perfectly still for her pre-WAO (World Agility Championships) canine massage.

As you can see, training and competing puts a huge demand on our dogs body and it’s really important that Fidget enjoys regular maintenance sessions to ensure she is comfortable, and has full range of movement, to be able to compete at these top agility levels.

Please wish her and her owner Isabella, all the luck too! Go little Fidget!

Images supplied by, and used with permission of Fidget’s owner.

02/05/2025

🩷 What a Lottie fun she’s having!🩷

So, so thrilled to receive these photos from Lottie’s owner of her gorgeous girl enjoying her holiday. Simple images perhaps, but a photo tells a thousand words?!

Lottie has been having maintenance massage sessions for a while now. She had suffered trauma, and as a result, had multiple areas of scar tissue, myofascial pain, muscular overcompensation, Gluteal and back strains, trigger points and bound fascia in her Flexors.

She would present her discomfort and pain through intermittant lameness, a change to her tail carriage and her owner reported there were also changes in Lottie’s behaviour - she would seem so sad in the early days of her treatment. She lacked interest in going for walks, and avoided touch. Her Owner was desperate for Lottie to regain her quality of life and have fun like she did before.

Over time, using gentle, but targeted, and unique Canine Massage Guild techniques, protocols and helping to remodel scar tissue, to address not only the key areas, but also other areas of compensation, Lottie is now her old self, with an improved range of movement and gait. No longer lame, fully weight bearing, and importantly, very happy, this girl is absolutely loving her walks again!

Good girl Lottie! I just love to see you back out and about and enjoying yourself so much. Everyone deserves a holiday! 💕

Images provided by, and used with permission of, Owner.

29/04/2025

☀️⚠️Aren’t we lucky to be enjoying this beautiful weather? ☀️

I really don’t want to put a dampener on it (🙄!) but please, please, please consider your dogs and puppies paws this week, as we move into the higher temperatures.

🥵 My location reads at just 22 degrees. However our grey patio slabs are already 32 degrees! Most ground surfaces of this style can increase by anything between 10 and 16 degrees, depending on the outside temperature!!

This kind of heat can be very sore for paws and potentially cause injury and burns.

🔥Just think of those pavements and concrete - maybe you have artificial grass or white coloured slabs? These may attract even more heat!!

⚠️🐶 Don’t forget those puppies and young dogs too - their little pads are very sensitive and pigmentation is still forming.

Image of my Border Collie aptly named ☀️ Solar ☀️ stepping safely out onto a towel, before the shaded cool grass 🥰

19/04/2025

🖤🩶 Baxter the Border Collie 🩶🖤

What a little star this boy is!

Baxter is a rescue collie and can be a little anxious and suspicious in new environments, so it was important to ensure the Clinic was a calm, cool, quiet space before we started each session.

He is the sweetest boy though and having taken time to allow him to feel comfortable, with a couple of familiarisation sessions first, he relaxed beautifully, to enjoy and benefit from a full massage session.

Baxter has had a few issues with his overall comfort levels, and over-compensation, has caused soreness and tight areas within a key group of muscles. He is currently enjoying a multi-modal approach which includes Physio, Chiro and of course (!), Massage. We are all working together to help this wonderful boy.

As well as helping dogs to feel more comfortable through canine massage, these special moments of mutual trust between the therapist and the dog, are what mean so much to me in this role.

See you soon, gorgeous boy Baxter!

Image used with kind permission of Owner

05/04/2025

⚠️ Please, please, be extra vigilant at this time of year and through the summer months! Remain calm if your dog is bitten by an adder and follow the clear instructions…my own collie was very, very lucky - I was able to carry him across the field to the car, and he was in the veterinary surgery within minutes. They saved his life with anti-venom. It took him over three weeks to feel completely well.

Not all dogs are as lucky as Charlie, but if you follow this guide and are always prepared, there is every chance you could save your dog’s life.

🐍 Adders 🐍

With the glorious weather recently, we have seen an expected increase in calls regarding adder bites.

The adder (Vipera berus berus) is the only venomous snake native to the UK, and is also found across northern Europe. It is a protected species in the UK. Adders are most commonly, but not exclusively, found on dry, sandy heaths, sand dunes, rocky hillsides, moorlands and woodland edges. The clinical signs of an adder bite can include rapid and progressive swelling around the bite site, pain, lethargy, vomiting, bruising, bleeding and collapse.

What should you do if your pet has been bitten by an adder?
❌Do not panic.
❌Do not interfere with the bite.
❌Do not apply a tourniquet.
❌Do not attempt to touch or catch the snake.
❌Do not kill the snake – it is a protected species.
❌If practical, carry your dog to your car and go to your veterinary surgeon - do not delay seeking advice even if your pet is well as things can change quickly.

Adders are not aggressive and generally only bite when provoked. They hibernate in the winter and as a result most bites occur in the summer. Pets are frequently bitten on the leg, head or neck. If your pet has been bitten by an adder (even if you did not see the snake or are not sure what happened) – contact your vet immediately. Your vet will examine your pet to determine the location of the bite and extent of the swelling.

Veterinary professionals can call us any time on 02073 055 055 if required for assistance with managing cases of adder bites. We also hold a list of antivenom stockists across the UK. Please note that antivenom is not indicated in all cases.

19/03/2025

💕 I’m delighted to share that having completed a 5 Module CPD course on Photobiomodulation, I am now a certified Photizo Light Therapy Practitioner, and this will be an addition to the Four Borders Clinic.

💕 Natalie Lenton of The Canine Massage Guild, trains therapists, the art of ‘advanced palpation’ through targeted touch across 40 pairs of muscles throughout an intensive 2 year course. This allows the therapist to identify areas of soft tissue and joint, deviations and discomfort. Typically we are able to feel for changes in the muscles such as trigger points, strains, adhesions, myofascial pain, and temperature changes.

💕 The Photizo Light Therapy Vetcare Unit is a stand alone additional aid, which delivers one-touch pre-programmed red and infra-red light. Amongst many benefits, it can offer further calming effects for your dog, and support the therapist’s role in aiding with soft tissue repair by faster improvement in musculoskeletal, swelling, and inflammatory responses. It can also aid in the recovery of infection, and helps to minimise chronic scar tissue formation.

With the ability to feel for changes through my finger-tips, first and foremost, and using the unique protocols taught by the Canine Massage Guild, the Photizo may be used as a complementary therapy tool.

Image of my own border collie 💕

11/03/2025

💙 Disco..vering Canine Massage 💙

This gorgeous little boy, Disco, visited the clinic this week for very important cuddles, and to get to know the environment too. (He stayed in my arms as he hasn’t completed his innoculation process yet).

His young owner trains and competes in agility and is keen for him to have future clinical canine massage therapy sessions, to help maintain his fitness and comfort levels as he grows, and then starts his foundation levels in the sport.

Did you know that Canine massage is beneficial for puppies too, as :

🐶 It helps to build confidence through human touch and handling

🐶 Can help with anxiety and nervous behaviour

🐶 Helps to identify soft tissue issues early such trigger points, strains, myofascial pain, and bony changes through palpation and gait analysis

🐶 Aids skin and cell regeneration

🐶 Improves circulation

🐶 Improves digestion

I’m sure you’ll have grown a little more when I see you next little man! See you very soon 🩶

Image used with kind permission of owner.

08/03/2025

🌟🏆🥇Bebe did it!!🥇🏆🌟

Huge Congratulations to Bebe and Michael who won the ABC Medium (Anything But a Collie) Overall Agility on the famous green carpet at Crufts!

It is such an achievement to even qualify for this world famous show, let alone win! It takes years of training, dedication, and targeted musculoskeletal care.

Michael keeps Bebe in tip top condition by taking her comfort and fitness levels very seriously - she is an athlete afterall. A multimodal approach keeps Bebe feeling her best, and I am super proud to play a part in her fitness journey.

You are both absolute stars! Huge CONGRATULATIONS 👏🤩👏🤩

26/02/2025

🩷 Be more Bebe 🩷

This little girl just after her pre-Crufts canine massage maintenance session was complete.

A nice stretch out, a roll over, and a contented smile.

Wishing beautiful sweet Bebe and her talented owner/handler, SO much luck in the Crufts ABC Medium Jumping and Agility competitions next week! Watch out for them on that green carpet! It’s a huge achievement to qualify! 💚

You need to wake up now though Bebe 😆

GOODL LUCK and see you soon special girl xx

17/02/2025

🐾💛 Incredible Indy 💛 🐾

This sweet boy is currently having his first three clinical canine massage sessions, before he moves onto a maintenance programme.

Indy has a condition called ‘Alopecia’ which is hair, or fur, loss. There are many reasons, and conditions, that can cause Alopecia but it can be treated in most cases.

As with every new client, a signed vet consent was obtained before his first session.

So, how can clinical canine massage help Indy?

✅ It can stimulate the hair follicle growth by increasing blood flow and improving overall circulation.

✅ Improved circulation efficiently delivers oxygen and nutrients to the tissues throughout the dog’s body, promoting skin and coat health.

✅ Massage can improve lymphatic flow which carries metabolic waste away from the organs and muscles.

✅ Indy will also further benefit from these sessions, as he can be a little anxious, and the careful, and targeted massage techniques in conjunction with Lenton Method™️ protocols, aid in lowering the sympathetic nervous system. This process then activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and, as this is the body’s rest and digest system, it instigates a calming and relaxing effect.

See you very soon little guy. You are such a star and I love our time together 🌟

Images taken by, and given permission to be used by, Indy’s owner. (Treats provided by owner)