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Gentle Paws K9 Massage

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Gentle Paws K9 Massage

Gentle Paws K9 Massage is a mobile home visit service in the South Auckland region offering tailored remedial massage treatments for dogs.

Sessions are designed to help relieve discomfort, improve movement, promote relaxation and support wellbeing.

31/10/2026

Meet Coco, our 2 year old Papillon Chihuahua and resident “Office Manager” at Gentle Paws K9 Massage! 😀 🐾

Our little Coco has had some of her own hindlimb challenges too, including bilateral medial Patellar luxation and left hip dysplasia ❤️

🦴 Since her most recent knee surgery, Coco has been busy recovering and preparing for her next surgery. As part of her rehabilitation, she has been receiving veterinary physiotherapy with the amazing Karli from Tui Vet Rehab. Through individually tailored exercises, coco has been rebuilding her hindlimb muscle mass and strength, and improving her proprioception (body awareness), balance, co-ordination, gait and hind limb weight bearing. The exercises are helping to support her functional mobility and comfortable and confident movement.

💦 Coco has also been attending hydrotherapy sessions with the wonderful Karynne and team at K9 Aqua Hydrotherapy. Through controlled aquatic movement on the underwater treadmill Coco has been working on rebuilding her hindlimb muscle mass and strength, particularly in her quadriceps. Hydrotherapy has been supporting her joint mobility, gradual weight bearing, gait re-education, muscle endurance and is providing sensory input for Coco. Her pool swimming sessions, are also a part of her ongoing weight management, supporting her to maintain a healthy body weight and minimise any excess load on her joints.

🐕 Alongside this, Coco receives her regular remedial massage sessions with me at Gentle Paws K9 Massage. The sessions aim to ease her muscular tension and tightness and reduce any localised taut bands/muscle knots, which can be associated with altered hindlimb use and compensatory gait patterns. Her massage sessions also aim to support healthy circulation in the soft tissues, and promote relaxation and her overall comfort and ease of movement.

🎯 Together these therapies are all playing an important role in Coco’s veterinary led rehabilitation plan, helping to support her comfort, physical function and overall wellbeing as she gets ready for her next surgery.

Our little Coco still has a journey ahead of her and we look forward to sharing her progress along the way with you! 💕

Does your pup have a surgery coming up or is recovering from a recent one? If you would like to know more about how canine massage can support your dog alongside their veterinary care, please feel free to get in touch with me! 🐾

30/09/2026

Meet sweet Mila 💕

Mila is a gorgeous 9-year-old Rough Collie who has been through quite a journey. Mila was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and has now undergone surgery on both hips. She is also managing osteoarthritis along with some other issues.

With this, Mila has been experiencing hindlimb lameness and changes in her posture and movement. She is shifting more of her weight forward onto her front limbs, with reduced hip range of movement when walking. Her body has also developed areas of muscular tension, tightness and tenderness as she works differently to compensate.

Mila’s mum would love to see her become more mobile and comfortable, build her strength and regain confidence in using her hind legs as she continues her recovery. ✨

Through massage, we’re working to:

🐾 Support her overall comfort and soft-tissue function during post-operative recovery.
🐾 Ease compensatory muscular tension, tightness and tenderness associated with changes in her posture and gait.
🐾 Support healthy circulation within the soft tissues.
🐾 Support ease of movement and overall mobility.
🐾 Promote relaxation.

Mila is such a gentle, sweet girl who has settled beautifully into her massage already 🥰 It’s lovely to be working with her and her dedicated family, and to be a part of Mila’s care and recovery team!

If your dog has had surgery and could benefit from some extra support, I would love to hear from you! 🐕 🩷

30/09/2026

Meet Buster 🐾 💙

This is the welcome I received when I arrived for Buster’s massage today 😂 Safe to say this gorgeous goofball knows how to get all of the attention! 🐾

Buster is a 7-year-old Dogue de Bordeaux who receives regular remedial massage as part of his ongoing maintenance and wellbeing as he gets older.

Massage isn’t only for dogs recovering from injury or experiencing chronic discomfort associated with health conditions. For dogs like Buster, regular maintenance massage can help support flexibility, mobility and healthy muscle function, while helping to identify and ease areas of tension, tightness, or any tired or sore muscles that may develop along the way.

The goal for Buster is to help keep his body comfortable, mobile and functioning at its best, so he can continue enjoying life (and perfecting all his poses! 😂) for years to come. 🐕

Helping dogs to feel their best, at every stage of life. 🐾

26/08/2026

Happy International Dog Day! 💕

25/08/2026

Meet beautiful Betty 🐾🩷

Betty is 7 years old and living with degenerative joint disease (DJD) osteoarthritis in both elbows and her right carpus. Betty doesn’t let this stop her for one minute, however her active and playful nature sometimes catches up on her condition causing her discomfort and stiffness that can flare when she over does herself in exercise or play.

When I first assessed Betty, she was tender around her elbow and carpal joints. She showed some stiffness laying down and getting back up again and was carrying a lot of compensatory muscle tension from her front limb arthritis within her shoulder and neck muscles. As her weight is also being transferred off her front limbs and onto her hind limbs she showed a lot of tension through her lumbar, along with tight muscle bands and knots located within her hamstring muscles. Ouch! 😫

Betty’s mum’s goal is simple and so important: keep Betty comfortable and moving well as she ages and her arthritis progresses.

Through massage, we’re working to:
🐾Improve soft tissue function and ease tension particularly around her elbows and carpus.
🐾 Improve stiffness and front limb protraction range of movement.
🐾 Release secondary compensatory tension/tightness throughout her neck, shoulders, lower back and hind legs
🐾 Boost circulation to improve overall muscle health throughout her whole body.

Since starting her massage journey alongside her regular veterinary care, Betty is on her way to staying comfortable longer and continuing all the things she loves to do. Including her regular daily walks and off leash sensory adventures🥰 Watching her remain active and comfortable, one session at a time, is exactly why I love this work.

It’s a privilege to be part of Betty’s care team, helping her feel as good as possible for as long as possible. 🐕💫
If your senior pup is managing arthritis or stiffness and could use some extra support, I’d love to help them feel more comfortable too. 🐾

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Papakura
2210

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