Elbow Dysplasia – what is it ? Elbow dysplasia is more common in larger breeds however can appear in smaller breed dogs as well. It usually appears in puppies (under a year in age) but can appear later in life. There are certain breeds that are more likely to be affected such as Labradors, Golden […]

Pet guardian or owner? When I was a child we always “owned” dogs. They wandered around in a very large yard, which in those days did not require a gate to keep them contained. They mostly did their own thing and kept themselves entertained. My brother played with them often, I played with them sometimes, […]

https://www.freepik.com/…/lovely-pack-of-puppies_1107342.htm”>Designed by Freepik Why massage and natural modalities for a puppy? There are a number of reasons why I recommend introducing regular massage sessions to puppies. Here are just a few of them. Familiarise with being touched. The pup gets used to being touched all over. Too often you come across dogs (and cats) who […]

Iliopsoas muscles Iliopsoas? What on earth? The Iliopsoas  is one of your dog’s muscles. Yes… and so…? why should I be interested in it? The Iliopsoas muscle is made up of the psoas major muscle (pronounced: so – as) and iliacus muscles.   (The “p” is silent: ilio – so-as). This muscle is found in the […]

http://Array Soothing Kiowa’s Fear We adopted Kiowa from a shelter when she was just 6 months old. She is now a grand 15 year old lady. She is a cross between a Staffie and Cattle Dog (our Scattle 😊). Kiowa is mostly fearless, borne out by the fact that when it storms, when thunder and lightning […]

Silver Girl Gaining Silver Girl’s trust Silver Girl curled up in her bed fast asleep while being massaged While at Northwest School of Animal Massage on Vashon Island Seattle, our group was fortunate to spend an afternoon at Vashon Island Pet Protectors (VIPP) practicing massage on the rescue cats. I went into one of the […]

Cats Graphics: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/…/coloured-cats-collection_1072063.…“>Designed by Freepik</a> Massage for a cat? Really? Okay, so you know that horses can benefit from being massaged, and that many performance horses receive regular massage sessions. You’ve finally got your head around the fact that massage and natural therapies are of great benefit to dogs and accept that in most […]

Okay, so you’ve adopted a puppy or older dog, and excitedly go to the shops to buy a dog bed. There you are faced with so many choices, and, depending on where you go, so many different prices ranges. Should you get something soft and comfy looking?, should it be on the ground or off […]

Riley (not his real name, to protect confidentiality),  a mix of two working breeds, was in the shelter I was volunteering at. He was not up for adoption. I’m not aware of his history, nor how he came to be there, but I do know, that just watching him broke my heart. You see, Riley […]