Why Galen Myotherapy

Galen Myotherapy is a massage and exercise rehabilitation therapy. It improves joint and muscle health and aids the rehabilitation of dogs with musculoskeletal issues. It can also relieve pain.
Therapists assess dogs using postural and gait analysis, palpation and may use exercises to assess for areas of pain, muscular tension or imbalance, compensation and restriction to range of motion. 

We know that as guardians, you want to help, and there are many ways that you can do this. We will always involve you in treatments, and make suggestions in adaptations to the home, environment and exercise routine specific to each case. We will set you functional movement exercises to work on at home and may even teach you some techniques that you can use yourself in between treatments.  

None of us like to think that our dog is in pain. We want the best for them. The problem is, pain can be a tricky thing to spot because it doesn't always look or sound like we expect. 

We understand that when our dogs yelp, whimper or cry, they are in pain. Often this is what we see when a dog suffers a sudden or urgent (acute) pain such as standing on something sharp. However chronic pain which is persistent and prolonged can be much harder to spot. This is partly because changes are gradual, and because we see them everyday we often accept this as the new normal. It is also because our dogs are so good at hiding it, adapting and carrying on. However, left unchecked chronic pain does usually catch up with them in the end until eventually they can no longer hide it. 

At Galen Myotherapy we believe it is important to understand how to spot the subtle signs of pain before it gets to that and part of what we do is to empower owners to be able to read this in their dog much easier. 

So how might you know whether your dog might be uncomfortable? As pain is unique to each dog, there is no definitive checklist for how to spot it, but here are some things to look out for.

Behavioural changes:

• Is your dog acting differently: quieter, less sociable, anxious, reactive, "grumpy"

• Taking themselves away from the activity of the main household, choosing to lie somewhere quiet, or hiding 

• No longer playful, rarely interact with toys anymore or want to play with you

• Reluctant to walk, slow or want to sit/lie down on a walk OR be excited to walk but quiet/stiff afterwards

• Reluctant to climb stairs or onto furniture/ unhappy about getting in and out of the car

Some changes may seem unrelated such as guarding toys, food or the sofa (often dismissed as being grumpy), chasing their tails, panting or excessive licking.

Physical/Postural changes:

• Low head carriage

• Stopped wagging their tail, carrying it low or close to the body

• Clumsy, tripping over, knocking into things, scuffing their feet

• Feet close together OR quite far apart.

• Arched back

• Skin twitches when you touch them

• Anal gland problems

• Cant stand still without shifting their weight

• Changes in their coat- wavy areas, standing up, cowlicks

Your dog may only do some of the things on this list, rather then everything. Remember, pain is unique to each dog, so we look for these little pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to build a bigger picture.

And if in doubt, reach out! 

You can contact me by email at laikadogmyotherapy@hotmail.com, or phone at 07511818863

There are many conditions that may affect the musculoskeletal health of dogs, and the list below is far from exhaustive but demonstrate some of the more common ailments that myotherapy can help with:

• Hip/elbow dysplasia

• Osteoarthritis

• Sub-luxating patella

• Osteochrondritis dissecans OCD

• Cruciate disease

• Spondylitis and Spondylosis

• Degenerative Myelopathy

• Lameness

• Repetitive Strain Injuries