She is a typical yellow lab in appearance, but she because she's always clean and energetic everyone believes her to be younger than she really is. Children are always wanting to pet her with her wagging tail. The problem is that she is aggressive and the tail wag is actually a warning to her enemies.
So, she pulls and jumps on her already irritated legs. Her back legs are the worst. On days when she gets long walks she generally ends up with muscles that feel like rocks. They're extremely tense and hard. The vet told us that we could give her baby aspirin, but I found an even better solution. Dog massage.
I had heard of people doing it before, but I needed to know what to do. The internet provides as usual. I found this video:
The first time I did it, she was hesitant. She growled when I touched her legs. It's obvious that they hurt since she limps around, but after the third time she was eager for me to do it. Now, I'm the only one she wants to touch her back legs. She even jumps up to show me her appreciation. :)
I can feel the difference instantly. The muscles build up lactic acid which causes pain and when you massage them it forces the lactic acid to move away from the muscles. The build up goes away and the muscles can move freely without pain again.
I massage them until they feel soft and pliable once more. It's easy to tell the difference and it only takes about twenty seconds or so for each side.
I certainly have a happier dog and I don't have to keep giving her pills. Even though she loves them wrapped in cheese. Did I mention that she is spoiled?
There is a whole series of videos from the same person on massaging all the areas of your dog.
This is the first in a series of posts about pet care and tips. I am not a complete expert, but we have had all kinds of animals and I did earn a Minor in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinos at Urbana Champaign.
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