I massage dogs back to health
Canine expert Jude Anderson is now a qualified dog massage therapist
The healing hands of a dogdoting Rutherglen woman are helping to ease the pain of poorly pets after she qualified as a professional canine massage therapist.
Dog whisperer Jude Anderson, who has had four- legged friends all her life, embarked on a course of canine massage therapy after her beloved Cocker Spaniel, Keefa, suffered an Addisonian crisis – a potentially lifethreatening condition that results from an acute insufficiency of adrenal hormones.
A frantic Jude and her husband Grant cut short their honeymoon in Florida three years ago and jetted home to be with Keefa after she was struck by the disease.
The condition meant that Keefa could no longer take antiinflammatory medication for her hip dysplasia, which she has suffered from since she was a puppy.
Determined to find a holistic way of easing her pet’s discomfort, Jude enroled as a student on a Birminghambased clinical canine massage therapy course.
“I applied to do canine massage because I thought it would help with her levels of pain and the orthopedic problems she has,” explained Jude, who made four trips to Birmingham during her two-year course for weeklong stays. She successfully completed the course in January 2019, training in the art of palpation, Swedish, deep tissue, sport and myofascial release massage – a technique that relaxes contracted muscles.
“I enjoyed every part of it, particularly the case studies. It was fantastic to see the improvements and significant differences the treatments were making to the dogs I worked with after the three sessions.”
Jude went on to launch her Burnsidebased business, Perfect Stride Clinical Canine Massage. As well as visiting clients at home, she also runs a regular slot at the pet therapy veterinary rehabilitation sports medicine clinic in Glasgow.
The procedure helps dogs with ailments including anxiety, arthritis, elbow and hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament tears and soft tissue injuries.
Explained Jude: “Clinical canine massage also helps with injuries caused by activities of daily living, like slipping on laminate floors or sudden, unexplained lameness.”
During an initial 90- minute consultation Jude will carry out a gait analysis and muscular health check to allow her to identify the source of the problem.
On occasion, Jude – who works with pet dogs, as well as working dogs and dogs with missing limbs – will muzzle her patients if they show signs of aggression due to their pain.
“If a dog is in pain, that is the only way it can let you know. Sometimes they are good at hiding things,” explained Jude, who had two blind dogs and another with hip dysplasia when she was growing up.
“Often, you’ll find you don’t need to use a muzzle in the second session. It is nice for my clients to see a difference in their dog after three sessions.
“I had a client with a golden retriever, Eddie, who had nerve damage and spondylosis. The first session I went to see him, he was so depressed, and by the third session, he was bearing weight, happy to see me, and bringing me toys to play with him.
“It is nice to see your hard work paying off. He was then going on longer walks and felt better in himself. His owner called me a magician!”
New College Lanarkshire lecturer Jude, who has signed up with the Canine Massage Guild for annual continuing professional development (CPD), hopes to continue growing her business and eventually make her vocation her full-time career.
“I am very passionate about it. It is very results-driven,” said 35-year-old Jude, whose says all she wants is to help other dogs the way she’s helped nine-year-old Keefa. “It doesn’t feel like work to me.” For more information, contact Jude through her Perfect Stride Clinical Canine Massage Therapy Facebook page.