Written by Anita Stackhouse, Registered Massage Therapist
My dog is named Chili dog. She is a red heeler mix that was found in a local city pound and rescued by a friend of mine. When Chili was 6 months old, she came to live with us. She was too full of energy to live with my friend and her husband.
For the first 1.5 years, she was doing great. She would jump around, run alongside the bikes when we went for a ride, and get up on the furniture to sleep.
At about 2 years of age, Chili started slowing down. Walking seemed painful on some days. She could no longer get up on the furniture and sometimes her legs would just give out from under her for no apparent reason. She began to grey on her muzzle and seemed in a lot of pain, even wincing or yelping out loud when just standing there. I took her to the veterinarian and she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, which seemed to be contributing to knee problems in addition to her hip problems. I was not given much hope for any recovery unless I chose to have a very expensive hip replacement surgery done. This was not financially feasible for us. I was told to take her on daily walks for short distances and I could give her a pain killer. I looked up the pain killer and found that if it is taken over long periods of time, it could create new problems, especially in the digestive tract.
Over the next 2 years, Chili had good days and bad days. If we exercised too much, she was lame for a day or so. She was very clumsy and needed help to get up stairs, into the car or onto the couch to share my popcorn.
Sue Stackhouse, my mother-in-law, is a retired nurse and practicing foot reflexologist who has also studied dog massage. With her background, she has charted the reflexes on canine paws. She used this information and provided Chili Dog with reflexology sessions. She started with sessions twice weekly and tapered off over time to one session per 2-3 weeks. We continued to exercise, provided vitamin supplements and healthy food to give Chili a firm healthy foundation. Since the treatments have started, Chili dog is much more relaxed. She is now able to walk 3 miles in 1 walk on a daily basis without coming up lame. She is less clumsy. She can often get up on furniture without our help and her legs no longer just give out from under her. She even plays with a three year old boxer. Sometimes she still lets me know that she is in pain and I immediately respond by setting up another reflexology session.
Chili loves the sessions themselves. She willingly gives you her paw. She often lays on her back in "road kill" position and appears totally relaxed. She will lick her lips, make direct eye contact and "moan" to let you know that she loves the work you are doing. If you break contact with her, she will lick you in an attempt to get you to start again.
I know that the reflexology sessions have made a difference in Chili's quality of life. I will continue to provide them to Chili Dog.
Anita Stackhouse Massage Therapist.
Add On by Sue Stackhouse, RN Reflexologist:
On Thursday, September 4, 2003, Chili began showing signs of discomfort. Her gait was slow and wobbly. She sat at an angle and was very slow to stand. We gave her a full foot reflexology session. She had several tender reflexes in her feet, Liver on two feet, spine on 4 feet, sinus on two, neck on one. After the session her gait improved and she went outside and ran with a ten year old boy. A student of mine performed a foot reflexology session on her on Saturday. By Sunday she was running and playing with no apparent signs of pain. We repeated the session on Monday for complete clearance of the reflexes. Chili seems to maintain well with foot reflexology and an occasional massage.
Update September 22 2003:
Chili continues to be asymptomatic and shows no signs of discomfort.
Update 12/05/03:
It is very gratifying to see Chili continue to show no signs of discomfort and runs and jumps like a puppy.