What's Involved in K9 Massage...Part 2: What you need to know before your pet's first massage

So, what do you need to know before your pet’s first massage therapy appointment with me? Here is a copy of the information sheet I send out to all my dog clients prior to their first session:

…and here’s the PDF I send out to cat clients:

I also send out a case history form for you to fill out and send back to me prior to your first appointment. In it, I gather your contact info, including your address (so I know where to go for our appointment!), your pet’s name, date of birth, breed, colour, medical history, chronic health issues if any, whether or not they are a rescue, allergies or food restrictions if any, diet and meal regimen, supplements, walk schedule as applicable, living situation (indoor and outdoor environment, people and pets they live with, that sort of thing) and reasons they need or that you want them to have massage therapy.

What are the differences in sessions for dogs that are large vs. dogs that are small or medium? Basically, the time needed and cost are a little lower for small or medium dogs compared to large dogs, given that I have a little less ground to cover.

What about cats vs. dogs? Cats tend to overstimulate easily — and much more so than dogs. They also tend to move around from place to place during the massage session (again, also more often than dogs tend to), and it’s best I let them do as they want as much as possible. They are also generally the size of a very small dog, so for all these reasons, sessions with cats tend to be shorter and are the least expensive when compared with both large and small-medium sized dogs.

CHECK OUT MY HOW-TO HYDROTHERAPY VIDEO FOR DOGS! LEARN HOW TO GIVE YOUR DOG A HYDROTHERAPY WRAP…BUT REMEMBER TO GET CLEARANCE WITH YOUR VET BEFORE YOU GIVE IT A GO—YOU’LL WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU GIVE YOUR DOG THE RIGHT KIND OF WRAP THAT WILL BENEFIT THEM THE MOST!

Join me for my next post tomorrow, where I will take you through the first part of the first appointment!

Click HERE for the previous (first) post.

Click HERE for the NEXT post...