If your dog is showing distress about the fireworks this season, it may surprise you to know that this could be a sign that he is experiencing physical discomfort or pain somewhere in his body.
Let me explain
If I ask you to think back to a time when you had an injury which caused you to feel pain when you moved your body…now imagine if I crept up behind you and honked an airhorn to startle you. You will respond to that audible shock by physically jumping, which is a normal startle response but if you are carrying an injury that’s going to be painful, isn’t it?
Humans have the capacity to understand that the startling noise they hear isn’t what actually creates the pain, but your dog won’t understand that, instead, Fido may associate loud sounds with the negative experience of pain, he’ll fear it because he thinks that loud sounds signal discomfort.
How can massage help?
Massage can efficiently address physical issues like myofascial pain, soft tissue injury, muscular tension and soreness, and we can often quickly see improvements in your dog’s ability to cope with the environment as a result of them now being free from discomfort, your dog can begin to feel much more settled and secure whatever is happening outside. However, in some cases the memory of pain can persist, and this can be helped with gentle desensitisation protocols once the dog is more comfortable and experiencing less or no pain associated with environmental stimuli.
If your dog is worried by fireworks or thunder, your first appointment should be with your veterinary surgeon, your vet will need to sign my consent form if you wish to have a course of treatment with me (this is in accordance with the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and the Exemptions Order 2015, all Canine Massage Guild Therapists acknowledge and comply with this).
My Veterinary Consent form can be downloaded from my website or facebook page.
As a qualified Canine Behaviourist and Tellington Ttouch Practitioner, I can also assist with behaviour modification for sound phobic dogs.
A recent study looked at the link between pain and behaviour
“We hypothersise that noises resulting in a normal startle response may cause muscle tensing that can exacerbate pain”
(Fagundes et al, 2018)
and
“It is also possible that the presence of a musculoskeletal pain focus and sound sensitivity interact to lower reactivity thresholds to related stimuli”
(Fagundes et al, 2018)
The onset of behaviour problems such as reactivity to other dogs, avoidance of contact, and general aggressive responses to their environment can also coincide with the onset of pain. Your dogs interactions with the environment may be painful, so your dog may choose to use aggressive displays to increase distance, keeping other dogs or people away to avoid pain.
The good news is that the prognosis seems to be excellent if the dogs condition is properly medically and therapeutically managed following the identification of pain.
Contact me
If you would like to discuss your dog’s issues to see if they may benefit from Clinical Canine Massage, please get in touch with me via email: clinic@seekak9massage.co.uk
Or visit my website: www.seekak9massage.co.uk
Or find me on facebook: Seeka K9 Massage
In other news:
I have joined a professional practitioner association of behaviourists who are members of the ABTC. The Institute for Canine Ethics has a clear code of conduct which seeks to ensure that canine guardians can find suitably qualified and up-to-date professionals to help them with any difficulties that their dog is experiencing. I’m going to be in charge of arranging webinars on a huge variety of canine topics for the education and further development of National Institute for Canine Ethics members
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