Well Balanced Animals

14/10/2025

Poor Amaya has an ouchie. 😢 She has a swollen and painful carpus and a swollen and tender toe. As a tripod this makes life exceptionally difficult. We have a wonderful vets we go to - as well as a holistic vet - but getting Amaya there and inside would have been massively stressful for her (and for me).

These days we have lots of options in the vets we use for our dogs care. So I contacted a local mobile vet who comes out to you. - Cheshire Village Vets, and Georgia came out to see her. She was so lovely with Amaya, the appointment length was longer, Amaya has now been assessed by a vet, we have a probable diagnosis, medication and a plan of action. Win, win.😊

So, think laterally, there are always options. I also highly recommend Georgia from Cheshire Village Pets. She is professional, caring and a great vet who comes to you - perfect if you or your dog has mobility issues, finds going to the vets difficult to cope with, is reactive with other animals there or you haven't got transport.

Amaya and I say thank you Georgia❤️

12/10/2025

Have a restful Sunday ❤️❤️

12/10/2025

Today is World Arthritis Day, a disease that affects humans and dogs alike. While it is an ailment that affects older dogs, that is not only the case. A study in North America found numbers ranging from 20% in dogs older than one year, up to 80% in dogs older than eight years, based on x-rays and information from vet visits. This can range from affecting many joints to one. If your dog has had a previous injury to a joint or surgery then that joint will become arthritic at a later date. If you have an ex racing greyhound, consider that they may have some joint pain due to arthritis due to previous injury/ies.

If you think your dog is slowing down, or not wanting to jump onto the settee like before, please don't just put it down to 'old age'. It may be they have developed arthritis and doing extended exercise or jumping may be difficult for them. Instead of a physical sign, you may see a change in behaviour, they may become reactive to things they were not previously, or changes in sleep patterns, panting a lot. Please visit your vet as there are many different types of pain relief that may be appropriate for your dog, remember each dog is an individual, so what worked for your friend's dog may not work so well or at all for your dog.

What else can you do? here are three top tips to help your arthritic dog:
🐾 Rather than one long walk a day, which can be too much, do two shorter walks. It is important to keep moving, as arthritic joints get stiffer and more painful with inactivity, but it has to be at a level that is comfortable for them.

🐾Use a coat in the rain. A dog's coat can remain damp for hours once wet, so to avoid this, have them wear a raincoat.

🐾 Non Slip Rugs, I thought for a change I wouldn't put this at the top of my recommendations. If you have laminate or wooden floors, these can be really difficult for dogs to grip on. Add into this sore joints and the fear of pain and falling it can mean your dog doesn't get up and about as often as they normally would because they are worried. Imagine if you had to walk on ice all day, how your muscles would be tense and it would change your posture. This happens to our dogs, not forgetting the constant fear of falling and hurting yourself, your dog feels that too. Create at least a pathway around the house in non slip rugs. Put rugs around their beds so they can get out easily, by their water bowls, to the door. Ensure the pathway is wide enough that they can turn around easily on it too.

These are just three of many ways you can make your home more arthritic dog friendly. If you would like further help in dogifying your home, please get in touch. Helping an arthritic dog is a team effort, you, your vet and a physiotherapist who can also help with pain relief, exercises to increase muscle tone, balance and other activities to maintain mental and physical well being.
Contact me for further guidance and help for your arthritic dog.

09/10/2025

Confidence for you as dog guardians

Are you struggling to understand what your dog is trying to communicate to you through their behaviour?
Do you want to feel more confident in understanding your dog?
Do you want to help them become more confident?

Tellington TTouch gives you the tools to do all of this!

If you would like to learn how to understand and help your dog, book onto my Introduction to TTouch Workshop, 19th October, Bramhall, Stockport.

Link in first comment :-)

08/10/2025

I know we are no longer in Pain Awareness Month, but it is such an important topic, I talk about it all year - plus when we are at the change in seasons it is important to really RE-OBSERVE your dog to assess if this has created any changes for your dog, because it often can.

When it comes to managing pain, veterinary care is always the starting point. 💜

Pain — whether from injury, arthritis, or illness — needs careful assessment to understand what’s happening beneath the surface. Your vet can:
🐾 Identify the cause of pain
💊 Prescribe appropriate medication
🩺 Recommend the most appropriate diagnostics (X-rays, blood tests, or physical exams)
🤝 Coordinate a multi-modal plan involving physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, holistic vets, or complementary approaches

If your vet is struggling to assess your dog, that too is an observation! Take videos and keep a comfort diary so you have lots of information for your vet.

💬 Pain management isn’t “one size fits all" each animal is an individual. What works for one dog may not suit another. The best outcomes come from teamwork between guardian, vet, and therapeutic professionals. I often find myself telling guardians that they need to visit the vet again to tweak medications for the best results for their dog.

How I can help:
As a Veterinary Physiotherapist, I only work with dogs under veterinary referral — that means your dog’s safety and wellbeing are always central. Once pain is under control as much as possible, I can enhance this with other modalities and help restore comfort, mobility, and confidence through tailored physiotherapy techniques, movement and handling techniques as well as home improvements that don't cost the earth but mean your dog feels safe.

💜 Together, we create a calm, consistent routine that helps your dog feel better in both body and mind.

08/10/2025

Again, I was going to post about this subject, then I checked my memories. The changes in the seasons can be difficult physically as well as emotionally for us and our dogs.
Now is a good time to re-evaluate what we do for our dogs, their comfort levels and seek professional advice.
If you would like help for your canine, get in touch with me, this is my speciality 😊

I don't know about you, but I have really noticed the change in weather over the last couple of weeks. One day it is warm and sunny, the next it is damp and cool. Some of my lovely clients are starting to feel the creakiness of their arthritis as the air pressure changes from one day to the next.
The pressure of the fluid within the thickened, arthritic joint capsules cannot adjust quickly enough and it can be high for a period of time. This fires off the nociceptors (pain receptors) in the capsule creating pain.
Now is a good time to look at your dog's supplements, pain relief, physiotherapy, coats and where you are walking to keep this pain at bay. Arthritis requires a multimodal approach to keep your dog happy, healthy and mobile.

05/10/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎 MacDui Di**le, Clare Barton, Angela Boocock, Kath Yates, Abbey Payne, Dilys Bates, Jamie King

Thank you for being here and joining in 😊

02/10/2025

I was going to write a post about draughts now the weather is getting colder, then saw I wrote one last year😊 Draughts can make a big difference to your dog's comfort, even if they are not a senior. X

You know when the autumn chills start to appear and it gets nippy in your home? I certainly do!

I have a great tip which you may not have considered for your dog's health and well being, and that is DRAUGHTS!

Lana decided when she first got here that she liked the spot in front of the dining room door by the fridge in the kitchen. It is a nice little quiet spot, so we put a bed there for her.

However, now the weather is getting colder, I noticed yesterday that when I bent down to talk to her and do a few TTouches, that there was a bit of a draught around the bed. That won't do for dog of any age, but it is even harder for our senior dogs or those with chronic issues.

🐾Senior dogs, may struggle to regulate their temperature as well as when they were younger. Their coat may not be as thick as it used to be, or they are thinner coated dogs already (like sighthounds). They certainly don't want to be in a draught.

🐾You may need to move their bed away from the draught, or even better, if you can locate the draught and deal with it that is a more long term solution.

🐾A few extra blankets over the colder months will help your dogs stay cosy and warm.

🐾 You can also get raised beds for dogs to keep them out of draughts , but they also need to be comfortable getting up onto the bed and settling on it, without feeling they may be unsafe.

🐾Any companion animal can start to get stiff joints and arthritis in their old age ( and younger too) and sometimes colder weather can make this a lot worse. Make sure you take good care of your dog's joints, especially in the cold.

More about this over the coming weeks

🐾So, just sit by your dogs' bed this evening, and check now that it is getting colder that they are not in a draught, and if they are, find a way to deal with it.

For Lana, we got her a different bed, with sides, so she can snuggle down, plus a blanket, we have dealt with the draught coming from under the dining room door and from now on the back door will be shut.

Happy draught hunting! Your companion will really thank you for it 🥶🐾

30/09/2025

The Chimp TTouch is one of my favourite TTouches to start with ❤️❤️

30/09/2025

Old Age and Pain

"It's just old age, they are just slowing down.” We’ve all heard it from someone. But slowing down isn’t always JUST a sign of getting older. Too often, discomfort and chronic pain in senior dogs are dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing.

💜 Ageing is NOT a disease — but arthritis, dental disease, and spinal problems are, and these can come with age.
Many senior dogs live with hidden pain that goes unnoticed because they adapt quietly. They don’t cry out, they change their habits and behaviour instead.

🐾 Signs of hidden pain in older dogs may include:

Walks becoming shorter or slower, even stopping on familiar routes

Struggling with stairs, furniture, getting into the car which they once managed

Sleeping more — but not seeming well-rested

Chewing more carefully or avoiding hard food, maybe not eating a favourite treat (dental pain)

A duller expression or loss of enthusiasm for play and family interaction

📓 Guardians sometimes explain these changes as “slowing down,” but veterinary guidelines stress that these subtle shifts are red flags for chronic pain, especially in seniors, and I see these regularly and clients mention these to me.

💜 Why this matters:
With effective pain management, older dogs can regain mobility, sleep more soundly, and rediscover the joy in daily life. Small adjustments — from medication to a change in bedding or gentle exercise, little and often — can transform their golden years from merely “coping” to truly living well.

👉 If you’ve noticed changes in your older dog’s habits, speak with your vet. Pain management is one of the greatest gifts you can give your senior companion. Then get in touch with a physiotherapist who can help you manage pain as well as changing their environment in simple but effective ways to make their day to day life easier.

29/09/2025

TTouch Tip – Grooming Made Easier
📍 Help your dog relax with grooming
Try slowing down your movements and pausing for a breath when brushing your dog, three slow strokes then pause. That little pause can stop tension building up and help you both remain calm. Remember, you don't need to brush their whole body in one session. Chunk things down for them.
🐾 Kindness in the small moments = big results.

29/09/2025

Sleep rest and pain

Dogs need rest just like we do — but pain can steal it away. Sleep changes are often overlooked clues of discomfort, but they are part of the bigger picture.

Look out for:
😴 Difficulty getting comfortable, shifting often
😟 Restlessness at night, waking more frequently
🛋️ Avoiding favourite sleeping spots (too high, too hard)
💤 Sleeping much more than usual — fatigue from coping with pain
In humans, disrupted sleep is a well-recognised effect of chronic pain, and studies suggest the same is true for animals . Restlessness, changes in sleep duration, or choosing unusual positions are all pieces of the puzzle vets use to assess pain.

💜 If your dog’s sleep looks “off,” keep a diary for a week — when and where they settle, how long they stay still, and whether they’re restless. This information can be invaluable at a vet check or for your physiotherapist. So do let them know, it helps pull the full picture together.

If you would like a free copy of my rest/sleep diary to monitor your dog's (or cats) sleep, send me a message with your email address and I can get that over to you 😊