Have you ever considered giving your pet a massage? If you haven’t, you should! Just as they do for humans, massages have a multitude of benefits for pets, which can help them live healthier and happier. Some of the benefits of giving your pooch or kitty a quick massage include:
Helps with sore muscles
After a long walk or a lot of play, cats and dogs can develop sore muscles. Giving them a small massage after exercise can ensure that their blood pumps to all those vital areas, which can significantly reduce the aches and pains they experience. This is particularly great for senior pets, who may experience prolonged pain after exercise or who may suffer from conditions, such as arthritis.
If your pet isn’t fond of touching, you can also try to massage them with a brush, which may generate less of a reaction. Explore cat brushes here. Discover dog brushes here.
Allows you to identify lumps and bumps
While we wish we could speak with our pets, unfortunately, we can’t. So, we must take the initiative to check up on their health. As well as frequent vet checks, massages are a great way to check for potentially cancerous lumps and bumps. A massage a week, even if it’s only for 5-10 minutes, is enough to help you identify anything that may be potentially harmful to your pet, allowing you to act sooner rather than later.
Pet Massages can reduce stress and anxiety
By decreasing blood pressure and improving blood flow, pet massages can help create a sense of total calm for your pet. For anxious pets or those who struggle with separation anxiety, this can make them a little more relaxed. Try giving them a massage when you know that they may experience high anxiety, such as before fireworks, when you will be away from the house for a while, or after potentially stressful events.
Improves joint range of motion
As pets age, they may struggle with their joints and range of motion. Pet massages can remove build-up from around joints and loosen potentially tight joints to help your pets feel all the more mobile. Providing a massage before and after exercise can ensure that they do not incur any substantial injuries, which could limit mobility, especially in their senior years.
How can you provide a pet massage?
Giving your pet a massage is simple! You can rub gently up and down their spine to reduce pressure, rub their forehead to calm their mind, apply gentle pressure to their thighs to improve mobility and rub their ears to soothe their mind. If you are unsure about providing a massage to your pet, there are also countless services you can visit to achieve great results.
