Blogs

Jasper is a wonderfully loving 12-year-old Border Collie. He has soft tissue sarcoma of the temporalis muscle, which has caused him discomfort. His owners brought him to Arfit to see if massage therapy could improve his comfort and quality of life. We’ve been using post-radiation massage to help him. After each session, Jasper’s owners report … Read more

Simon is a 7-year-old Min Pin, Pug, and Chihuahua mix who had been struggling with a CCL tear. Despite receiving laser therapy for several months, he still wasn’t putting any weight on his left hind leg. His parents sought out Arfit Dog Therapy to try a full rehabilitation program. After my initial evaluation, I found … Read more

Chloe, a 7-year-old mini poodle, is recovering from a challenging combination of injuries. She’s dealing with an FCE lumbar herniated disc, and her recovery journey has been anything but easy. In June, Chloe underwent a bilateral tibial plateau lateral osteotomy. However, during her recovery, she suffered a spinal injury that led to bilateral hind limb … Read more

Jack, a 10-year-old Black Lab, has a personality that shines and about four years ago, he underwent a total hip replacement on his right side. Recently, his owners brought him into therapy because they noticed he was limping more on his non-surgical leg. They suspected his left hip might need a replacement as well. After … Read more

What is the difference between Dry Needling vs Acupuncture? At Arfit, I perform Dry Needling on Cats and Dogs. One of the biggest questions I get is “What is the difference between dry needling vs acupuncture?” Dry Needling is an amazing new way to eliminate muscle and myofascial pain in animals without drugs or side … Read more

Bentley is an eight-year-old basset hound undergoing post-radiation rehabilitation. He started therapy because he struggled with walking and standing after his radiation treatments. When he first arrived for evaluation, we quickly noticed several issues. There was significant swelling in his left knee joint, along with noticeable atrophy in his left quadriceps and glute muscles. Additionally, … Read more

Oklee is a 6-year-old Labrador Retriever who sustained a cervical disc injury. In early June, Oklee jumped off the bed and suddenly lost control of his hind legs. Within hours, he couldn’t move his front limbs either. His owners rushed him to the ER, where he was diagnosed with a cervical spine injury. Oklee started … Read more

Cole came to therapy after developing vestibular syndrome symptoms following surgery. His head tilted, and he had trouble standing, walking, and turning. Upon evaluation, I noted significant cervical muscle spasms. To address this, we started deep tissue mobilization and laser therapy. Besides the therapy for his muscles, we began standing rotation activities and balance training … Read more

Achilles, an 8-year-old bully mix, came to Arfit with what his owner originally thought was a left shoulder strain. A few days prior, Achilles stopped putting weight on his left front limb. He would pick it up when he walked, which raised concerns. Upon examination, I determined that Achilles most likely had a cervical strain, … Read more

Massage techniques for dogs is the next step. Once you have set up your work area as described in part 2 of this series, you are ready to massage.  First, have your pet lie in prone or on their side.  Either position is fine.  You can even start in standing or sitting if they’re not … Read more