Every Dog Has Its Day

If your dog has had a ruff� time, help is at hand with natural massage and Bowen therapy. Faye Dabrowski, who moved to Bracken Ridge from Melbourne last year, is offering treatment through her pet practice, Sit Stay Heal.

Bowen therapy is a gentle touch therapy, it restores connective tissue, reducing pain and releasing pressure in the dog's muscles and nerves,� Faye said.

It's like hitting reset on the body.�

An initial session of massage or Bowen therapy for your canine companion takes around an hour, and Faye comes to your door.

My business is mobile, and we travel all over the northside,� she said.

I look at how the dog walks or sits and their general movement, and then I do a hands-on assessment, focussing on what's tight or tense.

Mostly the dogs really like it ' sometimes younger dogs need to calm down a little bit, but we take plenty of breaks and if a dog wants to walk around that's fine.�

Massage ' known as myotherapy ' and Bowen therapy can help dogs recover from injury, improve chronic and skin conditions, reduce inflammation and improve circulation.

I think it's really good for their mental health as well,� Faye said.

It's especially great for senior dogs, it can really help your dog regain a lot of movement and feel so much better.�

She added some vets even recommended Bowen therapy.

It's a natural therapy option, it's very gentle and unobtrusive and more vets are starting to learn about it and recommend it,� Faye said.

I'm planning some public demonstrations of Bowen therapy to help pet owners become more aware of it.

And it's not just the therapy itself ' I can help people be more aware of how their dog moves and what they can do in the home to help them, for example not too much rough play and not over-walking them, particularly since we've all been at home so much this year.�

For more information on Sit Stay Heal, go to their website www.sitstayheal.com.au or find them on Facebook.