When you mention the concept of massage therapy for pets, some people might question the practice as something they already do—touch and handle and rub their four-legged companion frequently.
That part hasn’t changed, but something else has. The art of healing touch, long considered a standard therapy for humans, is now experiencing significant growth in the pet industry.
“Pet massage has been around since the time of the Greeks, but it’s really gained momentum in the past ten years,” said Jonathan Rudinger, an author of pet massage therapy books who lives in Toledo, Ohio. He is finishing his fifth book and hopes to write two more before year’s end. Rudinger says that the recent popularity of pet massage therapy is easy to track.
“Owners of racehorses and jumpers have used massage therapy on their horses to increase flexibility, improve muscle tone and deal with injury instead of using drugs,” he said. “In fact, the U.S. Olympic equine team has used massage therapy for at least forty years. Then the greyhound tracks began to pick it up to enhance the performance of the dogs and then it moved to the performance dogs. Now the public has picked up on it.”
Cats get holistic pet care too, but not in the same numbers as horses and dogs. “They are tougher, because of their independent personalities and the need to establish trust over time,” Rudinger said. “Also, there are not many performance cats that need massages to soothe muscles.”
According to Rudinger, the benefits of a massage for pets include:
- Increased overall sense of wellness
- A sense of calming and reduction of stress
- Increased flexibility and movement
- Relief from pain
- Decreased recovery time from surgery or trauma
- Increased circulation of the blood, lymphatic and nervous systems
- Removal of toxins from organs
Growing in popularity
Kim Shotola, supervisor of the Houston Zoo’s children’s zoo, not only practices massage therapy on pets but teaches it. She says the growing popularity of pet massage has created a higher demand for pet massage professionals. “Pet massage is now offered in many vet offices, especially those geared more to holistic practice,” she said. “In many other offices, pet massage is performed by a vet tech that has completed training courses.”
