Often at this time of year, we take time out to reflect on all aspects of our lives, including looking at our personal and our business lives. It gives us an opportunity to take an audit on how things are going.
It can be helpful to take a step back and reflect on the past year, looking at what worked well and why, and where there were things that could perhaps be improved.
Taking time to look at our profession and reflect on the ‘bigger picture’ surrounding the ethics and ethos is time well spent for those seeking to improve the lives of dogs.
We often speak about the fact that the welfare of dogs is at the heart of Galen Myotherapy, and all our Myotherapists are trained in and treat dogs using Positive PACT. This is our unique ‘choice led’ treatment protocol and it is often the reason why learners choose to train with us. This protocol enables us to treat dogs who are in pain and discomfort and who may be unsure about being handled and touched.
At Galen Myotherapy, we believe all dogs deserve to be treated with respect and have the right to feel safe and in the UK we have the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 which recognised all dogs as sentient beings (the ability to feel and experience emotions such as joy, pleasure, pain and fear).
The fact that this Act exists makes it alarming that several well known professional bodies and training organisations across the globe believe it is acceptable, and actively promote, holding down and restraining a dog during manual therapy. Putting a human perspective on it, imagine going for a deep tissue massage, being gagged and having someone hold you in place.
How would that make you feel?
Would you feel relaxed?
Would your heart rate increase?
Would you clench your muscles and brace yourself ready for potential pain and discomfort?
How could a dog being restrained in such a way, benefit from treatment?
To truly understand the negative impact of such a treatment we need to take a brief dive into the autonomic nervous system. This system controls specific body processes, such as blood circulation, digestion, breathing, urination, heartbeat, etc. The autonomic nervous system is named so because it works autonomously, i.e. without a dog’s conscious effort.
There are two parts of the autonomic nervous system and they have opposing functions:
Sympathetic nervous system
Also known as the "fight or flight" system, this system is activated by stress or danger and increases energy expenditure. It causes an increased heart rate, increased force of contraction, and increased rate of conduction in the heart.
Parasympathetic nervous system
Also known as the "rest and digest" system, this system is dominant during quiet conditions. It includes decreased heart rate, constriction of the pupil, increased secretion by salivary and lacrimal glands, increased gut motility, and bronchoconstriction of the lungs.
So we can see that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems have opposite roles. While the sympathetic nervous system carries signals that put your body's systems on alert, your parasympathetic carries signals that relax those systems.
It’s easy to understand that a dog receiving treatment needs to be implementing their parasympathetic nervous system, enabling them to have relaxed muscles and be the most receptive to treatment.
Impact of Galen Myotherapy Treatment
The following anecdote will explain the role of the parasympathetic nervous system during a Galen Myotherapy treatment further.
Julia Robertson has recently returned from Brazil, where she was invited to talk at the Pain & Behaviour Symposium. As the only International Speaker invited by @simposiodorecomportamento, Julia engaged with over 150 canine professionals at the event, who came from all over Brazil.
The majority of attendees were young, dynamic Veterinary Behaviourists and Dog Trainers with a focussed passion for establishing root causes of behaviour issues in dogs in order to offer the most effective treatments. These professionals are at the forefront, raising awareness of how behaviour is driven by pain and discomfort.
In an unplanned but very welcome invitation, Julia was asked to treat a gorgeous little dog Antonya, she was very compromised and had a number of ongoing serious health issues. In order to safeguard Antonya, Julia treated her in a private room away from the audience, while the treatment was live streamed to the conference. When Julia started treating Antonya, initially her respiration was elevated and she was panting. After a short while Antonya started to relax and her respiration rate visibly and significantly reduced as she became more comfortable.
After a relatively short treatment (20 minutes) Julia stopped treating as Antonya signalled she had enough, which Julia recognised through a change in her facial expression. On returning to the conference auditorium, Julia was greeted by a round of applause and so, slightly bemused she asked why?
It turned out that the veterinary professionals had all been monitoring the reduction in Antonya's respiratory rate throughout the treatment and had noted that Julia had stopped when her respiration was just starting to increase again. This directly correlated to Julia’s interpretation of Antonya’s facial expressions.
As Galen Myotherapists, we do not routinely monitor respiration rates when treating, however, we do read dogs body language and interpret what they are communicating to us, such as when Antonya was telling Julia when to finish! Just as her respiration variation was being observed and interpreted by the veterinary professionals reflecting the changes in her autonomic system.
The treatment with Julia and Antonya highlights perfectly the role of the parasympathetic nervous system and how, when a dog feels safe and relaxed, their body is able to respond so positively to a manual treatment.
But don’t take my word for it, ask any of our Galen Myotherapists about how engaged, invested and connected with every dog they are during their treatments.
Restraint has no place within canine rehabilitation. Dogs must be treated as sentient beings and they must be given choice and autonomy over their pain and discomfort. Only then will there be cooperative care, and only then will there be a truly effective treatment programme.
To learn more, contact your local Galen Myotherapist:
If there isn't a Galen Myotherapist near you, we offer Distance Support Programmes to support you and your dog at home:
If you’re looking for more advice please get in touch.
We would love to chat with you about how we can help your dog.
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