#9 massage

We all love a great massage, right? Our dogs are no different and a massage can be especially beneficial to a dog with health issues, like epilepsy. Now you are probably wondering how a massage can help a dog with epilepsy. Epilepsy affects the brain, massage helps muscles. Well, a massage can be helpful to an epileptic dog when administered in the correct way. During a seizure all of the muscle groups in your dog’s body tighten and become painfully tense. After the seizure your dog’s muscles are all very sore from being tight for so long. Imagine how sore you would be if you tried running a mile long marathon as fast as you can without ever warming up or conditioning your body first. That is basically what happens to your dog after a seizure. A great massage will really benefit your dog in that it will help ease the tension in those muscles and reduce the pain. A massage can also be beneficial in preventing seizures. Often time’s seizures are triggered by stressful situations and events.  In our day to day lives it can be almost impossible to prevent stress in our dog’s life. Often something as simple as a trip to the vet or a visit to the local dog park can be extremely stressful for your dog, and can trigger a seizure. The best way to prevent a seizure from starting is to get your dog into a very relaxed peaceful state of mind so they are more able to deal with the stressful situation. To get your dog to that peaceful state you can give them a massage.  The massage you give your dog can be a full deep muscle rub down or just lightly petting him or her, or a combination of these methods. Whatever your dog will tolerate is what is best. It will also benefit your dog to give them a similar massage after the stressful event to bring them back to a place of relaxation. By limiting or reducing the amount of stress your dog experiences you can greatly reduce the intensity and or severity of seizures he or she has.

When massaging your dog you should be mindful of the various acupressure points in the dog’s body. Acupressure is an alternative medicine technique based in traditional Chinese medicine. The belief is that all living beings have meridians that run through the body in which energy travels. By stimulating these meridians, energy flow is increased to specific parts of the body.  By increasing energy flow through these meridians you can help your dog recover from seizures, relax, and reduce incidence of seizures. 

  Below is a link to a very helpful site that shows illustrations of  canine meridian points, how to apply them, as well as different ailments that can be improved by the application of acupressure to these points. I hope you will check it out!! www.luckydoghealth.com/dogacupressurechart.htm

    

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#8 know the numbers...its vital

When you have pets it is important to know what the average regular vital signs are for that species as well as knowing what is normal for that particular pet. This is especially true when your pet has a disease like epilepsy. During a seizure event a dog’s temperature and heart rate can both increase dramatically in a very short amount of time. If an elevated temperature is left untreated during and following a seizure it can continue to rise which can cause severe brain damage, and possible stroke. An increased heart rate can lead to a heart attack and both can lead to more severe seizures and possibly death of your pet.

For most dogs the normal resting heart rate is between 60-140 beats per minute. The normal temperature range for most dogs at rest is 101-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is important for pet owners to periodically check their pet’s vital signs. The best way to check your pet’s temperature is with a rectal thermometer.  Of course during a seizure or other traumatic medical event it can be difficult and or possibly dangerous to try to check the temperature of your pet so it is also important to know what their “feels like” temperature is. The “feels like” temperature isn’t the most accurate but it can give you an idea as to whether or not you should be concerned with the temperature of your pet. The “feels like” temperature is equivalent to when a parent holds their hand to the fore head of a child to see if it feels hot. To check the “feels like” temperature of your pet, simply place your hand on the inside of your dog’s back leg in the thigh region. Get used to the feel of your pets body heat. As with all vital sign checks this would ideally be done while you pet is at rest. After a seizure you will now be able to tell if your dog feels over heated by feeling his or her skin rather than trying to get an actual temperature.

Checking your pet’s heart rate is a much simpler process. To get the most accurate results it is best to use a stethoscope. An efficient and affordable stethoscope can be purchased from many online providers for as little as $5. To check the heart rate of your pet, while your pet is laying on his or her side place the bell of your stethoscope behind the front leg on the lower chest just behind the elbow. Hold steady pressure and listen quietly until you hear the tell-tale “bump-bump-bump” of the heart rate. Once you can hear the heart beat count how many beats you hear within a minute. 

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