I have been a fan of their book “The Well-Connected Dog” for a long time (and written about it before on this blog, [...]]]> Today’s post is a review of a DVD I recently had the pleasure to watch: Introduction to Small Animal Acupressure by Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis, founders and owners of Tallgrass Animal Acupressure.

I have been a fan of their book “The Well-Connected Dog” for a long time (and written about it before on this blog, click on the book title to go to that post) and I’m equally fond of this DVD. It gives you a really nice overview of the concepts of TCM and shows you how to find important points on your pet, and also how to do an acupressure health maintenance treatment.

Amy and Nancy talk about everything from chi and what it does, the history and benefits of acupressure, yin/yang, meridians, acupoints, to how to do an assessment of the dog, choose a location, ask the dog for permission and do a treatment.

The walkthrough of how to do a treatment covers opening, a simple way to select points to work on, the association points and the conditions they relate to, how to work on them (finger work techniques), and finally how to close the session.

Getting a visual overview of how to find specific points is incredibly helpful. It is described in the book, but it can be tricky to do on your own the first few times, and seeing it “live” really helps.

I loved that the entire DVD is set outside on a sunny summer day, and that other animals are allowed to wander in and out of the picture. I watched this DVD the first time after a really stressful day at work, and it was very calming and soothing. A great way to unwind while learning something useful.

This DVD is, as the name says, a great introduction to small animal acupressure and the concepts and theories behind it. I think it is the perfect companion to The Well-Connected Dog, because, as I mentioned above, the book is great, but seeing how to find the points makes it so much easier, and once you are done watching the DVD, you will want to know more, and then the book is there for you.

And if you want to learn even more, I highly recommend taking one of their workshops, which are held all over the country (and world). Check the latest Events and Workshops listing for upcoming classes here in the US, and the school lists for Canada, Australia, Europe and the UK), for upcoming Tallgrass workshops in your country (I am in the process of putting together updates for all the lists for 2011).

Here are my favorite resources for keeping up [...]]]> There is always new research out there, so many products you’ve never heard of, and so much to learn when it comes to pet health. And if you’re working as an animal health provider (of any kind) it’s especially important to stay on top of what’s going on.

Here are my favorite resources for keeping up with the latest studies and new products:

Whole Dog Journal
My absolute favorite. This monthly magazine is filled with invaluable advice and tips for those of us who are interested in positive training and alternative pet health. They also do dog food comparisons and publish annual wet and dry dog food reviews.

I always learn something new from each issue. Have you ever heard of Willard Water? Or did you know that giving a dog with strong body odor a little bit of coconut oil every day can help reduce the smell or even get rid of it completely?

Animal Wellness
Bi-monthly magazine with lots of advice on holistic lifestyle choices for pets including nutrition, exercise, training, health and a variety of other “alternative” subjects.

Articles in past issues have included: Herbal medicine for animals”, “A guide to animal friendly lawn care”, “Discover the benefits of Gemmotherapy”, and “Feng Shui creates harmony for animals too”.

Your Dog
Published 10 times/year by Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, this newsletter has lots of good information on news and research in western (allopathic) veterinary medicine.

I know this blog is about alternative options, but I think it’s important to know what’s going on in all areas. Sometimes you need traditional medicine as well, and when you do, it’s good to be well informed.

Dog Watch
Very similar to Your Dog, this monthly newsletter comes from the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine. And don’t be intimidated by the fact that these last two newsletters are published by veterinary schools – they are not filled with scientific babble and terms you have to look up. There are a lot of good articles where you can learn more about behavior, certain diseases, parasites, etc.

I’d love to hear if there are others out there that I have missed. Which are your favorites?

Today’s review is long overdue, but here it is [...]]]> I hope you all had a fantastic summer with sun and relaxation! I ended up taking a bit more time off than I had planned, but with summer almost over and a crisp fall feel in the air, it’s time to get back to work.

Today’s review is long overdue, but here it is finally! “A Dog Lover’s Guide to Canine Massage” by Jody Chiquoine and Linda Jackson is a workbook for dog owners who want to learn the basics of massage for use on their own pets.

Linda and Jody have been teaching canine massage therapy for many years, and this book was originally developed as a guide for people attending the trainings. Encouraged by their participants and by requests from others, Linda and Jody decided to turn their class guide into a book.

“A Dog Lover’s Guide…” is divided into 8 chapters. Each has lots of photos as well as one or several worksheets where you can record your own observations. The authors suggest reading through the entire book first, and then going back to the beginning and start learning the techniques, and I agree that it’s a good idea. This is how the book is broken down:

Chapter 1 talks about canine body language, what to look for, and how to handle massaging shy, fearful or dominant dogs.

Chapter 2 covers the benefits of massage, do’s and don’ts, contraindications and how to go about getting your dog used to receiving a massage (not every dog immediately takes to it).

In Chapter 3, each massage stroke (10 in all) is described with photos and instructions for how to try it on both your dog and yourself.

Chapter 4 gives you the basic anatomy of dogs and how their bodies compare to ours.

In Chapter 5, you learn how to stretch your dog, an important technique for many reasons. It not only increases you dog’s flexibility and range of motion, it also helps him become more aware of his body, lessens the risk of injury and improves coordination.

Chapter 6 shows you how to do an entire massage routine from head to tail, and also how to prepare yourself before beginning the massage (breathing, relaxing and communicating with your dog). This chapter ends with a step by step list of a full body massage sequence. I like that a lot, I would suggest copying it and putting it near the spot where you normally massage your dog.

Chapter 7 is FAQs. Chapter 8 talks about the different dog breeds and has seven terrific tables (one for each group) with a short description of each breed’s heritage, their typical stress areas and where they need massage.

The authors make comparisons between dogs and people throughout the book and instruct you to practice each massage stroke on yourself as well; something I think is really helpful. You can learn from reading, but doing and experiencing something yourself is where the real learning takes place in my opinion. I also found the worksheets to be very useful. For some reason you take more time thinking about something when you have to put it down on paper, and putting things in writing helps make sure you “got it”.

I really do like this book and I think it’s a great introduction and basic manual for anyone interested in learning to massage their own pets.