What is Effleurage? It’s French, and means “to touch lightly on”. It’s one of the principal strokes in massage, and because it’s so gentle, it can be performed on any part of the dog’s body, even over bony areas like joints, or the head. It’s a very versatile stroke, in fact, an entire massage can be done using just this one stroke. It’s a stroke that’s done with either one or both hands, following in the direction of your dog’s fur. It’s a soothing stroke that warms the body, increases blood flow, helps to remove fluids and toxins, and ultimately relaxes your dog. Plus it’s easy to do!

Beginning May 1, 2014, Rocky’s Retreat will add dog boarding and daycare to our list of services. Why? Because of demand. We get calls all the time for boarding yet it’s something we never planned to offer. So what will this look like? In the short term, we’ll have space for a limited number of dogs, and we plan to take those dogs home with us.

Have you ever had a massage? If so, I bet you felt wonderful afterward! Even if you haven’t had a massage, chances are you know what it is; the manipulation of skin, muscles and joints for the purpose of affecting physical or emotional changes in the body. While massage for humans has been around for millennia, canine massage as a practice is relatively new. The benefits of massage on humans are well documented, so why shouldn’t the same benefits apply to dogs as well?

We’re halfway through Baylor’s boot camp, and he’s looking good. He’s lost 7 pounds and his endurance and muscle tone is really improving. And you can now see his waistline! He still doesn’t care for swimming (imagine that for a lab) but he tolerates it. He’s now running on the treadmill instead of walking, swimming more with less rest, and he doesn’t get as winded when he plays with the other dogs.

On Tuesday, our dear friend Lisa called to say that she had to put down her beloved “Eddie,” an 11 year old boxer that we all just adored. Lisa was our human massage therapist for a while and used to bring Eddie and his “sister” Emma to Rocky’s for play and fun times. As Lisa says, Eddie was a large presence and always concerned about others. It’s a very sad time for all. But it started me thinking, what about Emma, does she know what’s going on?

I have a friend who routinely mentions how she has an agreement with her dog that the dog will live to be at least 20 years old. She doesn’t understand how I could have a preference for bigger dogs which typically have a shortened life span. I told her we never know what’s going to happen in life.

There’s been a lot of discussion recently on the use of stem cells in the treatment of chronic conditions in humans. The use of embryonic stem cells has ethical and sourcing concerns in that it raises the question of whether these cells are viable and if they will be rejected by the recipient. With animals, this is not a concern as stem cells are sourced and harvested from an animal’s own fat cells, offering little danger of rejection.

Is it my imagination or are fleas already wreaking havoc on area dogs? It seems everyone we know is complaining about fleas! I don’t like using the chemicals currently on the market to control fleas, but occasionally I have to. If you don’t want to use chemicals, what are your other options?

My dog Yankee has walked all of his life in what’s called a “pace” gait. Unlike a standard gait where a dog’s diagonal legs move at the same time, a pace gate is where both limbs on the same side move forward and backward at the same time.

Thanks to DogTread, here’s a short video to show what I mean by a pace gait.

Has your dog been scratching a lot? I know my dog Yankee has. He doesn’t have fleas, so my next choice is some sort of allergy. After working with him and his diet, I’ve concluded that he has some environmental allergies. I only use natural cleansers in my home, limit fertilization and pesticides, so I don’t think that’s the problem.

We are the only Orlando dog boarding and Orlando doggie day care center that has an indoor heated pool for dogs. See it for yourself by scheduling a tour!

Rocky's Retreat | 2826 Shader Rd. Orlando FL 32808 | info@rockysretreat.com | (407) 295-3888