Care to Your Dog!

Animal massage can benefit all animals from companion pets such as cats and dogs to horses and livestock and even zoo animals. The benefits of massage for animals mirror those for people, including decreased stress and improved circulation.

For many, pet massage sounds like a luxury for pampered pets only. However, many canines receive massage to help recover from surgery or injury and athletes such as racehorses or agility dogs receive sport massage to improve performance. Service dogs and dogs used in police or military service have high stress jobs where massage can mean the difference between early retirement and more time on the job.

Many studies have been conducted to verify the benefits of massage. For instance, massage has been proven to lower blood pressure, increase appetite and reduce the perceived pain and discomfort of arthritis.

For those with aging dogs and cats, animal massage therapy provides one more tool in the management of age-related conditions and helps to improve the quality of their pet’s life. Pet health care has moved beyond the age of grocery-store dog food and once-a-year vaccinations. Today, pet health supplies include vitamins, specialty food and treats, hydrotherapy, acupuncture and chiropractic and, yes, pet massage therapy.

The focus of animal massage for many years was horses, particularly racing and show horses. The benefit of massage for horses is well recognized among horse owners. Massage certification has been offered in equine massage therapy for years, but only recently has the focused turned toward pet massage certification. With literally billions of dollars flowing into the pet care industry and pets living longer and more active lives, pet massage therapy is now being offered at veterinarian clinics, grooming salons and doggie daycare establishments all over the country.

One of the benefits of massage for animals mentioned was improved circulation. Better circulation can contribute to improved digestion and better metabolism, a tremendous benefit for the large number of pets suffering from obesity and gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, improved circulation can slow the degenerative process of arthritis and improve energy levels in geriatric pets. Better circulation means better immune function, helping to reduce the risk of infection or illness and assisting in the rapid recovery from injury or illness. Better blood flow also contributes to improve healing post-surgically.

Two of the most common conditions plaguing our dog population today are hip dysplasia and soft tissue injuries to the knee such as ACL tears (ruptures or strains of the anterior cruciate ligament in the stifle joint). Both are generally corrected by surgery and, particularly in the case of ACL tears, have a high rate of reoccurrence and post-surgical development of arthritis. Pet massage therapy can play a crucial role in optimal and rapid recovery from such surgeries and may play a role in reducing the risk of re-injury. Post-surgical confinement also causes boredom and restlessness for many animals and diminished the health of the immune system which is dependent on activity for optimal health. Animal massage can be used to reduce boredom, decrease stress and increase relaxation for dogs and cats during periods of confinement.

Equine massage therapy has a long history in the United States and abroad. For racehorses, massage can mean reduced recovery time between races and reduced incidence of injury due to improved flexibility of soft tissues. For investors, time off for recovery or lay-up due to injury is expensive and can reduce the career of a horse dramatically. In this case, the benefits of massage for animals is not only physical and psychological, it is also economical.

Even exotic species and wild animals have experienced benefits from animal massage therapy under the skilled hands of specialized animal massage therapists. The benefits of massage for animals in a zoological park fall under three categories: training, enrichment and health. Veterinarian staff can use massage to minimize the time that an exotic species spends in the hospital following surgery or illness, a critical element in the success of the animal’s return to the wild or onto exhibit. Specific massage techniques can be used to improve the production and movement of lymphatic fluid and assist in metabolism of anesthesia and related medications.

Animal trainers can use certain massage techniques as reinforcement for performed behaviors when food rewards are not safe or effective. Massage can improve nerve function and brain function as well, making training easier. Enrichment involves providing activities to captive animals that stimulate them physically and psychologically and improve their quality of life. Studies indicate that enrichment programs in zoological parks may contribute to the longevity of individual animals and may reduce safety concerns with animals that may become aggressive due to stress or boredom. Massage can be a valuable tool in enrichment programs for many species.

In closing, the benefits of massage for animals are as numerous and varied as those for people. In the last decade more and more people have added massage to their own health care regimen and seen tremendous benefit. Many of these same people have seen the power of massage add quality and time to the lives of their adored pets. Considering all that animals contribute to our lives through companionship, sport and service; a massage now and then serves as a powerful sign of gratitude.

There’s nothing an animal lover enjoys more than getting to spend time with their favorite furry friend and with a pet franchise you can spend plenty of time with animals while making great profits for yourself. There are quite a few new and exciting business opportunities for the animal lover these days and regardless of your business experience, if you have a love of animals and the drive and desire to own your own business, then you have what it takes to startup your own pet franchise. Here’s a quick look at seven different pet franchises that not only serve to help out pets and their owners, but have also been proven to be very successful businesses.

Dogtopia

While Dogtopia is labeled as a Dog Spa, they also offer an upscale day care for your furry friend. Rather than a series of kennel runs, Dogtopia provides a supervised open environment where the dogs can play and the owners can even check in on their dogs via the live webcam. As a franchisee you’ll spend plenty of time playing with the dogs and providing a safe and stimulating environment for them through the day care, training classes, spa services and retail sales.

Kennelwood

Recognized as on of the finest pet resorts in the world, Kennelwood pet resort provides a safe and healthy “vacation” for your dog in a truly amazing environment that makes ordinary kennels and dog boarding services seem like animal cruelty. From their award winning grooming services and professional training to the doggie day camp and personalized play times, dogs love Kennelwood so much that they often pull their owners into Kennelwood on return visits.

Doo Care

Although it may not seem glamorous, the dog waste market is rapidly expanding in metropolitan markets and is a relatively untapped area of the service sector. Doo Care provides waste removal for busy families, the elderly or any of the nearly 50 million dog owners in America. With such a high demand and very few businesses stepping in, it’s easy to see how a Doo Care franchise could really clean up.

Pet Depot

With the slogan, “Where animals come first” Pet Depot is a retail pet store chain that provides customized, personal service to their customers and with nearly 60% of all households owning at least one pet, the retail pet market has never been bigger. Unlike many retail establishments which may see the average customer returning 5-6 times per year, pet owners will buy pet food along with other supplies every 2-6 weeks, and most pet owners will buy their food and supplies at the same location every time, giving you a high level of repeat business and steady income.

Wild Bird Centers

We’ve looked at quite a few franchises that cater to dogs, but if you’re a bird lover you may want to consider a pet franchise with Wild Bird Centers. With the highest average sales and lowest cost of goods in the specialty birding industry, Wild Bird Centers is by far the winning choice in this niche market. If your knowledge of birds is lacking, but you’re still interested in this unique franchise, Wild Bird Centers will provide you with comprehensive training about the ins and outs of their franchise businesses and they’ll also teach you everything you need to or ever wanted to know about birds.

Bark Busters

Bark Busters is a home-based franchise that gives you the training to be a skilled, on-site dog trainer in very little time. With Bark Busters’ proven method (which has trained over 300,000 dogs worldwide) you can tap into the $36 billion dollar pet industry with confidence knowing that Bark Busters is the #1 pet franchise (as ranked by Entrepreneur.) With many unique qualities such as a “Life of the Dog Guarantee” and the ability to change a dog’s unwanted behavior in a two to two and a half hour session, Bark Busters is a great franchise for the working mom, and a must for any pet lover.

Camp Bow Wow

For a high-class, upscale approach to doggie day care, consider a franchise with Camp Bow Wow. Camp Bow Wow’s “four-paw” service has earned them national recognition in newspapers, magazines, television shows and all over the internet, and if you think humans like Camp Bow Wow, you should see the reaction your dog will have when he’s pampered by the Camp Bow Wow staff. Camp Bow Wow is the first and largest franchise in the doggie daycare and boarding industry and offers a fun, safe environment for dogs to play while also promoting good health and socialization with every aspect of the camp tailored around what is best for the dogs. This business model attracts the more upscale, high-income clientele and makes this franchise a great moneymaker for any dog enthusiast.

If you love pets and love the idea of running your own business, you can’t go wrong with a pet franchise. Not only will you receive all of the training and materials needed to start your business from scratch, you’ll also be able to rest easy knowing that each of these pet franchises has built their business from the ground up and found the right formula to run a successful business without making any sacrifices to the well being and care of our furry friends. Even if you’ve never owned a business before, these pet franchises make it easy for anyone to start and run a successful business by providing extensive training as it relates to their business and many will offer general business and management training to prepare you to run your new business successfully and make a lot of pets and owners your satisfied customers.

Having pets is wonderful. Taking good care of your pet gives you a great feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction. If our pets could speak, I’m sure they would express their gratitude and be thankful that they have such caring and loving owners. But they have their own ways of showing this, and sometimes we appreciate it more. However, there are times when we wish our pets could speak and let us know what they are about to do, instead of surprising us, as some surprises are not always nice. Your pets can sometimes be a pain in the neck, especially when you have to clean up after them or fix the things they have broken, that is if they can be fixed. But you can make things right for everyone, and try to anticipate some problems. After all, we are supposed to be smarter than they are.

Choosing the right pet beds can certainly prevent a lot of unwanted situations, of which probably the most important one is having to spend thousands of dollars on replacing your pet bed regularly, mostly because the bed gets dirty or torn too fast. But if your pet bed could be wiped clean, the situation would be totally different. What’s more, everything that your pet uses has to be durable and resistant, and the bed is no exception. As much as you may try, some pets will never give up chewing things, including their beds. Subsequently, having a bed for your bed can turn out to be rather financially demanding. But this is not a rule. There are pet beds that are very resistant to chewing and tearing.

Furthermore, you need to keep your home clean, and that includes cleaning after your pet as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find pet beds that are highly resistant to urine, dirt and water? Even so, you still have to clean the bed, so your best option is a bed that is resistant to disinfectant cleaners. Moreover, you have to be able to make it functional again in a short time; so, opting for pet beds with quick-drying fabric is undoubtedly a good idea. In other words, there are pet beds that can be wiped clean, which pretty much says it all.

These easy to clean, easy to move around, odor and pest resistant, dirt and urine resistant pet beds are not ideal just for individual pet owners, but also for pet daycare centers, where some high customer standards need to be met. Many pet beds can be a challenge, as they can be easily chewed, damaged or stained, which translates into constant investment, which can make your business less profitable and cause your clientele to be dissatisfied. Other pet beds are difficult to keep clean, and dirty beds are not an option either. This means that you have to make an educated choice and opt for pet beds that are durable, resistant to many factors, and easy to clean. And such products actually exist!

All in all, it is extremely beneficial for your pet to have such a bed. But just think how many advantages it has for you as the owner. Aside from the fact that keeping it cleaning will be very easy, because it can be wiped clean, you will also considerably cut down on the budget you have allotted to pet beds. In other words, both you and your pet will be extremely happy!

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Similar to leaving your child at home some may even have pets at home that are left alone when the owners go to work. Pets also need attention and love to be poured by someone. The only solution to get rid of this problem is to seek help from the pet daycare service. Keeping such things in mind there are pet day care centers organized by many people. They will feed, groom, train and play with them in the absence of the owners.

The pet day care is divided into two different categories: actual day care and boarding services. Boarding services are open to animals from horses to hamsters. Usually, the pets whose owners are away for a long time are taken care of. The duration varies widely from even overnight to a period of six months or even more. Such day cares are approached if there is a lack of space at home for large animals like horses and others. They are provided with toys, feeding dishes and sleeping space.

Unlike this there are even pets that are left alone only during the working hours of the owner. For such cases there pet day care centers that function for these kind of animals every day. The pets are left in these centers and are later picked up after their work. Usually they are mainly opened to small dogs and sometimes other animals. As usual feeding bowls, toys and bedding are provided by the organizers. At certain doggy day cares exclusively for dogs they are trained by staffs for better health management, safety and for good dog behavior.

Usually the puppies are taken care of separately away from the older ones. Puppies are given special attention providing them a separate area. They are given the basic training and are always kept active and playful. There is always time allotted for naps and play. Basically doggy day care centers have many features and the best day care suited to us can be chosen.

These days the current trend is day care for pet spas. The focus is basically on smaller animals. Here they are exercised, pampered and groomed in the similar manner as done to humans when they visit a spa. Their hair, teeth, nails and ears are taken care of and they are massaged, walked and played with. They have trained staffs to take over these tasks. These services are exclusively for small animals like ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs and cats. Even overnight stays are provided along with boarding facilities. There are do-it-yourself centers where the owners have to train and groom their own pets to increase the bond between them. The spa provides the necessary space and also shampoo, grooming equipments, wash basin and nail clippers. They can serve the best for such animals.