What is Canine
Bowen
Technique?
What
happens during a treatment?
After
treatment recommendations
Is
Canine Bowen compatible with other treatments?
What do I
need to do
to arrange for a treatment?
How
many
treatments will my dog need to
have?
How much
does
a treatment cost?
Links
|
|
What is Canine Bowen Technique?
|
Origin
The
Bowen Technique was
developed for humans by Mr Tom Bowen in Australia and imported to the
UK in the last century. Ron and Sally Askew have adapted the technique
for dogs.
The
Bowen move
Like herbal medicine and behaviour medicine, the
Canine Bowen Technique
is a holistic approach to healing, i.e. the whole animal is treated,
not the problem per se. The philosophy is to work WITH the dog, relying
on the dog to communicate to the practitioner what it needs and when it
needs more and when it
has had enough. It is a very gentle manual technique of treating, not
really comparable to anything else. The moves consist of a very gentle
role over soft tissues (muscles, tendons, connective tissue and fascia)
using only very gentle pressure “agreed upon” by both the patient and
the practitioner. These moves are placed at specific points of high
tension or importance on the body (such as muscle attachments or
specific points of the body that endure more pressure than others). As
opposed to other techniques, this technique does not force anything
onto the patient, there is a collaboration and communication throughout
the treatment, input is offered to the body and the body is left to
integrate this and stimulated to heal itself.
Time
It is a very calm and quiet technique including many
pauses, which
allow the input received by the body to sink in and the body to react
to it. This reaction can happen immediately or might take a few days.
|
|
|
What kind of problems can be treated?
|
The Bowen Technique can be
used preventatively as well as therapeutically. Due to its holistic
nature, it can be applied in almost any situation with a few
exceptions. As this type of treatment is based on mutuality, there are
some dogs who love it, but it may happen that some do not feel in tune
with it, which is respected by the practitioner.
|
|
|
What happens during a treatment?
|
Time of day
Ideally,
the
treatment should take place at a time of day when your dog is quiet
anyway and when there is no more strenuous activity planned afterwards.
As many animals are quite tired after a treatment and the body needs
the rest to integrate what it has experienced, it is essential that the
animal ist given at least 24 hours after the treatment to rest.
Location
The treatment can either take place in the
consultation room or at your
house, depending on what we decide is best and easiest for your dog and
what is feasible timewise. It is important to have as few distractions
as possible, so your dog can relax.
Less
is more
Even though we do not treat problems, but the
individual as a whole,
the gentle, rolling moves are placed at specific points in the body. As
Bowen basically gives the body impulses to then work on its own, a lot
of the time consists of pauses, letting the body integrate the
information it has received. Dogs are very good at telling us how much
of what they want, when they need breaks and when they want more. And
we respect this, so it can happen that a whole treatment consists only
of one or two moves. This might be a difficult concept to grasp in our
world full of hectic and quantity, however, the quality here is “less
is more”.
Communication
As we never force anything onto the dog with Bowen,
it might
take some dogs several sessions to feel comfortable enough to let the
practitioner do the moves. It is important to understand that we have
to give the dog this time to build up its trust, as the treatment is
most effective in a relaxed animal.
|
|
|
After treatment recommendations
|
Petting
and fussing
We are giving the body some input at specific points of the body, and
the body needs time to integrate this information. In order to give the
body this space and time it needs, it is important to try not to fuss
your dog or pet it in the treated areas for about 12 hours after the
treatment.
Rest
Even
though it might seem quite surprising, the dogs have received a lot of
information through the treatment and many of them are quite tired
afterwards.
What they need most after the treatment is some peace and quiet and
some rest. There is no need to take your dog for a long walk after the
treatment, if anything, a short stroll (of 10 –20 minutes) on the long
lead is enough. Please avoid scheduling training sessions or big
social activities with the dog on the day of and the day after the
session.
Water
Please
make sure your dog has enough water available, if
he or she needs to have a drink.
Observation
Please observe your dog closely for any changes. It can happen that the
problem gets worse – or old problems flare up again – initially. Even
though it might be disagreeable at first, this is a good sign, as
it shows that something is happening in the body. If it does occur at
all, this usually only lasts
1-2 days after the treatment.
|
|
|
Is Canine Bowen Technique compatible with other treatments?
|
No:
As the Bowen
Technique is a
manual technique, it is best not to combine it with any other physical
methods, such as physiotherapy, massage or acupuncture.
Yes: The Bowen Technique
does, however, combine very well with therapies that use other
modalities, such as conventional medicine, homeopathy, herbal medicine,
or aromatherapy.
|
|
|
What do I need to do to arrange for an appointment?
|
Please
contact me by email or telephone
to arrange for an appointment.
Tel:
|
+41 (0)
76 455 41 50 |
Email:
|
medvet (at) mayanimal.ch
|
|
|
|
How many treatments will my dog need?
|
The number of treatments
suitable for your dog depends on how things
progress after the first 1-3 treatments.
|
|
|
How much will it cost?
|
Please
contact me either by phone or by the contact form in the section
“contact” with any questions you might have, including prices, and I
will be happy to give you the information as soon as I can.
|
|
|
Links
|
|
