Heartbeat: Combining accounting with canine massage

July 29, 2019

Senior Management Accountant, Jo Bevan, who has been with the Trust for 20 years, has transformed her passion for dogs into an additional new role treating dogs with muscular issues as a canine massage therapist.

Jo qualified as a canine massage therapist in February 2018 after undertaking a two year Clinical Canine Massage Practitioner Programme by the Canine Massage Therapy Centre. The course covered sports, Swedish and deep tissue massage, as well as myofascial release and the Lenton method, a scientific and systematic method of injury identification and therapy. She specialises in the rehabilitation of muscular issues dogs may experience such as lameness, limping and stiffness, whilst helping dogs with chronic pain management caused by orthopaedic issues such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.

“I decided to become a canine massage therapist when I had difficulty treating the muscular issues experienced by my two dogs. They were offered pain relief but nothing to help alleviate their issues at the root cause. Upon research, I found out about canine massage and despite no prior medical training, I decided to become an accredited practitioner.

“The course was complex but I was thrilled to become qualified. As a dog lover, it’s so rewarding to help dogs in pain. Dogs show us unconditional love but it is difficult for them to communicate if they are suffering pain. I initially assess a dog’s posture and gait and identify muscular issues via palpation. Most issues can be resolved in three massage sessions. The dogs can sometimes be a bit wary of me at first but they soon love me when they experience the benefits of massage!”

As a complementary therapy, canine massage has been established for 15 years, with the world’s first clinical trials on canine massage currently taking place. However, canine massage therapy is not fully understood and endorsed by all veterinary surgeons. Therefore, as a proud member of the Canine Massage Guild, Jo attended Crufts last year to promote the benefits of canine massage. She assisted the Guild in launching their Integrated Veterinary Care Initiative (IVCI), an educational project to help vets appreciate the science behind canine massage and the phenomenal results it can achieve.