Just like their human friends, dogs can experience a stroke and suffer from the consequences.
Current treatment centers around preventing another stroke and helping the dog regain its ability to function with physical therapy.
Craniosacral Therapy Can Help Dogs Recover From A Stroke.
Craniosacral therapy can help to speed up recovery from a stroke and help your dog to regain its health and physical function. This therapy is utterly gentle yet effective. It has been around for several decades, yet is still relatively unknown.
Here’s an example of how craniosacral therapy helped a senior dog (S.D.) to recover from stroke very quickly and extend his life for another year.
A Stroke Can Become A Death Sentence For An Old Dog.
A sixteen year old dog caught my attention one day because his head was tilted to one side, his demeanor was listless, and his movements unusually slow. I had seen this dog several times over the past few months and therefore knew that he was not his usual self.
His owner had taken S.D. to the veterinarian and been told that in all likelihood, her dog had suffered a stroke. Considering his advanced age it was suggested that he be euthanized unless he improved substantially within the next few days.
I suggested a few sessions of craniosacral therapy to see whether we could save him from a sure death. He had nothing to lose but much to gain.
In addition to the severely tilted head, the very slow and feeble gait, and the lack of vitality, S.D. had lost his ability to raise his leg to urinate, and was too weak to squat for bowel movements.
Craniosacral Therapy To The Rescue!
After the first session on the same day, he had a bowel movement. After another session he was able to lift his leg again to urinate, and after six or seven sessions, the head had righted itself again.
His energy improved quite rapidly, the coat took on a healthy sheen, and he obviously enjoyed his walks again.
There was nothing left in his looks or demeanor that indicated that he’d had a stroke just a few weeks prior.
Craniosacral Therapy Helps The Central Nervous System To Heal Itself.
Craniosacral therapy’s focus is the brain and the spinal cord, which together form the central nervous system (CNS). The brain and spinal cord are encased in a membranous sac, the meninges, as a single unit. Moreover, this sac contains the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which bathes the brain and spinal cord, bringing nutrients to every nerve cell and removing metabolic toxins.
The CSF has another important function: it provides buffering for the brain like the shock absorbers of a car, and the air in the tires.
Illness, trauma (incl. surgery) to the body or head, infections, or emotional stress can cause restrictions in the meninges, resulting in pressure not only on the brain but the blood vessels that feed it. Moreover, restrictions in the meninges can affect changes in CSF flow and pressure, again creating pressures on brain structures and blood vessels.
The more head or neck trauma a dog sustains over a life time, the more vulnerable to a stroke it is. We think each time that the dog recovers just fine, but the trauma leaves its marks in the form of connective tissue restrictions in the body, as well as the membranous sac that contains and protects the brain and spinal cord.
Craniosacral therapy helps the body to release these restrictions and thus promotes healthy nerve function, improved blood and lymph flow, and more balanced energy.
So, don’t give up if your pet has a stroke no matter what its age. Craniosacral therapy can be of immense help in your pet’s recovery from a stroke.