Edinburgh dog massage gives pooches paws to relax

There is nothing quite like the relief of a relaxing massage on aching muscles after a long week. And now pooch pamper specialist Athena Christodoulou, 48, is on hand with home-help therapy to help ease your pet’s pain – with canine massage.

Pictures of Athena Christodoulou massaging her dog clients

Dancer Athena is no stranger to muscle fatigue on her body and enrolled in a canine therapy course to learn the art of massage for dogs.

She said: “Having been a dancer and had hundreds of massages myself relieving sore muscle and helping me through soft tissue injuries, I can fully appreciate the benefits of massage for dogs too.”

Originally from Cyprus, Athena has lived with her husband in Edinburgh and goes around town to give massages to dogs.

“I treat my clients at their home as I feel they are more relaxed in their own environment” she said.

While living in Vienna between 2014 and 2016, she took a 12-month Dog Training Course which helped her develop her skills for canine behaviour by observing and working with dogs every day.

She then decided to complete a two-year course with the Canine Massage Therapy Centre.

She said: “The more time I spent around dogs the more I realised my desire to help them, lead happier and healthier lives was getting stronger. Through this healing and effective therapy, I can help dogs have more fluidity in their movements and less discomfort despite their ailments.”

Clinical Canine Massage can help the performance of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, lymphatic, nervous and digestive systems of your dog, especially dogs who have orthopaedic issues.

At work Athena swears she has no favourite breed of dog but she does have a soft spot for rescue dogs, “It always amazes me how even though they have gone through so much, they still trust us humans.”

She and her husband rescued two dogs from Cyprus and they do get special treatments at home. “One of our dogs we found with two broken hips and I feel that massage therapy has helped her immensely. Our other dog is 14 now and has a luxating patella and arthritis in her elbows. Massage helps release her discomfort and her range of movement improves after treatments.”

Being a dog masseuse can be challenging sometimes says Athena, she noticed that dogs can find it hard to settle in the first treatment but they are usually asleep by the third treatment thanks to her magical hands.

“I love my job as it is so rewarding,” she said, “especially when the owners tell you that their old arthritic dog is behaving like a pup again, or that they have never seen them go up the stairs so fast after they have had a few treatments.”

Athena can be reached through her facebook page Athena’s Canine Massage Clinic or through her website www.athenascaninemassageclinic.com. Each treatment costs £35. The initial treatment is approximately 90 minutes and additional treatments 45 to 60 minutes.