East Midlands Clinical Canine Massage & Rehab

East Midlands Clinical Canine Massage & Rehab Musculoskeletal Therapist and Pain Practitioner providing clinical treatment for dogs. Lisa is a Guild Clinical Canine massage Therapist.
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Working alongside Vets & pain specialists offering clinical massage, osteopathic treatments, nutrition, laser, rehab, and fitness for dogs at clinics in Nottingham. Clinical massage supports dogs with orthopaedic conditions such as arthritis and hip/elbow dysplasia and dogs with neurological conditions. It is a non-invasive natural form of pain relief for dogs, it can relieve discomfort, improve m

obility, and promote physiological well-being. Massage helps improves and addresses a dogs gait, posture, behaviour problems, and can improve performance for sporting dogs. Using skilled canine massage techniques such as Swedish, sports, deep tissue, myofascial release, and performing direct manipulation of muscle and fascia; painful debilitating ‘knots’ (trigger points) that cause referred pain are released, and scar tissue and adhesions can be broken down, improving your dog’s flexibility, mobility and comfort levels. Lisa is passionate about the well-being and health of dogs which has led her to successfully complete a year course as Canine Conditioning Coach from the Accredited Canine Conditioning Academy. By combining both skills: Clinical Canine Massage and Canine Conditioning, Lisa offers massage treatments and safe and effective fitness and conditioning programmes for pet dogs, senior dogs, nervous/anxious dogs, dogs that are overweight and dog’s after post surgery. She specialises working with performance dog’s such as those that do agility, flyball, canicross, obedience, show dogs etc. Alongside Clinical Massage, Canine Conditioning/rehabilitation programmes, Lisa is training to be a Canine Osteopathic Practitioner and will be offering these treatments sessions to your dog soon. Lisa continues to broaden her knowledge by attending regular courses. Most recently she has completed courses in Canine First Aid, Canine Gait & Biomechanics, Rehab Techniques for the Neurological Canine Patient, Canine Behaviour, T-touch, and Canine Nutrition. All clinical canine sessions are delivered in the comfort of the purpose built clinic which is based in South Nottingham, which is designed specifically to cater for your dog’s treatment sessions, including equipment for Canine Postural/Gait Analysis and tailored Canine Conditioning and Rehabilitation Programmes. Lisa is based in Nottingham and has clients from the East Midlands; she covers Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton.

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢Continuing our Pain - Animal Awareness series, we are looking at the causes ...
05/09/2026

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢

Continuing our Pain - Animal Awareness series, we are looking at the causes of canine pain

According to Bell et al (2014), the top leading causes of pain in dogs are:-
1) Osteoarthritis
2) Dental Disease
3) Ear Disease
4) Spinal cord lesions
5) Neoplasia
6) Skin conditions

If you have any concerns that your dog is in pain and struggling, take your dog to the vets for a check ASAP.

🐾 Musculoskeletal Pain Assessments — Nottingham

My musculoskeletal pain assessments are held at my Nottingham clinic on the first Saturday of each month, with appointments now available to book through to January.

If you’re concerned that your dog may be experiencing musculoskeletal pain, discomfort or changes in their movement, and would like to discuss whether an assessment would be appropriate, please get in touch.

I’m here to help.

📧 [email protected]
📞 07418 082 240

For link
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25028465/























What can only be described as an insanely busy week in the clinic is finally coming to an end! 🐾With 7am starts and 9pm ...
05/09/2026

What can only be described as an insanely busy week in the clinic is finally coming to an end! 🐾

With 7am starts and 9pm finishes, it’s certainly been a full-on week, but I’m finishing it in the best possible way with a fantastic client… my own dog! ❤️🐶

Many therapists, myself included, find treating our own dogs particularly difficult. It can be very emotional when it’s your own much-loved dog, which is why I often have other trusted therapists support me along the way when it comes to my own dog.

However, today I finished my weekly clinic session by treating my own dog, and I’m incredibly grateful that I can use the skills I have to help them too. ❤️

A huge thank you to all of my wonderful clients this week for your continued support, patience and understanding. It really has been a crazy week, both in the clinic and with the number of enquiries and messages I’ve received.

If you’ve messaged or enquired and haven’t heard back from me yet, please bear with me a little longer. I’m working my way through everything and will be getting back to you tomorrow afternoon. I’m particularly sorry to any new clients who have been waiting for a response, I promise I haven’t forgotten about you!

I’m also working my way through the enquiries regarding gait analysis and posture analysis, which are currently about halfway through my list. 🐾

Thank you once again for your patience, your lovely messages and for trusting me with your dogs. It genuinely means so much.

Wishing you all a wonderful Saturday and Sunday, whatever you have planned. Take some time to relax, enjoy your weekend and, of course, give your dogs an extra cuddle from me! ❤️🐾

I’ll be back at it tomorrow afternoon and will get through as many messages and enquiries as I possibly can.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! 🐶❤️

💢September is Animal Pain Awareness Month💢Can We Really Recognise Pain in Dogs?This new study by Gardeweg et al. (2026) ...
05/09/2026

💢September is Animal Pain Awareness Month💢

Can We Really Recognise Pain in Dogs?

This new study by Gardeweg et al. (2026) confirms something many of us working in canine therapy see regularly—pain is often recognised when a dog limps, but much less when it shows through behaviour.

In the study, 647 people were asked to identify signs of pain in dogs.

Most people easily recognised movement-related pain such as limping, stiffness, or reluctance to move.

But behavioural signs were far less likely to be recognised, including:

• changes in sleep
• reduced play
• clinginess or shadowing
• reduced sociability
• lower tolerance
• difficulty settling
• restlessness at night
• grooming changes
• personality changes
• mood changes

Even experienced dog owners were no better at spotting these subtle signs than non-dog owners.

This is important because chronic pain rarely starts with obvious lameness.

Often, the first signs are small changes in behaviour.

Things like:

❗ “He seems grumpier lately”
❗ “She doesn’t want to play as much”
❗ “He follows me everywhere now”
❗ “She struggles to settle at night”
❗ “He seems less tolerant than usual”

These are often dismissed as behaviour problems, ageing, or just “slowing down.”

But sometimes, they are early signs of pain.

By the time obvious lameness appears, compensation patterns, muscle tension, and long-term discomfort may already be well established.

Pain doesn’t always look like limping.

Sometimes it shows up in the quiet changes first.

Recognising those signs earlier means earlier support, better welfare, and better long-term outcomes.

📚 Reference:Gardeweg, S.M.A., Picard, D.E. and van Herwijnen, I.R. (2026) The abilities in dog pain sign recognition as assessed by presenting seventeen listed dog behavioural signs and three case descriptions to dog owners and non-dog owners. PLOS ONE, 21(4), e0344512.

💢 Canine Pain Awareness: “My Dog is Just Naughty?” 💢Have you ever described your dog as naughty, silly, or stubborn?✨ It...
05/09/2026

💢 Canine Pain Awareness: “My Dog is Just Naughty?” 💢

Have you ever described your dog as naughty, silly, or stubborn?
✨ It might be time to consider that these behaviours could actually be a sign of pain. ✨

🟢 Pain and Behaviour Are Closely Linked
It’s increasingly recognised that many so-called “behavioural problems” may, in fact, be pain-related. Research supports a connection between pain and behaviours such as aggression, noise sensitivities, and other stress responses (Mills et al., 2020).

In addition to aggression or reactivity, behaviours that may signal underlying discomfort include:
• Barking or excessive vocalising
• Lunging or jumping up
• Resource guarding
• Destructive chewing
• Repetitive “zoomies”
• Continuous circling
• Mounting behaviours
• Separation-related anxiety

These can be displacement behaviours—coping strategies dogs develop when movement or tasks cause pain.

🟢Pain Affects Learning Too

Pain doesn’t just change behaviour—it impacts concentration, learning, and training responses.
That means your dog might:
• Refuse to sit or struggle with training tasks
• Bark or jump up when asked to perform a movement

🟢These may not be signs of disobedience—they could be your dog’s way of communicating discomfort.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

🟢 A Vital Reminder
Pain is a personal perception. Only your dog knows how much they feel.
Until they can tell us directly, we must stay open-minded.

So if your vet or therapist says: “Your dog isn’t in pain.”
You have every right to ask:
👉 “How do you know that?”

If you’re concerned your dog may be in pain, consult your vet or a qualified canine therapist.
Identifying and managing discomfort can dramatically improve both behaviour and overall wellbeing.

📖 Reference:
Mills, D.S., Demontigny-Bédard, I., Gruen, M., Klinck, M.P., McPeake, K.J., Barcelos, A.M., Hewson, C.J., Hauser, H., & Barkell, P. (2020). Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs. Animals, 10(2), 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020318

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢IVAPM has proclaimed September as Animal Pain Awareness Month, and this coin...
04/09/2026

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢

IVAPM has proclaimed September as Animal Pain Awareness Month, and this coincides with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month.

✨Animals suffer from pain just like people do

Pain comes in many forms: surgical pain, arthritis and cancer related pain, just to name a few. Acute pain is obvious and distressing. Chronic pain can be subtle, and masked as “getting old” or “slowing down.”

✨Old age is not a disease, but pain is✨

✨There are many options to treat the various causes of pain in animals including pain medications, physical rehabilitation, acupuncture, laser therapy, and therapeutic massage✨























💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢More on Canine Pain, Folks!Let’s spread the word—pain in dogs is real, and i...
04/09/2026

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢

More on Canine Pain, Folks!
Let’s spread the word—pain in dogs is real, and it matters.
⬇️⬇️⬇️
No dog should suffer in silence. With the right care and a tailored pain management plan, we can give our dogs the comfort they deserve.

⚡️Pain: It’s More Complex Than You Think⚡️
Pain in dogs isn’t one-size-fits-all—it can present in many different forms. That’s why effective treatment often requires a tailored combination of medications targeting multiple pain pathways.

A veterinary-guided pain management plan is the best approach, allowing your vet to monitor your dog’s pain levels and adjust treatment as needed for the best possible comfort and recovery.

Pain isn’t black and white; it can be a complex mix of:
• Nociceptive pain
• Neuropathic pain
• Mixed pain (including myofascial pain)

Types of Pain

1. Nociceptive Pain
This type of pain results from actual or potential tissue damage and is typically due to inflammation or mechanical damage. It is commonly associated with conditions like osteoarthritis, post-surgical pain, or injury. It activates nociceptors—pain-sensing nerve fibers in the skin, muscles, and organs.

2. Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain arises from damage or dysfunction of the nervous system itself—either peripheral nerves or central structures like the spinal cord. It is often chronic and described as burning, shooting, or electric shock-like. Examples include diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and spinal cord injury.

3. Mixed Pain (Including Myofascial Pain)
Mixed pain involves elements of both nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Myofascial pain, characterized by trigger points and muscle tenderness, falls under this category. It reflects a combination of peripheral tissue injury and sensitization of the nervous system.

🙏Please share—because every dog deserves a life free from pain.

Key References:
1. Scholz, J., & Woolf, C. J. (2002). Can we conquer pain? Nature Neuroscience, 5(Suppl), 1062–1067. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn942
2. Treede, R.-D. et al. (2008). Neuropathic pain: Redefinition and a grading system for clinical and research purposes. Neurology, 70(18), 1630–1635. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000282763.29778.59
3. Gerwin, R. D. (2001). Classification, epidemiology, and natural history of myofascial pain syndrome. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 5(5), 412–420.

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢No Living Creature Should SufferI have always found animal suffering deeply ...
03/09/2026

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢

No Living Creature Should Suffer

I have always found animal suffering deeply upsetting. It genuinely troubles me to see any animal treated with cruelty, neglect or indifference. That feeling extends to every animal, whether wild, domestic, or those we are fortunate enough to share our lives with.

Canines, in particular, have a unique place in our lives. They give us loyalty, companionship and unconditional trust, often asking for nothing more than kindness, care and security in return. It is heartbreaking to think that an animal capable of such trust can also experience fear, pain and suffering at the hands of humans.

Whether it is helping an injured bird, moving a distressed animal away from danger, caring for a vulnerable dog, or carefully relocating a spider from the house—even when I’m not particularly fond of them—I believe these actions matter. Not because they make us “kind” or deserving of recognition, but because preventing suffering is simply the right thing to do.

I was taught that you can judge a person by how they treat animals, and that is a principle I stand by strongly. How we treat those who are vulnerable and unable to speak for themselves says a great deal about our character.

Animals rely on us to protect them, not to cause them harm. We have a responsibility to ensure that we do not contribute to suffering through cruelty, neglect, exploitation or indifference.

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢

No animal should suffer unnecessarily. No living creature should have to experience pain.

Kindness should never be limited to the animals we find beautiful, useful or lovable. Every living creature deserves compassion.

If you agree, please share. ❤️

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month, proclaimed by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM),...
02/09/2026

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month, proclaimed by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM), and I’m delighted to be joining in by raising awareness in my own little corner of the canine world.

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢September is Animal Pain Awareness Month, proclaimed by the International Ve...
02/09/2026

💢 September is Animal Pain Awareness Month 💢

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month, proclaimed by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM), and I’m delighted to be joining in by raising awareness in my own little corner of the canine world. This is the second in our series of posts

🟢Not Interested in Dinner? It Could Be Pain.

Lack of appetite in dogs is often misattributed to fussiness or age—but a sudden or gradual reduction in appetite may, in fact, be an early behavioural sign of pain. Pain-induced changes in feeding behaviour are particularly common in cases of chronic musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA), spinal discomfort, or visceral pain (Mathews et al., 2014).

🟢 Pain affects feeding drive by altering neurochemical pathways related to stress, inflammation, and mood (Watanabe et al., 2016).

🟢 Dogs experiencing chronic discomfort may avoid positions associated with pain—such as lowering the head to a food bowl or climbing stairs to reach a feeding area.

🟢 Inappetence may also reflect referred pain from dental issues, cervical discomfort, or abdominal inflammation, which can inhibit chewing or swallowing (Lascelles et al., 2012).

🟢 Particularly in older dogs, reduced appetite may coincide with subtle signs of osteoarthritis, including restlessness, stiffness, or reluctance to be touched (Belshaw et al., 2020).

🩺 Behavioural changes like appetite loss should never be dismissed as mere aging. If your dog is “off their food,” it may warrant a pain assessment and a visit to your Vet.

Early intervention can reduce suffering and restore quality of life.

📧 [email protected]
📞 07418 082 240




References

Belshaw, Z., Dean, R.S., Asher, L. and Meeson, R.L. (2020) ‘“You can be blind because of loving them so much”: The impact on owners in recognising osteoarthritis in their dogs’, Veterinary Record, 187(16), p. 492.

Lascelles, B.D.X., Henry, J.B., Brown, J. and Simpson, W. (2012) ‘Cross-sectional study of the prevalence of radiographic degenerative joint disease in domesticated cats and dogs presenting for routine examination’, Veterinary Surgery, 41(3), pp. 295–302.

Mathews, K.A., Kronen, P.W., Lascelles, D., Nolan, A., Robertson, S., Steagall, P.V. and Wright, B. (2014) ‘Guidelines for recognition, assessment and treatment of pain’, Journal of Small Animal Practice, 55(6), pp. E10–E68.

Watanabe, H., Kobayashi, K. and Okamura, H. (2016) ‘Neural mechanisms of appetite and pain interactions: Role of reward system’, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 10, p. 80.
























🐕 Would you advocate for a dog that wasn’t yours? Something happened on my run this morning that really got me thinking…...
02/09/2026

🐕 Would you advocate for a dog that wasn’t yours?

Something happened on my run this morning that really got me thinking…

I came across a lady running with a Golden Retriever. What caught my attention was that the dog was clearly struggling to keep up and was being pulled along by its collar and lead.

There was no harness, and the dog looked really uncomfortable. It seemed to me that a lot of pressure was being placed around its neck, and I wasn’t sure the owner realised just how much strain the dog was experiencing.

So it got me thinking…

What would YOU have done? 🤔

A. Ignore it. It’s none of my business. Carry on running and avoid the confrontation.

B. Politely explain that running a dog on a collar, particularly when they are pulling or being pulled, can place significant pressure on the structures around the neck, including the trachea, oesophagus, blood vessels and nerves. Then suggest that a correctly fitted harness may be a more comfortable and appropriate option.

C. Tell her, in no uncertain terms, that what she was doing was cruel and that she shouldn’t be doing it.

D. Something else?

Well… I know some people who know me will probably say A 😂

And honestly, the old me probably would have thought:

“It’s none of my business. I don’t want the confrontation.”

But I’m trying to become someone who is willing to advocate for animals, even when it feels uncomfortable, and even when there’s a chance I might be disliked for speaking up.

So I politely ran up alongside her and explained my concerns about the pressure being placed around her dog’s neck, including the potential pressure on the trachea, oesophagus, blood vessels and nerves.

I also explained that, as someone who works with dogs and has experience of taking Canicross groups out , I’d be more than happy to show her how to correctly fit a harness that distributes pressure more appropriately across the body.

I even offered to do this completely free of charge at my clinic. ❤️🐾

I wasn’t trying to tell her how to look after her dog.

I simply wanted to share some information that she might not have been aware of.

And now comes the interesting part… 😬

What do you think her response was?

A. She completely ignored me.

B. She listened, was grateful that I’d spoken to her, and took my advice.

C. She was quite rude and told me it was none of my business.

👇 What do you think happened?

And, more importantly…

What would YOU have done — A, B, C, D or something else?

I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts. 🐶❤️

Sometimes advocating for an animal means having a slightly uncomfortable conversation.

The question is…

Would you?

Answers later in comments

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Nottingham

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