Bodywork at Traveller’s Rest

Bodywork at Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary

by Jill Deming, M.A - Certified Massage Therapist

Integrated Animal Therapies

Jill is a member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork

During my initial bodywork session with each horse, I carefully evaluate each individual. I keep in mind that at this stage in their lives my objective is not to address any dysfunction in the body of the older horse, but simply to help them to be comfortable. This is because many of these horses have dysfunctions in their bodies that they may have been living with for quite some time. They have learned to adjust to these difficulties and their body compensates accordingly. To make any major changes at this point could be catastrophic.

 

I begin by working at the junction of the head and neck, a neutral non-threatening area of the body, because predators will often attack the head. Initially, I also want to stay out of the kick zone (around the hindquarters), I want to establish that this experience is pleasurable and non-threatening. By allowing the horse to invite me into his personal space, rather than forcing my way in, there is a much better chance of having a successful bodywork session.

 

For this reason, I use a lot of CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release in my work. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle and non-invasive modality. The CranioSacral system extends from the occiput (in the area of the poll), down the spine to the coccyx (tailbone) and is comprised of three layers of membranes. The outermost layer is the dura mater which is a tough, waterproof membrane that houses the brain and spinal cord. The next layer is the arachnoid layer, and the inner layer is the pia mater which adheres snugly to the inside of the spinal cord. These membranes are constantly bathed in fluid. This fluid is known as the cerebrospinal fluid. It pulses throughout the life of the horse (also all other animals as well as humans) and influences the movement of the skull bones and the connective tissue (fascia).

Fascia is the layer of connective tissue directly under the skin. When you cut into a chicken, recall the stretchy, translucent layer? That’s fascia. It is similar to a body-stocking just underneath the horse’s skin—-encompassing all the muscles. It extends from the brain to the hooves and everywhere in between. If horses (as well as all mammals) didn’t have fascia, they’d be nothing but a bag of water. Fascia gives us our shape. It also contributes to the health of the horse by increasing transport between the cells, moving nutrients into the cell and toxins out.

 

In addition to its’ location just under the skin, the fascia extends 3-dimensionally throughout the body, encompassing muscles, organs, bones—in short, all structures inside the body.

 

Whenever the fascia has been disturbed in the body, it will be felt other places as well, because of the fascia is so interconnected. It is impossible to influence one area without also influencing others.

 

Because so many of these horses are in such fragile health and some of them have compromised immune systems I don’t try to change the structure of the fascia, as I would endeavor to do in younger, healthy horses. Instead, I work within their energy level.

We Are Thankful......

(In no particular order, for TREES only functions if ALL the pieces, large, small, and in between, are in place……….)

We are thankful for all the support, moral, financial, physical and spiritual, that allows TREES to fill its niche in the world of horse welfare.

We are thankful for being able to work with a veterinary practice, Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic, that not only understands the needs of geriatric equine, but also offers TREES’ residents the same level of customer service that is offered to show barns and top of the line breeders.

We are thankful for every single individual that offers TREES the gift of time, whether he or she comes to the farm weekly, monthly, or occasionally, or staffs special events, spends time researching funding or PR opportunities, works at home, hauls horses, picks up supplies, photographs residents, you name it. You ALL make it work.

We are thankful for Meredith Barlow, of Equidentistry, for her skill in finding whatever loose, fractured, infected, or oddly formed tooth might be causing an otherwise healthy resident to “go off his feed.”

We are thankful for students of all ages, who choose senior horse issues as the focus of field trips, community service or research projects.

We are thankful for animal control officers in surrounding counties who see the line “he’s skinny because he’s old” for the myth it is.

We are thankful for owners of elder horses who ask for advice rather than fall for that same myth.

We are thankful for Ernie Haynes' weekly farrier visits, and his patience with residents who may not be able to lift a leg as high as they did when younger, or who need a little break between feet.

We are thankful for continuing support from “non-traditional” care providers like Jill Deming of Integrated Animal Therapies, Janet Dobbs of Animal Paradise Communication & Healing, and the many volunteers of our Shelter Animal Reiki Association program.

We are thankful to Snow Hill Farm for delivering what seems like a mountain of Triple Crown Senior feed and forage cubes.

We are thankful for the Equine Rescue League (who will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year,) for inspiring the founding of TREES.

We are thankful for area businesses like Tractor Supply Company and Dover Saddlery, that support horse welfare efforts.

We are thankful for Scarlett Grove Stables for retraining a returnee and networking to find the prefect family for her.

We are thankful for all of TREES’ Facebook fans, and blog and web site visitors who help spread the word

We are thankful for Greg Flynn, at Desyne.com for hosting our current web site and for the new layout.

And we are thankful for all of the new friends we meet every year, whether human or equine, veteran horseman or beginner, young or mature. You inspire us with your ideas, motivation and support.

Thank you all. Happy Holidays.

Nathan Update June 6

Nathan is making tiny improvements on several fronts. He is, by no means, out of the woods yet, but at the same time is giving us a tiny bit of hope for the future.

As we posted Sunday, we started first with Nathan’s maggot-infested foot. It appears all the nasty little critters have moved on to greener pastures.

(Sidenote……before anyone tells us we should leave the maggots to clean out the diseased tissue………it’s true that veterinarians sometimes use maggots for that very purpose. However. They use sterile "medical maggots," not those from “wild” flies. )

Back to Nathan and his foot. For the first several days, when we flushed the foot with a strong Epsom Salt solution, the buggers became irritated and began to frantically wiggle around, causing Nathan to stomp his foot. With each stomp, balls of maggots would fall out of crevices and pockets we couldn’t see. It was disgusting and not something I want to see again soon, but some days you just have to hold your breath and do what you gotta do. After three days, no more maggots emerged.

The trick now is keep the flies from re-infesting the foot. Wrapping was not working since it was holding too much moisture in the heel. We want to keep out the flies, but not to promote more moisture loving bacteria while doing so. We found one style of fly boot that fits fairly well down over the heel, but not quite all the way to the ground. Adjust the boot. Spray. Pick up all poop crumbs anywhere in the vicinity. Spray. Adjust boot. Another poop crumb. By the time this is over we’ll have become obsessive about the smallest manure crumb in a stall.

Now that the maggots are a thing of the past, how do we aggressively treat the underlying infection? The former owner told the Animal Control Officer that Nate had canker. We’re not at all sure, at this stage, that canker is the correct diagnosis. We’re hoping the problem is an advanced case of thrush, which will have a much better prognosis. Another vet evaluation will determine that. Meanwhile, we’re treating it as advanced thrush.

The good news about Nate’s feet, other than the departure of the maggots, is that he was able to stand on the infected foot long enough for us to lift and examine the other front foot. Miracle of miracles, it looks pretty normal! The hoof is overgrown and badly in need of trimming, but the frog and sole look healthy.

The second portion of this update concerns Nathan’s balance problems. The vet did not think the source of the trouble was a virus or protozoal infection, but more likely trauma to the spinal cord. That could be good. That could be bad. If the damage was recent, and we can reduce the inflammation, Nate’s neurological symptoms might diminish significantly. If the damage to the spinal cord is long standing, the chances of repair are much lower.

Not knowing the history of this specific issue, we began with a hefty hit of anti-inflammatory medications. Three different drugs were administered the first day, continuing one of them daily until the next vet exam.



Bring in the second wave:

Starting Monday, June 29, we invited quite a few Reiki practitioners to join Nate’s caregiver team. Seven practitioners have been offering Reiki treatments for the past week. Today, a bodywork specialist worked with Nate as well, integrating several techniques into one treatment.

Now…….whether you believe only in Western medicine, or only in “alternative” modalities, it’s undeniable that in some cases, the combination of pharmaceuticals and complementary therapies produces results that can’t be explained.

In all honesty, when Nate first “stepped” off the trailer one week ago, we did not expect to be able to do anything for him other than offer him a few days of good, frequent meals, and then help him on his way “over the bridge.”

Today, we’re thinking there will be much more to the story.

This afternoon, I watched Nate pick up the leg we thought was significantly paralyzed to stomp at a fly. Not once, but three times. And remember the lifeless tail? A week ago, it hung limply with no movement at all. Several days ago, Nate began to lift it slightly. We first noticed this when he lifted it and held it up while having his temperature taken. He could lift straight up, but there was no movement from side to side. Today, however……….Today, Nate not only lifted his tail, but moved it noticeably to the right. To his stronger side. If we see that tail move to the left, you may hear us shouting from somewhere out in Idaho.

The “listing” is also almost gone. Nate now stands more squarely on this hind end, although he does rest the left leg quite often. One more tiny milestone for today was a very (maybe only 20 seconds) short episode of bearing his weight entirely on the left hind to rest the right for just a moment.

Baby steps? You bet. Reasons to keep trying a while longer? You bet! Hope is a powerful thing.

Bodywork at Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary is very fortunate to have Jill Deming, M.A., of Integrated Animal Therapies as one of our complementary healers. Jill is a certified Massage Therapist and member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork. Incorporating massage, acupressure, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy, animal Bowen and equine myofascial structural integration into her practice, Jill integrates elements of several types of bodywork into each visit, based on each animal’s individual needs.

In Jill’s words, here is a basic description of an integrated therapy session:

During my initial bodywork session with each horse, I carefully evaluate each individual. I keep in mind that at this stage in their lives my objective is not to address any dysfunction in the body of the older horse, but simply to help them to be comfortable. This is because many of these horses have dysfunctions in their bodies that they may have been living with for quite some time. They have learned to adjust to these difficulties and their body compensates accordingly. To make any major changes at this point could be catastrophic.

I begin by working at the junction of the head and neck, a neutral non-threatening area of the body, because predators will often attack the head. Initially, I also want to stay out of the kick zone (around the hindquarters), I want to establish that this experience is pleasurable and non-threatening. By allowing the horse to invite me into his personal space, rather than forcing my way in, there is a much better chance of having a successful bodywork session.

For this reason, I use a lot of CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release in my work. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle and non-invasive modality. The CranioSacral system extends from the occiput to the coccyx (tailbone) and is comprised of three membranes (the Dura Mater, Pia Mater and Arachnoid Layer) housed within the spinal cord that are constantly bathed in fluid. This fluid is known as the cerebrospinal fluid. It pulses throughout the life of the horse (also all other animals as well as humans) and influences the movement of the skull bones and the connective tissue (fascia).

Fascia is the layer of connective tissue directly under the skin. When you cut into a chicken, recall the stretchy, translucent layer? That’s fascia. It is similar to a body-stocking just underneath the horse’s skin—-encompassing all the muscles. It extends from the brain to the hooves and everywhere in between. If horses (as well as all mammals) didn’t have fascia, they’d be nothing but a bag of water. Fascia gives us our shape. It also contributes to the health of the horse by increasing transport between the cells, moving nutrients into the cell and toxins out.

In addition to its’ location just under the skin, the fascia extends 3-dimensionally throughout the body, encompassing muscles, organs, bones—in short, all structures inside the body.

Whenever the fascia has been disturbed in the body, it will be felt other places as well, because of the fascia is so interconnected. It is impossible to influence one area without also influencing others.

Because so many of these horses are in such fragile health and some of them have compromised immune systems I don’t try to change the structure of the fascia, as I would endeavor to do in younger, healthy horses. Instead, I work within their energy level.

TREES residents all respond to Jill’s therapeutic touch, but some are more appreciative than others. Each time Jill works with Betty, the mare afflicted with pemphigus, Betty tries to follow her out of the stall as she leaves. Betty’s bodywork is usually followed by a long nap. With so little known about pemphigus in horses, it’s heartening to see Betty respond so positively to these sessions.

In addition to horses and other equine, Jill also works with dogs and cats in Fredericksburg, VA and the surrounding area. Be sure to visit her web site for more information.