Drug-Free Alternatives in Animal Pain Management
Athletic tape isn’t just for the 2-legged athletes anymore! It’s safe and effective for animals too. Animals, whether house pets or equine, can benefit from proper taping. Sometimes our pets work as hard as we do, if not harder. Isn’t it time we start treating them like we treat ourselves?
How is tape good for my pet?
Just like their human counterparts, animals can experience the same kind of pains related to physical work. They love us, so let’s start loving them back better. Proper taping can decrease pain, swelling, speed up healing time, and promote nerve stimulation during movement or exercise. “Proper” is really the operative word here! Remember that taping, regardless of where or with what brand of tape, should always be done with professional supervision, medical assistance or training.
Meridian Flow
Have you ever heard of meridian flow? It’s also been referred to as Qi (pronounced ‘chee’). For those who follow it, this is the manner in which energy travels through the body of animals (including humans), just like blood and nerve signals. This is part of a school of thought belonging to traditional Chinese medicine. These meridian flows correlate with acupuncture points and some say can prevent the build-up of stagnant energy, which can cause agitation and stress, negatively impacting an animal’s quality of life. Check out this great article including an explanation of how this works.
Remember, when taping an animal, be careful of their hair and fur. Use prewrap whenever possible, and take advantage of cohesive tapes. These are both effective in providing compression and support and can be gently removed for a dressing change or at the end of treatment.
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