Can massage calm anxious dogs?
07 Jul, 2016
In humans, stress is related to feelings of fear and anxiety which lead to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system (flight or fight response) and activates the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and endocrine systems.
In dogs, physiological indicators of stress, such as the presence of certain neurotransmitters in the blood, mirror those in humans as do some behavioural reactions. (Beerda et al 1998, Lee et al 2011)
Massage can reduce stress reactions.
