Using Fingertips in Dog Massages

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Mary and I'm with expertvillage.com and today we're going to talk about using your fingertips as a way to see how your pet is doing. Now your fingertips are very very sensitive, once you've learned how to use them as such. When you first start pet massage, you're probably not going to be able to feel a whole lot except things that are very noticeable. Don't despair. In time, you will find your fingertips will become very very sensitive. Same way as a blind person's fingertips become sensitive. When you want to assess your animal which you want to do at every massage session, you take usually your first three fingers, not so much the thumb and the little one, you're going to start at the tip of the nose and just very gently, follow, note to yourself any bumps you feel, note anytime that the skin feels warmer or cooler than the surrounding area, these are all signs that there may be something wrong. You're going to do this very slowly, very methodically, you're going to do the entire back and then you're going to go down through the legs. You're going to do the stomach area and the tail. Make sure you cover every inch of your animal."