Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/135515
four-legged clients Denise Theobald took everything she learned in the human world and applied it to cats and dogs. Acupressure Institute in Castle Pines, Colorado, and the authors of eight textbooks on animal acupressure. Snow estimates about one-third of the roughly 300 graduates of the Tallgrass program now have blended practices. "We have quite a few licensed massage therapists in our program," says Snow, who originally trained in Chinese medicine nearly 40 years ago and teamed with Zidonis 15 years ago. "They come because they want to expand to serve the whole family, not just people and not just horses." Tallgrass has lately begun promoting tui na, an ancient form of Chinese acupressure massage, as especially appropriate for animals. Snow says animals are highly responsive to the tui na techniques of "dredging," or clearing the meridians through grasping, holding, kneading, pressing, pounding, pushing, rolling, rubbing, and other manual manipulations. At Tallgrass, Snow teaches a set of 11 different hand techniques, each with a subset of at least three different movements. "You're not doing massage in the same way, but working with meridians and specific acupoints," she says. "The movement and techniques are very soothing and repetitive. In some ways, it's like massage, but tui na is specific to working with meridians." Expanding Your Market From a business standpoint, it makes a lot of sense for massage therapists and other bodyworkers to expand their practices to include animals, as it substantially broadens the pool of potential clients. What's more, many pet owners willingly invest in services to enhance their animal's well-being, even when they won't spend the money on themselves. That's why US spending on pets in 2013 is expected to top $55 billion, up nearly 28 percent since 2008. Last year, Inc. magazine declared pet care one of the best industries for starting a new business. But working with animals isn't for every bodyworker. "You do have to know about animals," Snow says. "You have to have a background in animals, and you have to love them. You also have to have enough knowledge to keep yourself safe." Snow has worked on everything from cats and dogs to ferrets, minks, and rabbits, and Zidonis has worked on a variety of larger animals, including goats and sheep. "She's helped deliver baby goats by using acupressure points to help the contractions," Snow says. "It's amazing how receptive any animal is when they're not feeling good." Many pet owners willingly invest in services to enhance their animals' well-being, even when they won't spend the money on themselves. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 99