Why not share the benefits of heat with your pets? Horses, dogs and cats can all benefit from heat therapy or simply, the added luxury of warmth.
Heat therapy can help to reduce aches and pains. By placing a heat source directly on or near the site of pain, blood flow to that area is increased. This in turn allows essential oxygen and nutrients to be directed to the area, which helps to aid recovery. An increase in circulation also causes an increase in lymphatic drainage, helping to flush away toxins that may have built up in that area.
Heat therapy, therefore is not an out and out cure, but can help to ease the pain of muscle stiffness and tension and can also help to alleviate the pain of arthritis, rheumatism and other forms of joint stiffness.
Like cryotherapy, heat therapy overall is used to decrease pain and inflammation and speed healing. The difference is that cryotherapy is used by itself during phase 1 inflammation, and heat therapy is typically used along with cryotherapy during phase 2 inflammation. Heat therapy should be used no earlier than 72 hours post-surgery or injury. When cryotherapy and heat therapy are applied together, they are typically done as follows: cryotherapy for 10 minutes; heat therapy for 10 minutes; cryotherapy for 10 minutes. This sequence is repeated up to 3 times daily.
- Increases the collagen's (healing tissue) ability to stretch
- Increases blood flow
- Decreases pain
- Increases enzyme activity (which speeds healing).
- Increases muscle contractility and stretching capability
There are many well-documented properties of heat therapy. Warming muscles prior to exercise should result in increased relaxation, suppleness and mobility due to an increase in circulation caused by the heat. Heat therapy is also beneficial after exercise to ease the pain of tired, aching muscles.
 Because of its effects on circulation, metabolism and nerves, heat plays a vital role in the rehabilitation of chronic injuries. Such injuries, defined as having symptoms that persist or develop over time, present a special challenge to diagnose and to treat in horses.
Horses can adapt and compensate by shifting weight from the injured area to another limb; unfortunately, this results in more strain on other parts of the body. When these compensatory changes exhaust the supporting structures, atrophy and lameness develop from disuse of the painful area.
With chronic injuries, it is essential to address the cause of pain and dysfunction, not just the symptoms. Among the types of injuries and conditions which can benefit from heat therapy are:
 
Arthritis is a chronic, degenerating disease that begins as inflammation of the joint, bursa, and surrounding tendons. Progressive loss of cartilage and bony overgrowth due to metabolic changes causes pain and associated reduced range of motion in the effected joint, and disuse weakness and atrophy of associated muscles.
 
Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon, or soft tissue structure that connects muscle to bone.
Bursitis is an inflammation of the structure that produces lubricating fluid to reduce friction between a muscle or tendon and a bone.
 
Adhesive capsulitis results from chronically reduced joint function. Pain restricts range of motion, leading to a shortening of the fascia and connective tissue surrounding that joint.
Muscle soreness can result from physical stress, or be a physical manifestation of emotional stress. When pain from injury or illness is present, the body tends to protect or guard the injured area by mechanisms such a muscle contraction. This constant muscle tension drains the body's physical energy, and the constant feedback from the pain site distracts the brain from full concentration of the task at hand.
 
An abscess is a pus-filled cavity, the pus consisting of tissue fluid, white blood cells, cell debris, and bacteria. An abscess in a horse's hoof is particularly troublesome, because the sole and hoof wall cannot expand with the buildup of pus. This causes a great deal of pain, and can lead to separation of the sole or hoof wall and the pedal bone, if not treated appropriately. A sole abscess is often the result of a puncture wound of the sole of the hoof, or a sole bruise that becomes infected. A hoof wall abscess, also called "gravel", develops when a tiny particle of dirt or debris works its way into the tissue beneath the hoof wall through the less dense "white line". As the infection develops, it travels up the hoof wall, between the laminae tissue, following a path of least resistance, often breaking out at the coronary band.
Friends often say to me that 'people see me coming', as the animals that arrive on my doorstep often appear to have problems. For instance, my dog and cats are all from rescue centers. In fact, 1 of the cats was found on the side of the road after an accident resulting in a broken pelvis. This cat has always had slight stiffness in his lower back region due to the injuries he suffered as a kitten and he relishes every opportunity to lie directly on top of heat sources.
My sister's Golden Retriever is 9 years old and is starting to suffer stiffness around her hip joints. As with the cat, she too benefits from heat therapy.
My horse suffers from what some may call a "cold back". Basically, this problem is partly physical and partly psychological. The physical issue involves his muscles being tense on initial exercise, a problem that has arisen due to him having unequal muscle development around his quarters when I first bought him. Therefore, he requires quite a long warm up period before he truly relaxes. However, he is a sensitive horse and can sometimes be quite 'spooky' when I get him out of the stable, ready for exercise. As soon as he becomes 'spooky', he tnses his muscles, which makes riding him uncomfortable for him, which in turn makes him tense his muscles further.
In the past, I used to work as an Equine Sports Therapist and so I am aware of many pieces of therapeutic equipment. My problem however, was that I really wanted to buy a Heat Pad product that wasn't too expensive, was reusable and more importantly of all, didn't require electricity, as at the yard where I keep my horse we only have access to electricity via a generator. My aim was to buy a product that gave me the freedom to warm it up as and when I needed it, so that for example I could use it whilst traveling to and from shows or as a warm up prior to exercise. In other words, I didn't want a product that I had to heat in the microwave and rush up to the yard to use before it went cold!
Back pain is not limited to my animals. I have also suffered from pain in my lower back, which is due to years of equestrian type physical abuse: carrying water buckets, hay bales and mucking out! So, I know first hand just how relaxing heat therapy can be.
From knowing exactly what I wanted, but not being able to purchase it in any of my local saddler shops, I decided to source for products and sell them myself. After all, if I've been looking for this type of product, then no doubt many other people have as well. Hopefully now, many other people…cats, dogs and horses can all share the benefits of these no nonsense, portable, reusable, heat pad products.
From family pets to racing greyhounds, heat therapy can help to warm muscles prior to exercise and therefore ease tension and stiffness of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. In turn, this should result in increased suppleness, flexibility and mobility. |
