By Page H. Gifford
Alternative medicine and therapies are not just for humans anymore.
Some are now realizing what helps them heal could heal their pets.
The word that best describes what Lake Monticello resident Bettejeanne
Hammond does is "animal bodywork." Since 1997 Hammond has
been working with dogs, horses and cats to enhance animal muscular
skeletal function through the rebalancing and retoning of muscles,
improving joint function and range of motion.
A nationally certified medical muscle and joint therapist specializing
in animal care, Hammond is a member of the American Massage Therapy
Association and a Reiki Master. Hammond is also certified to work with
horses. Certifications include equine anatomy at Equiken of Loveland,
Colo. and applied equine massage at Equissage of Northern Virginia.
Asked what piqued her interest in animal therapy, Hammond said, “My
three yellow Labs were involved in hunting, training and some field
work and had occasional muscle pulls and strains, and one a gradual
gait change. The conventional approach to these conditions is
medication and crate rest. But neither of those approaches addressed
the causes of the symptoms.”
Hammond’s animal studies have broadened and deepened over the
past nine years.
“I started applying my learning right away, thanks to my holistic
vet, who had encouraged me to take the training,” she said.
However, Hammond does stress that owners should always seek the advice
of a veterinarian before trying alternative methods.
“My work with the animals is adjunctive,” states Hammond, “the
bodywork is in addition to conventional and holistic veterinary care.
It is never recommended or intended as a substitute.”
Hammond applies her hands-on methods in different ways for different
reasons, according to the age and needs of the animal. She works
primarily with dogs and horses, but works with cats as well.
“A lot of my small animal work is with older dogs: those with
diminishing mobility due to age or disease. Of the three species of
animal I work with, dogs are hands-down the most open to the work,”
she said.
Her work with horses is mostly with competition horses, the aged and
arthritic or the injured.
“I have been working with a seriously injured horse in Northern
Virginia for several months now. She is a rare case of survival of a
type of bone break that usually leads to being put down. Her owner has
been very dedicated to pursuing therapies to assist her,” she said.
“Horses respond in a very interesting way to my work. They test me
when I first start to work with them. While they are not resistant,
they make no effort to cooperate until they have decided whether I
know what I am doing. Once they have made that decision, they will
often direct me to their areas of discomfort. I have had horses
present a leg or move their back or stretch their neck,” she said.
“I’ve always been amused by the manner in which cats approach the
work. It is always clear that they are in charge. We start when they
are ready, and it's over when they say so. They withhold judgment
until they feel I am working in the right place with the right issue.
At that point, any resistance usually disappears. That is, until they
decide we're done.”
Hammond adds: “Hands-on work with an older animal is a very good way
to monitor the presence of unnatural external growths and/or unusual
reactions to palpation of the body that could indicate an internal
problem to be looked at by a vet. I always have the guardian feel
whatever I might discover that seems outside the norm.”
Hammond uses muscle massage, T-Touch, cranial-sacral balancing,
healing touch, passive joint rotation and neuromuscular repatterning.
“I never work ‘on’ animals; I always work ‘with’ them. This
means that connecting with an animal is an important first step in my
work,” said Hammond.
“I approach a work session with an attitude of openness and respect
for the animal. The animal feels less apprehension, and can grow in
trust that nothing will be imposed on him against his will. In doing
my work I never constrain the animal, but prefer to allow it to
‘settle in’ at its own pace. How it moves around and how it
responds to the environment provides a lot of information.”
She feels that it is important to understand that assisting animals
therapeutically is not an event; it is a process in which the
guardian, the animal and the therapist are all equally invested.
Hammond currently conducts her practice by going to people's homes,
mostly in the Charlottesville area.
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