Let’s Chat About Our Pets Podcast · Nature's Therapies Animal Behaviour

S2, Ep11: Guest Speaker ~ Maddi from Align Equine & Canine Therapy ~ Physiotherapy for your pets

June 16, 2025·30 min·1 clip

The owners learned to massage their dog through weekly video calls while Maddy watched and coached them.

The hosts introduce Maddi as a physio who works with dogs and horses. Maddi says her work is hands-on and built around manual techniques. She describes using those techniques to warm through muscles and help them heal. The conversation keeps returning to the link between pain and behavior. The hosts note that discomfort can have a huge impact on how an animal acts. They explain that this is why they bring a physio into the process. Maddi talks about cases where behavior and body work are already happening together, and the hosts say those cases are working well. Maddi also explains how she moved into animal physio after starting out in human sports therapy. She says she originally went to college for sports therapy after school, then worked in a gym doing sports therapy and personal training. After lockdown, she wanted something new and began looking at animal physio. The hosts and Maddi then talk about situations where an animal is not clearly injured but still feels tight and uncomfortable. They discuss how stress can cause an animal to hold its muscles rigid for a long time, which can make the whole body stiff and sore. That can also make reactions to triggers more physically uncomfortable. Maddi says she thinks about treatment time frames based on where the dog is at rather than a fixed rule. For stress release and similar maintenance work, she suggests regular treatment across the year. She says every quarter, or every new season, is a good rhythm to think about. She points out that bodies change through the seasons and mentions molting and sweating as examples. The hosts also talk about teaching owners ways to help at home while behavior work is still ongoing. Maddi says that approach can mean the animal gets support sooner, and she says she will use it more as an option. The episode closes with the hosts thanking Maddi for her time and practical advice.

As heard by us

A plainspoken look at pet physio, behavior, and the link between comfort and movement.

Maddi from Align Equine and Canine Therapy presents pet physio as hands-on, practical care centered on stiffness, stress, and recovery in dogs and horses.

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Why you'd press play

For when your pet's stiffness may be tied to a bigger pain-and-behavior loop.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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