We, as Animal Bowen Therapy Practitioners use our assessment skills to see and feel for mobility issues without diagnosing. We use these skills to determine our course of action and to evaluate the noted changes throughout the weeks of ABT sessions.
The more you see, feel and observe the animal, the more effective you become!
Note: We NEVER diagnose, that's the Veterinarians job!!!
4 key Assessment skills you are using thus far:
1. While doing your case studies you have recorded the dogs medical and life history.
2. You continuously use your visual skills to see how the dog holds itself both at rest and in motion.
At rest: we look for their unique natural stance, how they weight bear, the position of their limbs as they stand, sit or lay.
In motion: we look from the back, the front, the side, and the top. Noticing the tail and head position, hip and shoulder evenness, stiffness, energy, weight bearing, smoothness of gait and so on.
3. You use your hands to feel for: lumps and bumps, heat, inflammation, muscle tone, and bone structure.
4. Taking pictures and video adds enormous skill to your visual learning! Creates excellent cases studies too!
By far, the best way to hone your assessment skills is to be obsessive at looking at dogs!
Never miss an opportunity to watch a dog in action. You don't need to be looking for fault, just LOOK, and note what the dog is presenting.
Video 1
Teaming up with a Dog, Energy Ours and Theirs
Page 16-19
Video 2
Assessing a dog with your hands
Page 20
Bonus Thinking: Each and every Move in itself is an assessment!
As I do a pre-session assessment, I often find myself placing my hands briefly over each of the R15-WBB Moves. This gives me a good read of the dog's body and where I need to pay extra attention during the session.
Video 3
Spinal Crawl ~ Page 21 in your manual
Video 4
Shimmer Slide ~ Page 21 in your manual
Video 5
Visual Assessments ~ Page 22 in your manual
Bonus Assessment: fur changes
Video 6 ~ Bonus video
A closer look at observing the tail and the foot pads.
Bonus Thinking: Can you see what I see?
Video 7
Head Bobbing and Weight Transferring ~ Page 24 in your manual
The head bob indicates a front end injury (or a major compensation for a back end injury)
Watch this Youtube video as shown in your manual: Introduction to Canine Lameness by Ben Walton here.
Video 8 ~ Bonus video
An example of a combined Head and Tail Bob
The below videos are from third parties, I feel that they add value to your assessment skills.
If you come across more of these type of videos let me know, and I'll add them here for your fellow Students to watch (thank you)
Walk, amble, pace and trot in Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYHZ0Qfy4PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqBcBsmMQVA
Dog Steps - This is a long one, yet it has some very valuable information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlEPmaVxNOc&t=1101s
German Shepherd with knee injury. Watch the leg, the hip movement , the head...examine all the ways this dog is compensating for his injury!
FYI: Once the dog lays down you can stop the video as there is nothing else to watch.
I recommend that you watch this video several times and focus on all the individual parts of the body.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhyUis26K-o
Elbow Dysplasia (Note the head bob. When the injured leg touches the ground the head comes up. This takes weight off the sore limb)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofdNLZjUsH8