Kinesiology Taping In Dogs

After recently attending a brilliant canine kinesiology taping course I am looking forward to adding this into my practice (where suitable).  So let’s take a deep dive into kinesiology taping in dogs.  

What is it? 

Kinesiology Tape is a sticky tape, kinda like a plaster, that is breathable and stretchy.  This makes it perfect for use in therapy as we can alter the stretch of the tape to give us different effects on the body.  If you’d like to find out more about taping, how it’s used and the properties of the tape I recommend this blog- https://www.thysol.co.uk/how-to-tape/canine-kinesiology-taping/  which goes into more depth, but here I am going to focus on the benefits and pit falls of taping for your dog.  

How can it help my dog?

Tape has many uses that can be broadly categorised as follows:

1. Activating muscles to improve muscle mass and strength- Tape via its proprioceptive input helps to activate underlying muscles.  When paired with rehab exercises this helps to maximise the improvement in muscle activation and ultimately muscle mass and strength achieved.  

2. Supporting joints- Using tape to add proprioceptive input and to activate adjacent muscles can help to relieve joint pain and help support weakened joints as rehab. 

3. Reducing pain- When used alongside other therapies taping can be used to improving blood flow and removing facial restrictions (see below) help to reduce pain and also helps to reduce muscle tension and restrictions.

4. Improving blood flow and removing fascial restrictions- Tape on the skin helps to promote blood and lymph flow helping to reduce areas of inflammation that can add to pain.  Tape also helps to reduce pain but allows more room for the fascia (connective tissue) to move under the skin.  

5. Improving proprioception- increasing your dogs awareness of where their body and limbs are in space.  Especially important after injury, in puppies or in neurological conditions.  

What conditions is it used for? 

There are certain conditions that taping cannot be used in these include:

• Dogs with Kidney Disease

• Dogs with skin allergies 

There are also conditions in which Taping has been shown to be really beneficial such as:

• Patella luxation

• CCLR

• Carpal/Tarsal Hyperextension

• Back Pain

• Muscle injuries 

• Neurological conditions

• IVDD

Will the tape stick? 

The most common question I get asked is ‘Will the tape stick?’ and in most cases yes!  But if your dog has a long or dense coat then you would need to shorten the coat before applying tape.