We need your help! At The Gentle Barn, we are dedicated to providing the best care for the animals we rescue and rehabilitate. To help them continue to thrive, we need your support to provide unique gentle care, keeping them healthy, happy, and comfortable. We understand that when you donate, you want to know where your contributions go and the impact they have. We're here to take you through the rehabilitation process for our animals and the wide variety of healing and life-saving treatments different animals receive, based on their needs.
There are 3 categories of healing animals:
- New animals who need rehabilitation for a specific amount of time, but then heal and live a long happy life with us.
- Animals who need ongoing care for the rest of their lives and we need to find the appropriate level to maintain their mobility and comfort.
- Animals who are at the final stretch of their lives and need much more to try to get them to live as long as possible.
Massage Therapy is an essential component of the care we provide. Some of our animals have faced a life of hard work, like carriage horses. Others, like those rescued from factory farms, spent their earliest moments crammed inside small cages, unable to stretch their legs or wings. Whether the issue is from overuse or underuse of the muscles, the pain is the same. Massage therapy lessens the aches, relaxes tension, soothes the nervous system, and promotes circulation to the tissue, which can quicken the healing process.
Massage therapy is particularly helpful for our many senior animals, who were often bred for their flesh and genetically modified to reach unnaturally large sizes. This, in turn, puts pressure on their joints and impacts their mobility. Massages soothe away any discomfort and keeps them comfortable and healthy.
Acupuncture for many of our animals has become a valuable therapeutic treatment to improve their comfort and overall health. This ancient art of healing increases blood flow and accelerates the body’s healing process while aiding in toxin removal. Similar to a soothing massage, acupuncture serves as a natural relaxant that works wonders on stiffness and mobility issues that many of our senior rescued animals face. Acupuncture also enhances digestive functions and soothes respiratory concerns due to its anti-inflammatory and immune-system properties.
Cold + Heat Therapy is vital to our care. As winter approaches, it's important to remember that both our senior animals and those dealing with arthritis or joint stiffness will need a little extra care. When we apply cold packs to their sore spots, it gently constricts blood vessels, reducing swelling and inflammation, and even helping their muscles relax. The chill also eases their pain by soothing their nerves. This makes it a valuable tool in keeping our rescued animals comfortable and on the fast track to recovery. On the flip side, there's heat therapy. Heat helps reduce stiffness and muscle spasms, while encouraging better blood flow, which in turn eases their discomfort. As we transition into the colder months, these therapy options become essential in keeping our seniors and animals with arthritis comfortable and ready to face the winter head-on.
Physical Therapy + Its Various Forms is needed for our animals that come from diverse backgrounds, and many have faced horrific neglect and abuse. Some have been overworked, others experienced injuries that were not given medical attention, and some were crammed into small enclosures without the ability to run or play, causing their muscles to underdevelop. Physical therapy can assist with restoring injured tissues and improve injured tissues' strength and balance.
Chiropractic Care for our animals offers numerous benefits, including the treatment of musculoskeletal issues, reducing stiffness and tension, improving overall performance, maintaining good health in old age, and providing a drug-free, non-invasive, and natural approach to pain relief and enhanced well-being.
Your support and dedication ensures that these rescued animals receive the specialized care they need. Winter is hard on all of our animals, but the cold is especially difficult for the seniors who suffer from arthritis. We’re stocking up on warm straw, winter feed, and making gentle care plans to help our seniors through the season. To help them continue to thrive, we need your help to provide unique gentle care, keeping them healthy, happy, and comfortable. Make a donation today to support our work and be a part of their healing journey.