A room full of back rubs and gravy bones awaits the lucky pooches that are booked in for a massage at the K9 Massage Clinic in Stirling.

Each dog strolls up the path to the clinic as they arrive for their afternoon appointment knowing that they are in for a treat; an hour of relaxation and help with any pain relief.

A polite bark is heard as they greet Catriona Dickson, the massage therapist, and then they head through to the room of every dog's dreams and kick back after a "ruff" day.

Five years ago graphic designer Catriona decided she wanted a career change and with her love of dogs, canine massage therapy was an obvious choice. So, she opened up her own clinic and started pampering the pooches.

"It's very similar to human massage; we use myofascial release, sports, deep tissue and Swedish massage techniques to release aching muscles, tight muscles and lengthen muscles," says Catriona.

"We are rehabilitating soft tissue injury commonly seen as lameness and supporting orthopaedic conditions like arthritis and hip dysplasia."

It may sound like an excuse to get your pup pampered but canine massage therapy has a whole range of health benefits and is now becoming more recognised within the veterinary world.

Catriona says: "I get dogs with orthopaedic conditions, things like hip dysplasia and arthritis, spondylosis to name but a few.

"We are specifically searching for strains, torn muscles, trigger points, areas of pain and tension and aiming to release them and relieve the muscles and give the dog more flexibility and movement.

"Vets have started referring dogs to me that can no longer tolerate painkillers and anti-inflammatories aren't making the difference that the dog needs so they have started coming along for muscular release and getting great results."

With clinics in Stirling, Forfar, Montrose, Coupar Angus and West Calder and the possibility of a new one in Fife, the world of dog massage is rife.

However, a session of sitting back and relaxing isn't for every dog, and some are referred back to their vet in hopes of another treatment that will suit them better.

Catriona says: "It doesn't work for every condition. We recommend three sessions to get the best results and if there are results to be had you will see it within those three sessions and then we will take a view on what the dog needs going forward.

"If there's no improvement to the lameness or reluctances then we send the dogs back to the vet."

Name: Jack

Breed: Greyhound

Owner: Roy and Yolanda Robertson

Jack used to be at the top of his game as a successful race dog. Now aged six, and retired from racing, he has discovered muscle issues which are common in ex-sporting greyhounds.

His owner, Roy, says: "We couldn't get him up on his feet, it just happened all of a sudden. He had been limping a bit and then we came down of a morning and found that he couldn't move. We got him up eventually; it was very difficult getting him into the car because he normally just jumps up.

"He used to go clattering up the stairs and he couldn't do it any longer so he was treated with various painkillers and medications and eventually he recovered,.

"We tried all sorts of things, we tried acupuncture and then through Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary, the agency that had been responsible for Jack, we got the name of Canine massage here and it all followed on after that."

Name: Cooper

Breed: Staffordshire Terrier Cross

Owner: Donna Murray

Cooper was rescued by his owner a year ago, but his history was unknown. So, when he was having issues socialising with other people and dogs, his owner didn't know what to do.

Donna says: "I got Cooper out of a rescue centre and he was quite stiff in his back end and he had a virus and he had to be kept in over the weekend and his back end completely went.

"The vet said it was slight arthritis and he had seized up so I had started looking for alternative therapies to medication and that's when I found Catriona.

"He is like a different dog. He'll be eight in two weeks and he is running about like a puppy and before he was always stiff and always stretching and wasn't engaging in play with dogs."

Name: Chloe

Breed: Cocker spaniel

Owner: Anne McMenemy

Chloe wanders into the room and instantly climbs up onto the sofa and hops onto the massage table; she knows what she is here for.

She suffers from several issues including hip dysplasia, spondylosis and other muscular injuries so comes to the clinic to help with pain management.

Her owner, Anne, says: "My vet recommended canine massage therapy to help my cocker spaniel Chloe through a difficult time with her joints and muscles. At this point I had not heard of canine massage.

"Now, I rely on it so much in helping keep Chloe mobile and limiting her pain relief medication.

"We count ourselves lucky to have such a wonderful therapist in Catriona Dickson. She is absolutely wonderful in all aspects of her work, and has a great persona at making our best friends feel relaxed. Chloe is so happy and moved freely after her treatments."