Upstate pups give a big paws-up to Suzanne Golden’s holistic treatments at Four Balanced Paws.
Suzanne Golden can’t remember a time when she didn’t love animals. From sneaking in to cuddle newborn puppies after her parents bred the family’s German Shepherd to starting a successful petsitting business in Florida, Golden has always been happiest in the presence of animals.
In 2013, Golden’s beloved mutt, Walter, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the vet gave him six months to live. “The traditional veterinary protocol was to offer people an option to put the dog down at that point,” Golden says. “I was not going to do that.”
Fortunately, she was working with an integrative vet where she was living in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. She began giving Walter Chinese herbs and exploring other modalities such as massage, essential oils, and Healing Touch for Animals. “Walter lived four more years and he did great,” Golden reports. Amazed by Walter’s positive response to energy work, she became certified as a Canine Massage Therapist and a Healing Touch for Animals practitioner and started St. Pete Canine Massage in Florida in 2016.
The following year, Golden and her husband, Rob, moved to Greenville, where she changed the name of her company to Four Balanced Paws. Business was slow at first, giving her time to add Reiki and other therapies to her toolbox. Now she stays busy working with canine clients and volunteering her healing hands to area rescues, shelters, and sanctuaries.
One of the few practitioners of anything these days who does home visits, Golden lets the animal lead when it comes to treatment. “I go in and just see what the dog needs. I always have my cold laser, tuning forks, and essential oils. It’s very individualized care, [dictated by how] the dog responds to it. If a dog doesn’t like something, I try something else,” she explains. “Animals know what they need; it’s an amazing thing if you just allow them to show you.”
Working in harmony with conventional medical treatments, massage, Healing Touch, and cold laser therapies can help alleviate pain from injuries, surgery, and chronic conditions like arthritis. Reiki—be it via an in-person or a distant treatment—can address emotional trauma and stress, especially in rescued and abused animals.
While Golden’s furry clients show their gratitude with wagging tails and lots of slobbery kisses, making an animal feel better makes her feel good, too. As she says, “There’s nothing better than having my hands on a dog.”
Healing Hands
The therapies that Suzanne Golden offers just might give your dog a new leash on life
Animal Reiki is a Japanese technique of energy work used for stress reduction, relaxation, and to promote healing.
Canine Massage can reduce stress and anxiety, improve circulation, support gastrointestinal issues, improve mobility, reduce soreness, alleviate age-related disorders, improve performance in sporting and working dogs, and aid in pain management.
Cold Laser/Red Light Therapy for Animals helps to decrease inflammation and pain.
Craniosacral Therapy for Dogs is a hands-on holistic therapy that uses light touch to calm and rebalance the nervous system.
Healing Touch for Animals combines gentle touch and energy techniques to promote healing, reduce pain and anxiety, and improve overall well-being.
Vibrational Therapy for Animals employs tuning forks to apply sound and vibration to the body. The frequencies produced by the tuning forks help balance energy, relieve tension, and promote relaxation.
Four Balanced Paws, 727.421.1426, fourbalancedpaws.com
