Chiropractic Care and Pets
What Is Chiropractic Care for Dogs?
Chiropractic care is a holistic approach to many behavioral and health issues in dogs. Chiropractic care is not a substitute for traditional veterinary medicine and surgery, but it does provide an alternative method of care.
Chiropractic adjustments have proven to be very valuable in detecting and treating existing abnormalities as well as other behavioral and aggression issues. They have also been shown to relieve back and neck pain in dogs.
How Can I Tell if My Dog Needs Chiropractic Care?
There are numerous common tensions or traumatic situations, such as the birthing process, which can cause abnormal or restricted movement in the spine. This change in the spine’s normal movement is what chiropractors call a «subluxation.” When a subluxation occurs, the dog’s spine loses its normal flexibility.
This results in stiffness, which leads to resistance and a decline in behavior. The most common symptoms associated with vertebral subluxations are pain, which can manifest in various ways. Dogs in pain will exhibit compensatory changes in posture and gait. These changes can place strain on other joints and muscles.
Symptoms such as stiffness, a negative mental attitude, abnormalities in gait, or muscle atrophy (weakness) are generally associated with spinal misalignments.
Subluxations can also cause changes in muscle coordination and flexibility that affect the ability to the dog's behavior. These symptoms may include a lack of coordination while walking, unusual and perhaps indefinable abnormalities in gait that vary from leg to leg and change depending on the way the dog walks, stiffness in lateral movements of the neck or back, walking in a straight line (like on a leash), shortened strides in one or both limbs, an inability to use the hind thighs, or difficulty bending.
Common complaints from dog owners include stiffness and reluctance to move in a certain direction, irritability, reduced activity, and sensitivity to touch—such as when being brushed.
How Can a Chiropractor Adjust My Dog?
Once the initial examination is complete, the veterinary chiropractor will perform an adjustment on the affected area of the spine to restore normal joint movement and relieve muscle spasms and pain.
A chiropractic adjustment is very precise and is performed at high speed, using a controlled, low force applied by one hand, directed toward a specific joint.
How Many Treatments Will My Dog Need?
There are several factors that determine the number and frequency of adjustments needed to correct the problem. The dog's age and physical condition are important: young, healthy dogs will generally require fewer adjustments than older dogs or those with serious health problems.
The severity of the problem is another important factor: if permanent damage has occurred, a return to full flexibility may not be possible, and multiple adjustments may be needed to achieve the greatest possible flexibility. The length of time the problem has been present is also an important factor: long-standing or chronic problems typically require more adjustments to correct than acute problems.
The Veterinary/Chiropractic Team
Chiropractic care can also be a valuable resource for veterinarians treating lameness. The goal here is to identify the primary source of pain, rather than treating what might be a secondary source.
Chiropractic care offers expertise in evaluating back and joint problems, which can provide veterinarians with additional diagnostic tools and early treatment options for certain lameness issues, particularly conservative biomechanical treatment related to musculoskeletal disorders.
It is important to note that chiropractic care should in no way be considered a substitute for conventional veterinary medicine, but rather a valid treatment that can be used in conjunction with other treatments for many lameness issues.
And, just as with any health-related issue or illness your dog may have, it's important to contact your veterinarian so that he or she can evaluate your dog for any underlying medical conditions that may be causing similar symptoms.
Marc Bony,DC
quiropractica1.com
