Dogs, like people, can suffer from aches and pains in their bodies, especially as they get older and more prone to injury. But injuries are not something that just affects elderly animals; even younger dogs can twist a knee, injure a hip, or have their spine out of alignment. If these disorders are not treated, they can develop long-term problems that can damage the person’s ability to move and be flexible, which will ultimately affect their quality of life over time. Ongoing difficulties with the spine or the joints can also make it more difficult for your furry family members to fend against illness.

Chiropractic treatment may be of use. A natural, non-invasive, and drug-free treatment, chiropractic care for dogs can help them recover from injuries, ease the burden of living with arthritis, and, if started early enough, prevent some of the illnesses that plague older dogs. Chiropractic care is a natural treatment that is non-invasive.

Which Pets Will Benefit Most?

The most obvious candidates for chiropractic care are animals like dogs who have evident spinal or joint ailments (such limping or having trouble moving their head, for example).

When coordinated with a veterinarian as part of a larger treatment plan, chiropractic care can be of greater help to your pet than simply administering a cortisone shot, which merely numbs the pain but does not treat the underlying cause of the issue.

Additionally, it is very helpful for senior pets, working dogs, show dogs and agility-trained dogs, and working cats. These are some of the types of pets that are more likely to experience issues with their neck, spine, and joints than others.

In addition, animals that have difficulty eating, have arthritis, suffer from acute stiffness or muscle spasms, or have hip dysplasia may also reap the benefits of this treatment.

In addition, chiropractic treatment can be utilized to proactively prevent future issues from occurring.

Long Term Benefits

When your pet is out of alignment, his joints will endure increased wear and tear, similar to how the wear and tear on an automobile are aggravated when it is out of alignment. The trouble is that there is no simple way to detect if your dog or cat is out of alignment until she starts having problems later in life, and by then, it may be too late.

It is too late to treat a problem like arthritis once it has reached the point where your veterinarian can identify it. The effects of use and abuse cannot be reversed. Even though chiropractic treatments will help an older dog feel relief and regain some range of motion, the condition will not be fixed by these treatments.

Inflammation in the body can be reduced to a manageable level by chiropractic treatment, which helps prevent further health issues. The immune system is weakened by inflammation, making it more difficult for your pet to fight off other diseases and, of course, contributing to the development of arthritis. Even scheduling an appointment with a chiropractor for your dog once every few years can be helpful in this regard.

What Kind of Adjustments Do Chiropractors Make to Dogs?

In order to realign your pet, chiropractors who treat dogs may utilize spinal manipulation or manual joint treatment on the animal. However, in order for them to be able to achieve that, they first need to determine what the root of the issue is.

Veterinary chiropractic care for animals

When your dogs next engage in play, make sure you keep a close eye on them. There is a good chance that they are wrestling, rolling around on the ground, or jumping on top of one another. It could be entertaining for them, but it could also be physically taxing on them. As a direct consequence of this, diseases relating to the spine, hips, and knees are among the most prevalent ailments that chiropractors treat in dogs.

It is also not uncommon for the jaw or the neck of a dog to be positioned incorrectly. Your pet may have trouble eating, opening his mouth, or bending his head down to reach the food bowl as a result of this. It is possible that this is the reason why your furry friend is not eating, even though they appear to be in good health elsewhere.

Chiropractors will utilize non-invasive, gentle manipulations to realign your pet as part of the treatment for any of these conditions. Some treatments are as straightforward as giving your dog a light pull on his hind legs in order to stretch out his spine. Alternately, you might apply a slight amount of pressure on your dog’s neck, timing it to coincide with her breaths in and out.

The benefit may not appear to be all that great at first glance, but it could be quite significant.

When working on the spine, for example, shifting misplaced discs in the spine back into their normal position can relieve pressure on the nerve tissues that are surrounding the spine, which in turn can alleviate the discomfort that was being caused by the inflamed nerves. Realignment also has the potential to restore some or all of the full range of motion of your dog.

If your dog is going to receive chiropractic treatment, he may require anywhere from five to six appointments (which is equivalent to weeks or months) in order to heal completely. This is especially true in the case of significant injuries and/or if the general health of your pet is not fantastic.

How can I determine whether or not my animal needs to see a chiropractor?

Animals are unable to communicate when and where they are in pain; nevertheless, if you know what signs to look for, they will show you. One of the most prevalent signs that your pet may be in pain and could benefit from chiropractic care is a change in behavior, such as less energy, sleeping more, being grouchy or unhappy, or perhaps simply not acting as they have in the past. Pain and sensitivity to touch are two more indications that your animal companion can benefit from chiropractic treatment, as well as:

  • Limping
  • Paralysis of the back legs
  • Balance problems caused by vestibular disease
  • Allergies
  • Digestive Issues
  • Seizures
  • Stiffness
  • Excessive licking of a limb 
  • Incontinence (decreased bowel or bladder control) 
  • sitting with both of the back legs angled to one side while seated
  • Having trouble ascending or descending stairs, hopping on furniture, or entering or exiting cars
  • Lack of willingness to participate in regular physical activity
  • Adapted body language (roached back, swayed back etc)
  • spasms of the muscles, a loss of muscular mass, or both
  • Stumbling on walks
  • During the process of putting on or removing collars or harnesses, the animal may experience discomfort or yelping.
  • Inability to gaze up or raise the head

Can chiropractic treatment help my dog, which suffers from hip dysplasia?

Dogs can be affected by a genetic condition known as hip dysplasia, in which the hip joint (or joints) do not grow correctly. In a healthy hip joint, the socket formed by the pelvis is sufficiently deep to hold the ball of the femoral head, so enabling the ball and socket motion that is characteristic of this type of joint. Hip dysplasia is characterized by an abnormally shallow hip socket, which results in inadequate anatomic contact between the ball and socket. Because of this, improper biomechanics and excessive movement occur within the joint, which ultimately leads to early wear and tear and degenerative joint disease.

Hip dysplasia, like other orthopedic diseases, can range from mild to severe severity and is normally evaluated using a scale that goes from mild to severe. Surgery might be necessary for severe clinical conditions. Even though hip dysplasia cannot be reversed, it is generally possible to manage less severe cases with a conservative approach and avoid the need for surgery by treating the condition.

When animals have difficulty moving their hip joints, it is common for them to develop compensatory modifications in the portions of their spine located in the thoracic, lumbar, and pelvic regions. Adjustments made by a chiropractor to the spine and light mobilizations of the hip joints might be able to help relieve some of the discomfort caused by hip dysplasia.

My dog has been diagnosed by the veterinarian with IVDD; could a chiropractor help?

The intervertebral disc, also known as the IVD, is the substance that separates the vertebra in the spine and creates space through which the spinal nerves can travel. Because IVDs have a limited blood supply, they are dependent on correct spinal mobility to facilitate the movement of water-based nutrients into and out of the disc, which is necessary for their nutrition. The vertebral discs are nourished and protected when the motion of the vertebrae is normal and healthy. When the motion of the vertebrae is restricted, the intravertebral disc (IVD) may become dehydrated, which may result in calcification and a reduction in size. This is the primary factor that contributes to degenerative disc disease.

Adjustments performed by a chiropractor help to keep the spine in its normal range of motion, which in turn serves to maintain healthy IVD nutrition and protect against premature degeneration.

What is the history of chiropractic in veterinary medicine?

Spinal manipulation has a long history of use and has been done in a wide variety of cultures, including early Chinese and Greek societies. On the other hand, there is a striking deficiency in the historical documentation of its early use in many animal species. Within the past century, both the theory and practise of chiropractic evolved into the modern version that we are familiar with today. The first chiropractors to practise modern chiropractic examined the effects of the technique on a variety of animal species. The field of veterinary chiropractic is still in its infancy as an unique practise specialty and is currently enjoying a period of significant growth and development.

Is it possible to incorporate chiropractic care with other kinds of veterinary medicine?

In the practise of veterinary medicine, chiropractic care is frequently integrated with different kinds of both conventional and alternative treatment.

It would appear that acupuncture and chiropractic are particularly complementary to one another. It may be difficult to assess the success of a chiropractic therapy when numerous types of treatments are employed, unless the treatments are conducted at different times. However, this can be avoided by doing the treatments at distinct times. Chiropractors who have received their certification have the knowledge and skills necessary to comprehend the interactions that can occur between the various types of treatment and to interpret the patient’s response to therapy. If your pet is receiving chiropractic treatment from us on top od treatment from your regular veterinarian, it is imperative that both individuals be kept updated about the ongoing treatment in order to provide coordinated care for your pet, to allow proper evaluation of treatment, and to minimise any interactions or interferences that can be avoided.