Something I’ve noticed a lot recently is how many animals are walking around with completely abnormal gaits and nothing is being done about it! My curiosity was peaked while watching a dog show, and it seemed several of the “top dogs” were entirely off balance, some to the point of actually being lame, yet they were given awards for being the best of the best. When looking at an animals gait there IS a normal and an abnormal, both can easily be spotted when one is specifically looking. In this blog there are multiple example of ABNORMAL gaits, some more obvious than others, all of which can be helped through chiropractic.
Pacing Gait:
Pinched Nerve with Partial Cruciate Tear:
The videos above show animals struggling with abnormal gaits. The pacing gait is exhausting, it requires much more energy and brainpower to maintain. Missy, the golden retriever with the pacing gait, has been walking like this for the past 3 years and nothing can be pinpointed as to what caused it to start. She doesn’t go for too long of walks because she gets too tired and she tends to sleep more than not, even as a puppy. This is NOT a normal situation and is absolutely something that can be helped through chiropractic care. When the biomechanics of the spine and extremities are incorrect, an animal will do whatever necessary to compensate and alter their body to make life a bit easier and bearable. Upon examination, Missy showed several signs of structural shifting and since being adjusted has seemed less awkward when walking and is working on righting her gait. There are ways to FORCE an animal into a proper gait, but that is not the best option. If they are walking a certain way there is most likely a reason for doing so, and to force them into a different manner of functioning is just asking for instability and problems either or immediately or in the future.
The second video, though short, shows the presentation for an animal dealing with a pinched nerve. This particular pup, Maeve, is also dealing with a partially torn cruciate ligament. Maeve has been under chiropractic care for several adjustments now and has gone from 3-legging it to using all four 98% of the time without issue. Whenever an animal is hobbling on three legs like she is in the video above, this is NOT normal. It can take several months to remedy this situation but it can be done through alternative methods. This past winter I’ve had multiple dogs come to me with the exact presentation above, and through chiropractic they’ve been able to heal naturally and walk normally again.
If a structural shift is causing pressure within the spine on a nerve, chiropractic can absolutely help. Healing time will vary from animal to animal, but the majority of animals will show improvement within 4 to 6 adjustments, if not total resolution. Please take the time to watch your pet, limping is never normal and regardless of how long it’s been going on, whether it comes and goes, of if a noted trauma “caused” the incident, does not make it okay. Limping of any kind caused instability within the spine, leading to increased likelihood of future injury elsewhere. For more information feel free to contact us!