Is animal chiropractic an effective way to provide pain relief for dogs? The answer is emphatically yes. In our practice, we see many pets struggling with pain in their back, neck, knee, and much more. Until recently, many of us would treat these problems with drugs without a second thought. However, there is a growing movement toward providing animals with holistic treatments that address the primary problem rather than secondary issues. One of these treatments is animal chiropractic.
What is animal chiropractic?
Animal chiropractic is a specialty within the chiropractic world. To become an animal chiropractor, you must first be a chiropractor or veterinarian. Next, you must pass additional training and board examinations offered via the IVCA or AVCA.
Animal chiropractors evaluate the structure of the spine and limbs for any structural abnormalities. When they feel something that isn’t right, they make very gentle corrections to guide it back to normal alignment. In fact, it is so gentle that there is rarely any popping or clicking that is associated with human chiropractic.
How does animal chiropractic provide pain relief for dogs?
Animal chiropractic helps provide pain relief for dogs with numerous conditions. When something is out of alignment or isn’t moving correctly, it affects the immediate joint and causes compensations throughout the body. Think of this like a broken link in a chain. When one isn’t working right, it affects all of the others. These structural issues cause inflammation. The inflammation eventually affects the local nerves and causes a pain response. Typically, we treat this issue by prescribing drugs for the inflammation or others that “turn off” pain nerves. However, they don’t typically address the primary issue – a structural misalignment.
What conditions might animal chiropractic help?
Animal chiropractic can help many conditions including luxating patella, cruciate tears, disc issues and more. The reason being, many of these conditions cause the broken link phenomenon throughout the body. For example, a dog with a cruciate tear will shift its weight to the other limbs and to areas in the spine not meant to handle as much stress. These areas can progressively break down and lead to pain in areas other than the injured knee. This is why animal chiropractic is an important treatment for any pet suffering with pain. Each visit involves a thorough evaluation of the entire spine and limbs, not just the trouble area. As a matter of fact, we often find major issues on the opposite side of an injury!
As you can see, animal chiropractic is a holistic method that provides pain relief for dogs. It can be used as a standalone treatment or complement the care provided by a vet. It is a very gentle method that evaluates the joints of the spine and limbs. In addition, it can help provide pain relief for many different conditions! Want to learn more? Contact us here: http://advanimalchiro.daveminotti.com/contact/