People are often curious how a chiropractic adjustment is performed on a dog or cat, as well as what conditions can be treated using chiropractic techniques?

Chiropractic literally means “hands” and “practice”.  To perform an adjustment, no tools are needed but my hands!  A small thrust or push is delivered quickly in a specific direction and at a specific location to push the joint in question through its normal range of motion and just slightly beyond.  This sends signals to the nervous system to decrease pain and frees up adhesions that may be keeping that joint from moving to its full potential.  Dogs and cats respond well to these adjustments.  For the most part they often enjoy them just as much as being petted.  Occasionally, if there is a sore area, an adjustment can be sensitive, but by the next day, we often see great results and improved comfort.

So now let’s cover which animals can benefit from Chiropractic.   The short answer is ALL OF THEM!  My most common patients are those with conditions found in the following list:

Osteoarthritis

Urinary incontinence

Recurrent Anal gland impaction

Luxating patella (floating knee caps)

Post-surgical rehabilitation

Musculoskeletal injury

Back Pain/Disc disease

Although I am commonly trying to treat a condition or clinical sign, Animal Chiropractic is very useful for prevention of problems.   Starting adjustments at a young age when signs of slowing down are either very subtle or not yet present at all can keep your companion more mobile and help prevent injuries as they age.  Service dogs and our canine athletes can benefit from improved performance with Chiropractic.  The frequency of the visits are dependent on the injury, condition or lifestyle and playing habits of the individual pets.  For some of our house pets, a few adjustments a year are all it takes to maintain optimal spinal health.

Please contact me if you have questions regarding how chiropractic may be of benefit to your pet.  If you would like to watch an adjustment for yourself, follow this link for a video on my lovely dog Mackenzie having an adjustment!  Thanks to Chiropractic, Mackenzie can now jump up on the bed again, is OFF all of the meds she was taking for urinary incontinence, and is stretching and running around in ways I hadn’t seen for about 3 or 4 years.

[media url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tETrYy7UqiU” width=”600″ height=”400″ jwplayer=”controlbar=bottom”]