Chiropractic Healthcare for Your Family Pet

How Dogs Benefit from Manipulations

For many pet owners, finding natural and alternative medicine approaches to treating disease and illness will not only improve the balance and health to the family pet but also alleviate the associated financial burden of some veterinarian services.

Once such alternative medicine approach, chiropractic care, is growing in popularity among dog owners, in both preventative medicine and when required to treat a dog's illness or injury, especially those which create low back pain in the canine.

During chiropractic manipulation of a dog, the chiropractic specialist will use the hands to assess any malformations or misalignments in the dog's spine and pelvic region, feeling for any abnormalities among the joints, including those which prompt muscle spasms in the canine. Following the chiropractic treatment, the dog owner is usually advised to require the dog to rest for two or three days with re-examination and, possibly, repeat manipulation once or twice following the initial visit. So, where do you find a veterinarian who performs chiropractic services?

The American Veterinary Medical Association, in 1966, began acknowledging chiropractic treatment, in dogs, as a therapeutic benefit, especially to dogs who are involved in athletic events, such as dog racing. As a result, Greyhounds were probably the most common breed subjected to the therapeutic benefit of chiropractic treatment.

Beyond dogs with athletic skills and challenges, dogs who suffer from physical abnormalities in shape, such as short legs with a long frame, commonly benefit from chiropractic treatment by a trained veterinarian. Because few veterinarians are trained in the chiropractic treatment of dogs, however, locating one close to your home may be challenging. When considering this as an alternative form of traditional medicine for your dog, contact the American Veterinary Medical Association for information on licensed veterinarians in your area who offer a more holistic approach to canine healthcare.