Home Chiropractic + Acupuncture for Dogs
Dogs and cats, luckily, seem to respond more quickly to chiropractic treatments than we do, with many problems improving considerably after one to three treatments. Regular repeat treatments are more necessary with long standing cases.
Veterinary Chiropractic
Veterinary Chiropractic is an approach to health care of animals that focuses on the function of the nervous system, with the belief that a sound nervous system is one of the key elements of good health.
Treatment commonly involves the adjustment of vertebral and pelvic mobility by short, sharp impulse like thrusts, usually affecting just one “vertebral segment “ of the spine at a time. The adjustment is specific for the movement restriction of the particular pair of vertebrae and takes into account the direction of the movement restriction and the planes of the 3 or so joints involved with each pair of vertebrae. Improving the mobility of restricted vertebral segments aids the healing of inflamed and arthritic vertebral joints, and reduces associated nerve interference. Vertebral joints with restricted mobility tend to be inflamed and painful and are a major source of back muscle tension, stiffness, pain and nerve interference.
Attending to posture, muscle injuries, myofascial pain, limb balance and many other aspects of body function are also important aspects of the chiropractic approach to health care.
The style of chiropractic used is a gentle method which is aimed at the adjustment of just one joint at a time and is usually very well accepted by the animals. (Rarely lightor moderate sedation is required so that the dogs relax and thus allow the treatment to be effective.)