Canine Chiropractic
Every movement, from a slight twitch of the tail to running the weaving poles in agility is made possible by synchronising many muscles. If the function of the nerve fibers, which supply these muscles is altered, co-ordination deteriorates.
Small disturbances are usually only caused by a slight interference; however, they can keep the animal from performing at its best in daily routine as well as in demanding exercises.
Mis-steps resulting from lack of coordination may cause injury to other joints and tendons or ligaments in the legs.
An animal with a subluxation (the functional misalignment of a vertebra or the limited mobility of its facet joints) will change its posture to compensate for the restricted mobility of its spine and to avoid pain. This triggers increased mechanical strain on other parts of the spine and extremity joints, causing secondary restrictions and deterioration of the condition.
If a subluxation exists, the animal loses normal flexibility of its spine, affecting performance and resulting in stiffness and muscular tension.
How to prevent spinal problems:
Confirmation and build
Many breeds have been selectively bred for years to achieve certain goals and are therefore suitable for particular disciplines such as agility, hunting or gundog-work in the dog.
Massage encourages circulation and metabolism within the muscles, promoting the supply of nutrients and removal of toxins. Massage relaxes tense muscles enabling them to function better. It can also promote healing in muscular injuries by loosening muscle fiber adhesions and increasing the flow of fluid and toxins from the tissue.
Training
Animals have an increasing tendency to subluxate and damage the spine if ligaments, tendons and muscles have not been developed to cope with the demands they are placed under. Interval training, suitable warm-up procedures and variety in training can help optimally condition sport animals.
Equipment and leashes
Make sure that your leashes fit the dog preferring broad and soft materials.
Shoes and nails
Toenails that are too long or uneven in length can negatively affect mobility and posture. For the limb and spinal joints to function properly, it is necessary for the animal’s nails to be correctly trimmed.
Training aids
Used correctly, some of these aids can help in training; however, in the wrong hands they do the opposite. If a restriction in the spine already exists, these aids can make the problem even worse. Continual jerking and pulling a lead or chain can lead to tension in the neck area. In dogs make sure you minimize the timeframe of using special training aids like gentle leader or Haltie to relax the neck.
Environment
Some racing dogs are still kept in cages with limited space in which to move about. The more time an animal spends in a restricted enclosed area without freedom of movement, the worse its coordination becomes. Its natural balance suffers, leading to an increased danger of injury. Moving freely are the animal’s natural means of mobilizing its spine. Make sure your animal gets enough exercise.
Signs & symptoms
In small animals, there are various symptoms of subluxations, the most common include:
Pain and dysfunction
- Reduced performance
- Abnormal posture such as lowered head carriage
- Reluctance to: move, climb stairs, or jump onto the sofa etc
- Signs of pain when being lifted, or performing certain movements
- Sensitivity to touch
- Changes in behaviour
- Undefined lameness, ambling or slow gait, worn down nails on one or more pads
- Altered sitting position (‘puppy sitting’)
- Lick granuloma on legs or paws
- The dog only lies on the one side
- Recurrent ear or anal gland infections
- Recurrent digestive trouble
- Dripping urine or the inability to hold faeces
- Abnormal gait
- Irregularity of the gait or shifting lameness
- Stiffness when the dog first gets up
- Stiffness after exercise
- Muscular atrophy
- Overall decrease in range of motion in the gait
- Unusual shortened stride
Instances where Chiropractic treatment is applicable:
- Spinal trauma, treatment only following previous x-ray clarification
- Spondylosis (ossification of the spine)
- Cauda Equina Syndrome
- Cervical vertebra syndrome
- Discopathy, following x-ray/MRI investigations
- Lick granuloma
- Existing irreversible changes (Hip dysplasia, spondylosis, arthosis) can lead to VSC’s in the spine due to compensation
- Arthrosis
- Sciatic Neuralgia
- Incontinence
- Hyper/Hyposensitivity
- Undefined lameness
- Sport dogs – removal of any restrictions helps to optimise their performance i.e Agility, Flyball, Gundogs/hunting dogs
- Geriatric dogs – helps to improve their quality of life
- Preventative treatment to maintain fitness
Treatment
How can a vertebral subluxation complex be corrected?
When a chiropractor or veterinarian, professionally trained in animal chiropractic, identifies a subluxation, he or she aims to correct the misalignment of the spine and restore mobility to the facet joints.
Realignment is made via a quick, short thrust along the plane of the joint. This is called an adjustment. The adjustment is a very specific, high speed, low force manoeuvre that moves the affected joint beyond the normal physiological articular range of movement, without exceeding the boundaries of anatomical integrity. It is done by placing the hands directly on the affected vertebra (previously identified in the examination). Only subluxated vertebrae are adjusted.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions that are most often asked by clients. The answers should help to better understand veterinary chiropractic.
How many treatments will my animal require?
This question must be answered on an individual basis for each patient. In most cases, a single treatment is not enough to eliminate the problem. Most animals show significant improvement after 1 to 4 treatments. Chronic problems usually take longer to resolve requiring more chiropractic treatment, whereas animals with acute problems often respond more quickly.
The goal of chiropractic treatment is to address neurological dysfunction in the spine and restore mobility. It is then the task of muscles and ligaments to support the spine and maintain this new realigned position.
This process and the role of the chiropractor is similar to that of an orthodontist. The orthodontist applies a brace to the teeth and over a period of time makes regular adjustments and corrections to realign the teeth, so that in time they will maintain their correct position. A chiropractor will also adjust and correct the animal a number of times, until the body accepts the new position of the spine as normal and the muscles and ligaments support and maintain this position.
How long will a treatment take?
The initial consultation and first treatment (usually between 30-60mins) tends to take longer than subsequent visits as a detailed case history, examination etc. is undertaken. Subsequent treatments are usually shorter (between 20-40 mins) depending on the veterinary chiropractor’s findings.
Will veterinary chiropractic treatment hurt my animal?
A chiropractic adjustment is a very specific, low force quick thrust along the plane of the joint that helps to get the joint moving again. Adjustments influence bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments. They do not hurt your animal. Only subluxated vertebrae are adjusted.