Canine Treatment
Chiropractic can help dogs in many ways, regardless of their activity or health status. It's particularly useful for competition dogs such as agility, flyball, obedience or racing dogs to enhance their performance. It can, however, be helpful in the comfort of guide dogs or working, sledding or harnessed dogs, aswell as pets.
Dogs are very active and often playful throughout their entire life. They are prone to trauma such as tumbles and twists, collisions and whiplash-like injuries due to collar restraints. If an injury occurs, treatment should be given as early as possible to help aid in the recovery process. Faulty movement patterns are more difficult to correct the longer they are present, so early treatment is recommended in order to help prevent these patterns from remaining.
Older dogs can also be helped using chiropractic treatment. Like humans, they can suffer from joint pain and arthritis. Chiropractic can help to keep the joints as mobile as possible and keep your pet comfortable.
Breeding bitches often benefit from chiropractic treatment after birth. As the pelvic ligaments stretch in preparation for labour, the area becomes hypermobile, which can affect the biomechanics of the surrounding joints. Chiropractic can help to relieve discomfort and improve movement, therefore aiding the recovery process.
Elbow and hip dysplasias are very common in dogs, particularly certain breeds. Chiropractic can be beneficial alongside conventional medicine and surgery to help your dog's comfort levels and rehabilitation.
Poor nail-care can have a negative effect on gait and toe positioning, therefore creating biomechanical changes. Ill-fitting restraints and harnesses can also restrict your dogs movement and continued use can therefore create compensatory patterns. These can both benefit from chiropractic treatment and nail-care and harness advice.
As animals can't always tell us when they are in pain, here are a few common signs that could mean dogs are not at their best :
- Negative behaviour changes
- Stiffness
- Tender areas/flinching when being touched or picked up
- Biting or chewing at paws/Lick granulomas
- Reduced performance eg. poor rotation, clipping jumps
- Abnormal gait, lameness or shortened stride
- "Puppy sitting" (sitting with legs to one side)
- Lying on one side
- Being unbalanced or having difficulty flexing
- Difficulty getting up from lying/sitting
- Postural changes eg. dipped backs
- Altered tail carriage eg. swinging only to one side
- Reluctance to walk, climb stairs or jump
Problems must always be examined by your vet prior to a chiropractic appointment.