Chiropractic for dogs
In terms of your dog, I assess and treat the nervous system, using the bones and muscles to access the nerves… I may watch your dog move, perform certain tasks, or throw sweeties to get them mooching around the clinic space, or ask for specific movements depending on the history.
Each dog with be assessed using my hands - palpation - this could be static version or motion version, or a bit of both, trying to find the areas of heat or cold, swelling, areas of pain or flinching, areas of too much movement or too little movement. I will be constantly watching your dog, watching for those little telltale signs of pain or altered movement, as well as behaviour changes towards me when we get near or touch a painful region.
Often there will be questionnaires that have been sent to you prior to your appointment for your consideration, if you could take the time to fill this out accurately so that I can use it as a guidance as to how the dog is doing.
I would like to ensure people use the correct terminology as much as possible - bones don’t go ‘out’! Joints can get stuck in a certain movement or get sluggish in the movement of the joint, or have limited range of movement. This is what we are looking for, assessing and treating, finding the abnormality, adjusting it, and restoring normal range of motion, resetting the nervous system, and reducing the pain response.
Treatment is usually painless, unless the joint is inflamed and sore to start with, then as it is adjusted, the dog can react to this process. Usually dogs accept the treatment process really well, and mostly by the second or third session they are really happy to come in for treatment. I can add different modalities to treatment to help calm and relax the dogs too. Plus I have a laser, used for pain relief, it has an anti-inflammatory effect too, and it promotes tissue healing. Please also remember that the joint surface that we are working with is very small compared to that of a human, so the treatment process can be very quick.
