Tag Archives: chiropractic

Titan’s Pain in the Butt

Titan is a 3-year-old, lab mix. His caregiver adopted him two months ago. She noticed right away that he had trouble passing stool. He would cry and act as if in pain. Sometimes he held his stool in for a day or two to avoid the pain of pooping.

Titan’s caregiver took him to her local veterinarian who thought the problem must be an anal sac issue. It is not uncommon for dogs to get their anal sacs clogged which can cause pain when defecating. Titan had his anal sacs expressed and treated for 2 months with no relief of his pain.

Titan came to me and his exam was unremarkable. His anal sacs were not full and his rectal exam was normal. I got him off processed food and on a homemade diet. I also put him on probiotics for intestinal health.

But the key was that I did a chiropractic exam and found subluxations in his lumbar spine. I corrected these with a couple of quick adjustments. When I saw him back the next week for a follow up treatment, his caregiver told me that after his first adjustment, Titan went home and had 4 BMs! He’s been pooping on schedule ever since.

Veterinary medicine is tricky. Our patients cannot tell us where they hurt. Anal sac problems are a common cause of rear end pain. It made sense to treat the anal sacs at first. But, if the treatment did not fix the problem, it was time to think outside the sac. One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect to get different results.

The problem for conventional vets is that they have fewer tools in their tool kit than an integrative vet. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Unfortunately, if a doctor does not understand chiropractic, they will never think of chiropractic as a solution to a problem.

Has your pet benefited from chiropractic care?

Eight Reasons Your Pet Needs Chiropractic Adjustments

Comments (3)

The job of the animal chiropractor is to locate and correct spinal misalignments. Several techniques exist for adjusting animals. Fortunately, none of them involve laying the dog down, belly up, on a chiropractic table and wrenching his neck from side to side. Most commonly the animal is adjusted while standing. The doctor gently presses on one vertebra at a time to locate any joints that are not moving appropriately. When a subluxation is located, a quick, accurate thrust is delivered to correct the problem.

Subluxations have numerous causes. Trauma is the most obvious. This includes not only severe trauma but also more subtle disturbances such as slips, falls and missteps — basically living life. In fact, birth itself sometimes causes damage to the spine, starting the poor pet off on the wrong foot. Plus, some pets have been bred for traits, such as long backs and short legs, which predispose them to back problems. Finally, performance dogs are especially prone to back-jarring incidences. Jumping, racing, and lead jerks can all knock the neck and back out of whack.

Here are 8 reasons your pet needs chiropractic.

Back Pain – Many animals suffer in silence with mild to moderate back pain. I commonly get reports from clients that their pet seemed happier after a chiropractic adjustment, even if they were not having an obvious problem.
Head Ache – Does your pet have a head ache? How would you know? Misalignment of vertebrae in the neck can cause such pain. Regular spinal adjustments can prevent and treat it.
Lameness – Spinal subluxations can cause compression of nerves that cause pain to radiate down the limb resulting in lameness.
Organ Dysfunction – The restriction of nerves that serve internal organs can cause those organs to malfunction. Chiropractic can help.
Rehab – Whatever the musculoskeletal issue your pet may be battling, the spine is inevitably involved. Adjustments can speed recovery.
Prehab – Regular chiropractic adjustments can help the body resist injury, avoiding the need for rehab.
Recovery – Animals who get regular chiropractic treatments often recover faster from trauma.
Health Maintenance – Keeping your pet’s spine aligned with regular chiropractic treatments keeps her healthy!

When taking your pet for a chiropractic treatment, be sure to seek a professional with proper training. Your chiropractor may do a great job on you, but because of anatomical differences between people and dogs, without special training a chiropractor is not the ideal candidate to treat your dog. America Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) certification assures education and skill in the specialized field of animal chiropractic. For a list of local, certified animal chiropractors log on to www.animalchiropractic.org.

Has your pet had chiropractic adjustments?

Animal Crackers

Comments (6)

Chiropractic care can be a very effective treatment for back pain. More than that, I think chiropractic is essential for any organism with a spine to achieve the highest level of health and performance. Let me explain.

The Spine

The spinal cord is the channel for information between the brain and the organs and tissues of the body. It is made up of millions of long nerve fibers which carry electrical messages, like a living telephone cable. This precious pathway for bodily communication is totally encased in bone.

The bony spine is a mechanical marvel. It supports the skeleton, acts as an attachment for many of the body’s muscles, protects the internal organs and protects the spinal cord. At the same time, it allows for incredible flexibility.

The spine owes its suppleness to the fact that it is made up of a series of small bones called vertebrae (pleural of vertebra). There are 27 vertebrae in all, from a pet’s head to his pelvis. These 27 bones are joined together by a series of over 150 joints. All of these joints must move in a coordinated fashion for proper locomotion of the entire body.

Furthermore, there are small openings on both sides of the spine, between the vertebrae where each bone joins to the next. Spinal nerves travel through these openings carrying information between the body and the spinal cord. Any malfunction of the 150 vertebral joints can constrict the openings and disturb the spinal nerves.

Subluxation

The word “subluxation” is used by chiropractors to denote an abnormally functioning spinal joint. A subluxation is not so much a bone that is out of place as it is a joint that is not moving properly. Even slight glitches in spinal joint motion can cause the surrounding tissue to swell and muscles to spasm. This can lead to pressure on the spinal nerves as they exit the spine. A 1986 University of Colorado study demonstrated that the amount of pressure equivalent to the weight of a dime on a spinal nerve was enough to cause it to malfunction in as little as 24 hours.

Subluxations have numerous causes. Trauma is the most obvious. This includes not only severe trauma but also more subtle disturbances such as slips, falls and missteps — basically living life. In fact, birth itself sometimes causes damage to the spine, starting the poor dog off on the wrong foot. Plus, some pets have been bred for traits, such as long backs and short legs, which predispose them to back problems. Finally, performance dogs are especially prone to back-jarring incidences. Jumping, racing and lead jerks can all knock the neck and back out of whack.

Spinal problems can manifest in many ways. Subluxations may cause neck or back pain and sensitivity to touch. Pacing or other gait abnormalities might be signs of a back issue as well as weakness or stumbling. Finally, stiffness, lameness and a decreased range of motion can all indicate the need for an adjustment.

The Adjustment

Who You Gonna Call?

When taking your pet for a chiropractic treatment, be sure to seek a professional with proper training. Your chiropractor may do a great job on you, but because of anatomical differences between people and dogs, without special training a chiropractor is not the ideal candidate to treat your dog. America Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) certification assures education and skill in the specialized field of animal chiropractic. For a list of local, certified animal chiropractors log on to www.animalchiropractic.org.

Is your pet well adjusted?