If your dog has a lot of musculoskeletal issues, chiropractic care is a good treatment option. You can also ask your veterinarian for an opinion on whether chiropractic care can be good in this situation. They will generally be able to refer you to a dog chiropractor with the right certifications.
The spine is manipulated in chiropractic care to treat injuries or certain diseases. This is similar to the adjustment made by human chiropractors. Dogs also experience joint pain and they can develop certain musculoskeletal issues that can be resolved by chiropractic care. Dog chiropractors will make low force adjustments and manually manipulate the spinal column or joints of the animal. The spine and the joints of the dog will be gently moved so they can be realigned to get rid of additional stress. Before an adjustment is made, they will carry out physical examinations and scans to accurately pinpoint the issue. With chiropractic care, your dog will experience a reduction in pain and therefore a better quality of life. You will notice that they move more confidently and comfortably after one or a few adjustments.
Some of the issues that chiropractic manipulation can help with are degenerative disc disease, general stiffness, musculoskeletal weakness, degenerative joint diseases and altered gait. Chiropractic care is categorised as a holistic therapy and this can be carried out in addition to the treatments by your veterinarian. You can check if they carry national credentials to ensure they have the certifications required. They should be specifically trained in chiropractic care and animal anatomy. You will find that many veterinarians have a certification in animal chiropractic care. Otherwise, you can always ask for a referral for an animal chiropractor that specialises in dogs from your veterinarian. Check if the person you are visiting has up to date certification. This is very important as any inappropriate adjustment can injure the dog. You can go through the list of animal chiropractors in the country that is organised by state. This will give you an idea of the local practitioners.
You can also check their official website to see the services they offer and the qualifications they have. Their social media profiles will have videos of some of the chiropractic sessions. You can check reviews by dog owners who have visited the chiropractor. This will give you an idea of their experience with the doctor. You can also contact the clinic to ask how the session will be conducted. There will be an overall health assessment carried out to understand what is wrong with the animal and they will get an in-depth medical history of the dog including medications, surgeries they have gone through and scans that have been done in the past. If there are no scans taken, they will take an X-ray to form an accurate diagnosis. It is best if they can work with your veterinarian as they can be informed of the medical history properly. It is only after a physical examination and the initial assessments that an adjustment will be done. Sometimes one adjustment will be enough and sometimes you will find that regular treatments are required.
