In 1996 I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of holistic medicine by Animal Chiropractic. I had been practicing 12 years and I knew everything (not!) and I thought animal chiropractic was bunk. My patients’ experience with a wonderful animal chiropractor, and the results that he got peeked my curiosity about how animal chiropractic worked. I skeptically signed up for a class in animal chiropractic in Hillsdale, Illinois–a tiny town that housed the then “Options for Animals” founded by the late Dr Sharon Willoughby. At that time it was the only place in the world where Animal Chiropractic was taught to human chiropractors and veterinarians. After 1 module of a course that took 2 years to complete I was hooked and so my foray into alternative medicine started.

In the last 2 decades Animal Chiropractic has exploded with a number of schools all over the world teaching this to human chiropractors and veterinarians. This is because Animal Chiropractic works. For a long time veterinarians ignored the back pain in animals unless it caused paralysis or some other severe neurological disease. Now thanks to chiropractic and other manual therapies, dogs, cats, horses and other animals are regularly treated for back pain and other issues by Animal Chiropractors.

Chiropractic is a health care discipline that emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal the body without the use of drugs or surgery. The Chiropractor affects the nervous system which controls all the body by manipulating the vertebrae, extremities ( legs and tail) and the head.

How do you know if your pet needs chiropractic? Here are some symptoms that might indicate that chiropractic is needed:
–Decrease in performance or stamina
–Inability to climb stairs, jump up or perform normal activities
–Change in behaviour or mood
–Muscle spasms, or loss of muscle (atrophy)
–Arthritis or stiffness, joint problems
–Dragging feet and scuffing toe nails
–Head shaking, ear infections
–Chronic or recurrent diseases that may indicate a weak immune system.

If you are seeing any of these signs, a certified Animal Chiropractor may be just what your pet needs.