Chiropractors for canines: this hands-on healing modality improves more than just joint health

Everyone knows that chiropractors are bone and joint doctors. They help alleviate back pain and other aches by making adjustments that improve skeletal alignment and musculoskeletal function. In recent years, chiropractic adjustments have become popular for dogs, especially those recovering from accidents or injuries.

But did you know that chiropractic care can improve a dog's digestion; speed healing after illness or surgery; treat behavior or mood changes; help alleviate ear infections, urinary incontinence, and allergies; and even correct neurological imbalances?

Cheryl Morris, DC (Doctor of Chiropractic), a chiropractor for humans in Congers, New York, knew something was wrong with Stanley Queue, her five-year-old Scottie. He vomited spontaneously three or four times a day several times a week, and when she palpated his abdomen, his diaphragm felt tight.

Stanley's digestive problems were her main concern, but he also limped because of hind leg weakness. Five months ago, she took him to chiropractic veterinarian Sue Ann Lesser, DVM. Dr. Lesser conducts monthly animal chiropractic clinics in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland.

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"After that first adjustment," says Dr. Morris, "Stanley's tail was up for the first time in months, he walked normally, and he went for an entire week without throwing up. Even after his vomiting returned, it happened less often and was less intense."

Dr. Lesser suggested a change of diet, so Dr. Morris switched dog food brands and protein sources. "That made a big difference," she says. "At his second appointment, his thoracic lumbar junction needed adjustment, and after that he kept improving. So far Stanley has had five adjustments, and he keeps getting better."

In another chiropractic success story, Cassie, a spayed female Shepherd mix, suffered from urinary incontinence until chiropractic veterinarian Cindy Maro, DVM, adjusted her fifth lumbar vertebrae, sacral apex, and the base of her sacral bone. As soon as she did so, Cassie's urinary leakage and long-term bowel and anal gland problems disappeared. (We discussed this case in more detail in "Not Just for Sore Backs," WDJ October 2003.)

Some breeders coping with reproductive problems consider chiropractic a fertility treatment because so many of their dogs conceived after being adjusted.

Even hot spots and lick granulomas may respond to chiropractic adjustments. Last summer my Labrador Retriever, Chloe, developed a lick granuloma on her right front paw. At her monthly appointment, Dr. Lesser said, "I'm not surprised. Her toes were jammed." After a quick toe-freeing adjustment, Chloe forgot about chewing her foot.

Chloe's problem had a mechanical cause, but dozens of conditions that have no obvious connection to the skeleton and its alignment respond to chiropractic treatment. As the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) website explains, all of the body's organs are connected to nerves that run between vertebrae, and adjustments in these areas can change or influence nervous system input and blood flow as well as hormones and neurotransmitter levels directly affecting organs, glands, skin, and joints.

"Every dog is an individual," Dr. Lesser says, "and responses vary, but I truly can't think of a medical condition that won't be helped in some way by chiropractic adjustments. I'm never surprised when dogs respond to chiropractic treatment, even for conditions like infections, skin and coat problems, digestive disorders, behavioral problems, and recovery from the use of anesthesia. This doesn't mean that chiropractic care is a stand-alone treatment that replaces conventional veterinary care. Chiropractic is a complementary or support therapy. A thorough veterinary exam should always precede any chiropractic evaluation."

To help determine whether your dog will benefit from chiropractic treatment, see "Biomechanical Evaluation" by Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD (August 2002 WDJ). Dr. Kidd's descriptions and checklists will help you see your dog from a new perspective, keep accurate health records, and make more informed decisions about your dog's care.

America's veterinary chiropractors

The formal training of veterinary chiropractors in the U.S. began in 1989 with a 100-hour post-graduate course developed and taught by Sharon Willoughby, DVM, DC, in which veterinarians and chiropractors were trained side by side. In programs approved by the AVCA, that practice continues today. Veterinarians receive a foundation of chiropractic theory and technique, while chiropractors study common animal diseases, comparative anatomy, and animal-handling techniques. Adjustments are taught with both dogs and horses.

Licensing regulations vary by state. In New York, where Dr. Morris adjusts human patients, chiropractic treatment can be given to dogs and other animals only by licensed veterinarians. Even if she studied veterinary chiropractic, Dr. Morris could not legally treat animal patients in New York State. Across the border in New Jersey, Dr. Morris could practice on animals with a veterinarian's referral. Currently no states allow chiropractors to work on animals without a veterinarian's referral or, as in California, a vet's supervision.