Animal Chiropractic Visits For Both Cats & Dogs

What is Chiropractic Care For Dogs & Cats

The initial examination is rather extensive as we make sure to analyze and evaluate each animal at length. These sessions are usually about 20 minutes (sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, depending on the animal). We treat any dog or cat that comes to us as if they were our own. The first day is all about learning and education for both parties.

Getting To Know Your Cat Or Dog

After introductions, I like to get to know my patient a bit more. We allow the cat or dog to wander about and familiarize themselves with us and the chiro space. Oftentimes we’ll sit and pet the patient, so they realize we are not there to hurt them, but rather to be their buddy.

Then we'll ask the fur parent's about their companion's history. We like to know all the details including any surgeries, traumas (small and large), and daily lifestyle. What may seem like minor things to an owner can actually be huge to us. For example, a dog that constantly pulls while being walked, a cat that doesn’t land on its feet, sideways walking, and chronic allergies or asthma are equally important facts for us to know.

The Examination

After we've gone over the animal's history, we begin the examination. This involves a very hands-on approach and moves from head to toe. First, we tend to watch patients walk into the examination room to get a better idea of how they are gaiting. We look for limping, favoring certain limbs, sideways walking, abnormal pacing, posture while walking, and dragging of the feet.

Once inside, we take a detailed look at the posture of the animal, looking for any hunchbacks, divots within the spinal curve, curves going the incorrect way, lowered head, tucked tails, foot flare, elbow, and knee positioning, and overall symmetry.

After the posture analysis, we then statically palpate (touch) for any muscular imbalances and inflammatory responses in the form of temperature changes. Motion palpation is the most important aspect of my practice because it reveals hypersensitivities, pain responses, decreased mobility, flexibility, and nervous system irritations.

Throughout motioning, we adjust as we go and make note of any troubled areas in a report that we send out to the owner after the session.

Learning About Chiropractic Care

The adjustments occur during the examination, as does a thorough explanation of what chiropractic on animals is, what it is not, and in general what we are looking to do for a client’s animal. What we have found on several occasions is that our human fur parents are very unaware of what chiropractic is, what it entails, and what they should expect. This first consultation is where we will go into detail regarding what we do and then answer any questions a client may have. We are also always available by phone or email if that initial day is a bit too overwhelming.

Promoting Positivity

Lastly, we like to make sure every animal we see leaves on a positive note. Though it does not occur often, if we have a patient who is a little anxious or aggressive, we only work until their limit. The way to establish a positive rapport is to help the patient associate a chiropractic visit with feeling better. This is not accomplished by pushing past boundaries on day one. Instead, it is quite the opposite. we respect the boundaries set forth by any animal and go only as far as we are allowed to. Once we reach their limit, we are done for the day. After that, the animal goes home and starts to feel better and associate that feeling with the visit to see us, which is exactly what we want. Much like Pavlov’s dog experiments, we aim to be the treat and the mouth-watering patient (drool and everything!).