E-Vet Clinic - Dog Health Care

I just had to show you this picture I found on the web. Doesn’t he look like Uh-oh I think I am in trouble!

Click on it to see the full size

I received a question that I am asked on occasion concerning once you start chiropractic treatment do you have to keep going all the time?

Here is the exact question…

Dr. Dan, I was just wondering if once a dog has started some type of chiropractic treatment if that is something that will be needed for the rest of the dog’s life or will it depend on the activity the dog does? Thanks for a response.

I usually answer this question in front of a client in a smart alecky way of course with a grin on my face saying, “Well are you going to change the underlying problem that caused this dog to have a chiropractic problem? If not, then yes the dog will need to have adjustments for the rest of its life.”

Of course here in internet-land you lose out on my body language and facial expressions to see that I am saying this tongue in cheek. I do then go on to explain what I will explain here.

Chiropractic treatment is a different philosophy. The typical client that asks me that question is still coming from a western medicine or allopathic medicine mindset. There is something causing this to my dog and treatment is going to cure it. Chiropractic does not take that approach, it is more of philosophy of balancing and correcting the problems before they arise it is a lifestyle change.

Can chiropractic be used as a treatment to “fix” something? Sure I do it all the time for clients, but my smart aleck answer applies, if the lifestyle is not changed then I am going to be treating the dog for the same thing over and over again. Let me give some examples to make it easier to understand.

If a dog breaks a leg and has surgery and the leg is weak and needs some physical therapy to recover, the dog will need chiropractic treatment to correct the spine while he recovers from the injury. This would be a temporary treatment protocol to help the dog recover more comfortably. Treatment could end in this instance if the owners so choose. Chiropractic is being used to ‘fix’ something. However this is not what the main intent of chiropractic is.

The main philosophy of chiropractic is a more wholistic approach and is a tool used to maintain homeostasis or balance in the body while the lifestyle is being changed. Or if the lifestyle can not change, for example, in an agility dog, chiropractic is used to maintain balance even though the dog is physically stressing itself on a regular basis. People and animals go to the chiropractor on a regular basis because they are better off for it while they continue to live the lifestyle they desire including their physical, emotional and toxic stresses. A chiropractor’s job is to not only perform chiropractic adjustments but also to consult with the client on the best way to live a lifestyle which will help the client/dog remain symptom free by improving on ways to avoid stressing the body. This would mean consultation on nutrition, exercise, rest and how often chiropractic treatments will be required to maintain balance in the body while the dog continues to do stressful activities or has a daily physical stressor such as arthritis.

So in answer to the question it really depends on the stresses in the dog and specifically what are you looking for with chiropractic treatment. Do you just want to fix something and then you are going to follow the advice of the doctor and change the lifestyle to avoid the problem in the future; OR is it impossible for the lifestyle to change - the dog has arthritis, does a physical activity such as agility, continues to eat crappy dog food or continues to have annual vaccinations? These are all reasons for a dog to continue to see a chiropractor even though the last two I hope will be changed while seeing the chiropractor…LOL.