Chiropractic Medicine for the working dog.
By Dr Heather Matheson,
Balanced Paws Veterinary Care Ltd.
info@balancedpawsvet.com
Dr Heather Matheson is a 1995 graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the founder of Balanced Paws Veterinary Care located in Courtenay B.C. Balanced Paws Veterinary Care offers regular Western Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Chiropractic care, Herbal Medicine and Homeopathy.
As a Veterinarian working dogs are among my favourite patients. Typically working dogs are well balanced mentally as they have a job, an outlet and a purpose. Working dogs tend to have a close bond with their humans who are knowledgeable and are able to offer very specific details regarding care, movement and problem areas. Finally working dogs tend to be well trained and are used to listening to the leader of the pack. What more could I ask for? All of these things make it so much easier to do my job and do it well.
I compare working dogs to top human athletes. The goal of the ‘health team’ is to keep the athlete in top mental and physical condition. Human athletes use a variety of tools to stay in peak physical shape, including physiotherapy, massage, nutrition, chiropractics, acupuncture, western medicine and many others I haven’t mentioned. If integrated health care works for people why not for our K-9 athletes?
Next time you watch a dog work, whether it be agility, tracking, fly ball or Schutzhund, watch the stressors that are placed on different parts of the body. Issue with the lower back and hind-quarters arise going over the wall or ‘A’ frame. The shoulders and front legs take the brunt when landing from a jump or from the wall or going through weaves. Both the neck and shoulders come into play when biting the sleeve. Just like with people repetitive movements cause problems and weakness in specific areas.
The premise behind Chiropractic Medicine is that the body has an ‘innate intelligence’. Above all, the body has the means and wants to heal itself and maintain a state of health. Every joint in the body should move freely. This includes the spinal column, every vertebrae should move easily against the next. The term subluxation is applied to a joint or vertebrae that is ‘stuck’ and unable to move freely. Subluxations (stuck vertebrae) then cause increased muscle tension locally, sensitivity to pressure, limited and painful motions and changes in posture. Change in posture will eventually lead to a change in gait and muscle changes. Muscles and nerves have a memory and over time chronic subluxations will cause nerve impulses to fire with minimal stimulation, basically nerves and muscles become tight and hypersensitive.
Keep in mind that nerves originating in the spinal cord go to the limbs and internal organs. There is a reciprocal effect between the organs and the spine. For example, a dog with chronic lower back subluxations, over time, may experience issues of incontinence or bladder problems. The opposite is also true, for example a dog with kidney stones will, over time, have subluxations and pain in the upper lumbar spine.
Subluxation or lack of joint motion also has many affects on the joint itself. The cartilage (cushion) in the joint becomes thin and brittle; it will develop holes and eventually become calcified. Joint fluid (which nourishes the joint) will lose protective proteins and arthritis will occur. SNOWBALL EFFECT!
Veterinary Chiropractors assess the movement in each joint and vertebrae and establish where the subluxations are. The affected joint or vertebrae is brought into ‘tension’ and a gentle thrust in the correct direction frees up joint mobility, this is called an adjustment. One of the things I love about doing Chiropractic Medicine is the immediate change the animal experiences. Right after the adjustment your canine-friend will experience improved mobility, decreased muscle tenderness, decreased swelling and improved nerve function. The adjustment also causes a release of endorphins, which have both pain relieving and relaxing properties. Needless to say it doesn’t take many visits before our canine companions figure out Chiropractic adjustments feel real good.
Possible indicators of subluxated joints or vertebrae:
- An abnormal gait such as pacing. Pacing is using both legs on the same side at the same time in a trot. This is not a normal gait for a dog and can indicate lower back pain or sacral subluxation.
- Frequent gait changes.
- Short striding in the hind end may indicate pelvic subluxation.
- Dog tracking on an abnormal tail set may indicate sacral subluxation or low back issues.
- Head bob or front leg lameness may indicate cervical subluxation and a sore neck, a subluxated shoulder or could be as easy as a subluxated toe.
- A head-tilt or head-shaking may indicate a rotated atlas, the first cervical vertebrae.
- Postural changes such as a low head carriage or a roached or hunched stance.
- Urinary incontinence may occur with sacral subluxation.
- Neurological deficits such as in-coordination or dragging the toes when walking.
- Inability to jump or knocking jumps down.
You get the idea; these are just a few of the indicators that your canine-athlete may benefit from a chiropractic assessment.
Dogs with neck or back pain may have a lower head carriage or front leg lameness, decreased range of motion in the neck or back and be unable to do the ‘whole body shake’ that dogs so often do. You can see them try, they will start the shake and then stop short thinking “nope that’s going to hurt” and stop. Immediately after the adjustment the head is held at a more normal angle. They have less muscle reactivity in the neck and they are able to shake from head to tail. That immediate improvement is so gratifying and one of the reasons I love Chiropractic Medicine.
Longer-term changes include reversal of arthritis (as long as it is not too far progressed), improved muscle function, improved health and organ function and improved immune function. Chiropractic adjustments may be needed more frequently to start (that muscle memory I mentioned earlier), as muscles need to be retrained. If the problem is longstanding chiropractic adjustments may be indicated weekly or every other week. Once improvement is seen often the frequency of chiropractic visits is decreased to once monthly or just as needed. Routine exercises also help to retrain those muscles and limit subluxations.
Click here to find out more about Veterinary Chiropractic medicine.
For an integrated veterinary assessment call
Balanced Paws Veterinary Care at (250) 871-4355
or email info@balancedpawsvet.com.
We are located at 2785C Mansfield Drive in Courtenay (across from the Air Park).
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