Animal Chiropractic is a field of animal health care that focuses on the preservation and health of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system. Why? Nerves control everything that happens in your animals. Anything adversely affecting the nervous system will have detrimental effects that will resonate throughout the entire body. The command centers of the nervous system are the brain and spinal cord which are protected by the spine. The spine is a complex framework of bones (vertebra), ligaments, muscles and nerves. If the movement and biomechanics of the vertebra become dysfunctional, they can interfere with the performance of the nerves that are branching off of the spinal cord and going to the all of the muscles and organs. As this occurs, your animal can lose normal mobility; resulting in stiffness, tension, pain and even organ dysfunction. Additionally, when normal movement is affected, and left unattended, it will ultimately impact your animal’s entire wellbeing and quality of life.
The nervous system also coordinates the body’s ability to heal and regulate itself. Trauma, overuse, or underuse, may cause the vertebra of the spine to become fixed, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments may become compromised and inflamed. Nerves could become trapped in these damaged tissues, or in the passages they use to exit the spine. Their signals become unable to adequately reach their destinations. When they don’t, these impaired structures lose their ability to heal. This can directly and dramatically impact your animal’s health. Symptoms of spinal fixation are vast, and may include pain, spasm, sensitivity to touch, lameness, gait abnormalities and postural compromise. These are the symptoms that are the easiest to detect. It may take a trained doctor to distinguish some of the more subtle changes that occur when organs begin to malfunction. The goal of an animal chiropractor is to restore function and mobility to the compromised vertebra in an effort to re-establish neurologic transmissions. This allows the body to perform at its optimum potential. These doctors use their hands to identify areas of restriction; and once identified, the animal chiropractor applies a precise thrust on the immobile anatomical structures. This treatment restores the normal motion of the vertebra thus removing neurological interference. When the nerves can efficiently communicate with all the structures in your animals’ bodies, they will begin to heal from within. Animal Chiropractic is not meant to replace traditional veterinary care. It is not an alternative treatment, but rather an integrative method that when used in conjunction with good traditional veterinary care, will provide years of happy and healthy living. This is the beginning of a more modern, comprehensive approach to your animal’s healthcare. It is an effective and valuable means of restoring and maintaining their strength, vigor and well-being. And by exploring and treating the root causes of your animal’s aches, pains and illnesses, will ensure maximum improvement, top performance and an exceptional quality of life for the animal companions we love.
Animal Chiropractic is a developing area of expertise in animal healthcare.
Today, more people recognize that loving and caring for their pets extends beyond providing food and shelter. Quality pet healthcare is no longer limited to spaying and immunizations. With the emerging field of Animal Chiropractic, people are appreciating new ways for their pets to achieve and maintain optimal health. Animal Chiropractic offers non-surgical, drug-free options for correcting bone, disc, and soft-tissue disorders related to improper spinal configuration and movement. When vertebrae become immovable through trauma, injury or degenerative wear and tear, the joints between them become jammed, often affecting the nerves that are in these congested areas. Because the nerves are the communication links from these joints to the brain and spinal cord, messages to the rest of the body become interrupted, leading to pain and loss of function. Animal Chiropractic focuses on the restoration and preservation of heath by removing communication barriers and restoring normal function. This therapy is not limited to an injured or sick pet. Healthy and athletic animals are ideal candidates for chiropractic examination and care. Maintaining proper structural alignment permits optimal function of the muscles, nerves and tissues supporting the joints, resulting in improved movement, stance and flexibility. This alignment promotes increased agility, endurance, and overall performance. Broader benefits include superior immune function, healthier metabolism and a vibrant nervous system, facilitating your animal’s natural ability to heal. Chiropractic can enhance the quality of your pet’s life, ensuring active and healthy years. More and more often veterinarians are utilizing animal chiropractors in their offices. They do so because animal chiropractors examine and treat areas of biomechanics and the functional nervous system that often go unnoticed by traditional veterinary care. By working in conjunction with veterinarians, animal chiropractors aid in restoring your pet’s optimal health by treating the whole patient. Animal Chiropractic is “NOT” intended to assume the primary health care responsibility of animals or replace veterinary medicine.
Chiropractic care for animals is one of the fastest growing and most valuable occupations available in animal healthcare today.
Doctors certified in Animal Chiropractic are widely recognized and available throughout the United States, Canada, and some other countries around the world. These practitioners are licensed chiropractors and/or veterinarians who have attended and graduated from an accredited animal chiropractic school; many of them successfully completing certifying exams from either the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA). These certified professionals are trained and experienced in attending to your pet’s neuromusculoskeletal challenges and needs. Animal chiropractic unifies two professions which provide a combination of skills uniquely proficient at caring for you animals. It combines science, mechanics and a caring compassion to provide results that improve the quality of life of your pet. Animal Chiropractic has been beneficial for performance animals, injured animals, athletes, show animals, and family pets. Whether to enhance performance address injury or illness or simply for preventative care, Animal Chiropractic can make a positive difference in your animal’s life. Today you can find qualified animal chiropractors in most major cities in the United States. To locate these doctors anywhere in the world check our website section ‘Find an Animal Chiropractor’. If you don’t have access to a practitioner in your region, discuss this with your veterinarian or chiropractor. Options for Animals can provide information for referral to a trained and competent doctor, as well as enrollment information for your veterinarian or chiropractor so that they can become qualified. Call Options for Animals today for more information. Your pet is depending on you!