Anyone Tried A Chriopractor For Their Hound?

[krissy]

Kili is going to an animal chiropractor tonight. Just curious if anyone else has used one for their hounds. Adjusting backs just kind of makes me nervous. I've been to a chiropractor for myself out of desperation but I never really got to be 100% comfortable about the whole thing. It did seem to help, I will say that. Also, I found I wasn't so nervous about my back being adjusted as my neck. Of course, further adding to the whole thing is that chiropractic is still not totally accepted. I know some doctors recommend it and others definitely do not (mine adamantly does not).

 

Anyway, we're going. Kili has been very not herself for the past week or so. I thought it was another growth spurt because she sometimes gets really quiet and eats less for a little bit. But I've noticed some stuff that kind of stuck in the back of my head, and then last night at agility I became convinced that something is bugging her. Refusing jumps until we lowered them to 8 inches, very slow through the tunnels. Just not right. Our trainer uses this chiropractor and really like her so we will be seeing her tonight and hopefully she can adjust Kili and make her feel better.

 

So, anyone taken their hounds to a chiro? What was it like? Did you go back regularly or only when you felt your hound was off? Do you use a chiro yourself and did that influence your decision or make you more inclined to try it for the hounds?

[robinw]

Yes, for Loca, Treasure and Phoenix. Seemed fine, although Treasure seemed a bit undercomfortable for a little while after every visit. I took Phoenix regularily until his osteo diagnosis.

 

The chiropractor was very gentle and the dogs didn't mind going at all.

Edited August 20, 2013 by robinw

[Wonder]

Sparks and Passion both have gone.

[krissy]

I should add that I haven't actually found a source of pain on her during my orthopedic exams on her. It seems to come and go. She CAN do crazy things with seemingly no problem (i.e. playing with her friends) but other times seems really off. So it does seem more like something that can come and go, and can be ignored if she really wants to. But she just seems really cautious at times, so hopefully an adjustment will help. I suspect it's her lower back even though she doesn't react to me examining it, just based on some odd things she has done recently.

[MP_the4pack]

All the time. My horse was a monthly regular when he threw his back out. He then went on every other month maintenance. All my greyhounds (10 to date) have had regular visits. They used to all get monthly adjustments when I could afford it way back when, but purse strings are a little tighter now. So since they are young they go every 3 months. It'll go down to 2 then monthly as they get older.

 

I absolute believe in it.

[XTRAWLD]

Yup. Ryder is up to 6 weeks between adjustments right now, and we have been seeing a chiro for over a year. The longer he goes without limping the better. It has been yielding better results with time. The one downside, IMO, is once you start going you end up going for treatment for life. I just don't see Ryder ever being able to NEVER go again.

 

She might not react to you examining it, but you aren't necessarily trained in the bone alignment with muscles, etc. We had our first chiro go over Ryder and he found the problem within minutes. He was admittedly stiff all over, but there are a few locations on his spine that are more troublesome than others.

Edited August 20, 2013 by XTRAWLD

[KF_in_Georgia]

I took my Sam twice when he was an 11-year-old boy with arthritis. (I haven't been to a chiropractor myself.) The chiropractor ran agility dogs, and she was recommended to me by a friend with agility dogs.

 

Sam had reached a point where getting up and lying down was painful--to the point where he yelped. And when he did lie down, he couldn't get comfortable, so he'd pop back up and stand there and whine. We had spinal x-rays that showed arthritis in his spine in the thoracic area (just behind where his shoulder blades fall). The adjustment was a little uncomfortable for him, but he tolerated it and it helped--for a while.

 

I think it was about one month later that he needed it again. The chiropractor had suggested a follow-up adjustment in a month, then routine adjustments every few months, so we were due to go back anyway. We went in, and this time she concentrated on the lumbar region of Sam's spine (about even with his hips). We had not originally x-rayed that area, and I wish we had. The adjustment that day was extremely painful (Sam screamed and he came the closest to biting someone--ever--when he whipped around to face the chiropractor; then he came to me and buried his head in my chest). X-rays a few months later showed some disk issues in that area of Sam's spine, and it became clear why that day's work was so painful.

 

But that adjustment helped for less than two weeks. He was in pain again, it was a Friday night, and I wouldn't be able to get him to the chiropractor until sometime the next week. His vet wrote a prescription for methocarbamol (Robaxin--a muscle relaxer), and Sam was moving better within 24 hours. That chiropractor just wasn't practical for us: a long drive for a dog that hated car rides (I didn't know of a closer chiropractor for dogs, although I do now), needing to call days in advance to arrange an appointment, no ability to get Sam treated on short notice or over a weekend, and the adjustments just didn't help for long enough--quite aside from how painful that second visit was. (I cried after I left that second visit. My boy had been hurt at the vet's before--when a tech was removing staples--but he never threatened to hurt anyone, so his behavior with the chiropractor showed just how much pain he was in; I really regretted putting him through that--especially when he was in pain again so quickly.)

 

I never took Sam to the chiropractor again. He was on methocarbamol, and eventually gabapentin and tramadol as well, and he never again had one of those yelping-when-he-laid-down/stood-up events. For a younger dog, where you're trying to improve mobility, a chiropractor could be useful, but I wasn't happy with the results for my old boy--too much pain for too short a benefit. The drugs controlled his pain so much better and didn't leave him groggy or dopey--and I could pick up relief at the Walgreen's around the corner, rather than driving Sam halfway to South Carolina for the chiropractor.

 

Silver is 8 years old and has some arthritis: again, at the thoracic area, and in her left shoulder. We did methocarbamol for a couple of weeks, and she was much better. We've x-rayed her whole spine and found only some arthritis (no disk issues), and my vet thinks she might be a good candidate for chiropractic adjustment in the future. She has a gimpy back right leg (a displaced Achilles tendon) and a corn on her front right foot, so my vet thinks she sometimes torques her back walking to minimize temporary discomfort from one or the other of those problems; he thinks she's a good candidate for a chiropractor. I plan to take her when my finances are in better shape. (She's off the methocarbamol now and doesn't seem to be in any pain.)

 

So--mixed results so far, but I'm willing to try again. I think x-rays first are important (for both my dogs, I wanted to rule out the possibility of osteo before I let someone work on them), and I wouldn't want the chiropractor to work on any area that hadn't been x-rayed.

[OwnedBySummer]

Yup! Without treatment, Summer would have had an intermittent limp while exercising, caused by a fall over a month before. We don't go any more as she's fine but it was weekly, then monthly, then 3 months, then done.

[MaryJane]

My Larry has been getting adjusted on a monthly basis for about 1 1/2 years. His chiropractor is certified as an animal chiroprator which is important (it's an extra week or two of classes). I always make sure to say that I just want gentle adjustments. Having said that, I think it has done a world of good for Larry, He is going to be 12 this fall and still runs in the back and tries to play with my younger greys. He was starting to have problems getting up and down but that seems to have stabilized.

 

His original complaint was that he was loosing muscle mass on one side at the rear and we originally thought that it might have been because of issues with his feet .. corns, fractured toe and a few other things that kept him from exercising for a about 6 months. We went to two neurologists (long story) to confirm that it was not LS and neither neurologist thought it presented that way.

 

I've been to a chiropractor after being rear-ended twice in about 2 months and found that I couldn't turn my head - it helped but it took about 6 months, maybe just time alone would have also helped. I also had two herniated disks and I would not get near a chiropractor at that time because my back was "not stable". I currently do not go to a chiropractor as I have not found the need (or desire) to continue for myself.

 

Larry's chirpractor also comes to my house, he says that adjusting in the office, or anyplace a dog is not familiar, is not as easy because the dogs are so tense.

[Guest sireltonsmom]

You might also ask your vet about cold laser treatments. They aren't cheap tho - you could call around and get best price and info. Good luck.

 

[krissy]

She might not react to you examining it, but you aren't necessarily trained in the bone alignment with muscles, etc. We had our first chiro go over Ryder and he found the problem within minutes. He was admittedly stiff all over, but there are a few locations on his spine that are more troublesome than others.

 

Yes, this is exactly why she is going. If she was reacting to me I would just x-ray her or put her on pain meds and rest. The fact that she doesn't react to an orthopedic examination suggests to me that she is probably pinching a nerve somewhere, because she acts exactly like I used to when I was pinching a nerve.

 

You might also ask your vet about cold laser treatments. They aren't cheap tho - you could call around and get best price and info. Good luck.

 

 

I am her vet and she does get laser treatments, though not for this. Remember, she's a 12 month old puppy so it's not like she has a lot of skeletal problems yet.

 

And yes, the chiropractor is a certified animal chiro. She's recommended by our agility club and routinely comes out to their trials to do adjustments. My trainer assured me that she is very gentle with her adjustments and very good with the dogs. They have had experiences with other chiros that they did NOT like due to too rough adjustments. So that at least reassures me about that. I'm just not sure how Kili will feel about it. I also don't want to get into a situation where she HAS to go routinely. But since she's so young hopefully that won't be the case.

[MaryJane]

 

And yes, the chiropractor is a certified animal chiro. She's recommended by our agility club and routinely comes out to their trials to do adjustments. My trainer assured me that she is very gentle with her adjustments and very good with the dogs. They have had experiences with other chiros that they did NOT like due to too rough adjustments. So that at least reassures me about that. I'm just not sure how Kili will feel about it. I also don't want to get into a situation where she HAS to go routinely. But since she's so young hopefully that won't be the case.

 

The only reason that Larry is continuing his treatments is that he is almost 12. If he was younger, I would have stopped the treatments after about 4 to 6 months which is when we saw the improvement.

 

Larry likes the adjustments - he just stands there and listens. After his very first one, he went into a very deep relaxed sleep. Even after his treatments now, he is more relaxed and settles down to sleep afterwards.

[Jiffer]

Yup, we used a Chiropractor for angel Icarus (Dr. Heick in Waterloo), and a Chiropractor/Acupuncturist for both angel Icarus and angel Echo (Dr. Robertshaw in Aylmer). Treatment really helped them, especially when we paired it with acupuncture to "solidify" the adjustments. They both really enjoyed their treatments and felt fantastic afterwards.

Good luck! I hope Kili finds some relief!

[Guest Davros]

i had to take Kath in to a chiro yesterday, the appointment was made for me by friends who know and recommend the guy, he was very good with her and she's much happier today, after having had an intermittent slight limp for about a week - had put her shoulder and some of the top of her back out hoping it won't have to be a regular thing but it will if it needs to be, she takes some pretty big tumbles at lure coursing and i guess i'm lucky she hasn't injured herself far worse before now!

[Hubcitypam]

Every one knows my view on chiro based on the guy that manhandled Rex and had to muzzle the sweetest dog ever as he was lashing out in pain during his adjustments. We went twice and I wasn't going to put him through that any more.

 

I tried to do all the right things - I made sure he was AVCA certified. On top of that he was a DVM and an instructor at the local chiropractic college. Afterward my then vet said " I wish you would have asked me. Acupuncture has a much better proven clinical track record".

[galgrey]

I've went for years and really need to go back. I've taken several of my greyhounds over the years with good results. The most significant was my boy, Keno, who suddenly started leaking urine on a Sunday morning after he's been to play group on Saturday (altho I didn't make the connection at the time). He stood up and his bed was wet Sunday morning and he seemed quite upset by this. Later in the day, he walked into the kitchen and I noticed he was leaking again as he walked. Took him in Monday morning to see my vet who is also a chiropractor. He adjusted him and the leaking stopped like magic. About a month later I took him back to play group ( he always ran like a complete maniac at play group) and the same thing happened again. Dr. W adjusted him and the incontinence stopped right away. He also sighed this big sigh "oh, that feels so much better". Here's an article about this very issue: http://www.dogsworldwide.com/drdog/contributions/ds2.htm

[krissy]

Just got back wi Kili and am very happy. The Chiro was very nice, made polite talk about my dog which is generally appreciated, explained exactly what was happening as we went, and was very gentle with her adjustments. In fact she chose to stop even though Kili had a tough spot that wasn't totally corrected because she felt Kili had had enough for her first time and didn't want to overwhelm her.

 

Got home and Kili is acting MUCH more herself. We are not to do anything too strenuous and no tugging for a couple of days, but she's up and around the house poking her nose into stuff instead of just laying around moping. We are going back on Monday for her next adjustment.

[Guest WhiteWave]

Ronon goes to the chiropractor. He is long over due for an adjustment, just had so much going on, I haven't had time to take him. It makes a big difference for him. He was limping so bad I thought he had osteosarcoma and my regular vet couldn't find anything wrong. But after one adjustment, he quit limping. I noticed this week, his back seems sore again, so gotta get him in as soon as I can.

[Rickiesmom]

My 15 year old whippet goes for chiro every two weeks right now. She's very good - initially qualified and practiced in chiropractic for people (still practices) and then qualified for animals, currently dogs and horses. If you find the right chiropractor, the results are very worthwhile.

[4My2Greys]

I'm glad to hear your and Killi's experience was a positive one .

[MaryJane]

Just got back wi Kili and am very happy. The Chiro was very nice, made polite talk about my dog which is generally appreciated, explained exactly what was happening as we went, and was very gentle with her adjustments. In fact she chose to stop even though Kili had a tough spot that wasn't totally corrected because she felt Kili had had enough for her first time and didn't want to overwhelm her.

 

Got home and Kili is acting MUCH more herself. We are not to do anything too strenuous and no tugging for a couple of days, but she's up and around the house poking her nose into stuff instead of just laying around moping. We are going back on Monday for her next adjustment.

 

 

Good to hear that it went well for Kili and that she seems to be on the road of correcting the symptoms that you were seeing. As many have stated in their previous posts, their experiences were usually either pretty good or pretty bad.

[rascalsmom]

I took Ruby to a chiropractor after she hurt herself. He literally saved her life. She could not walk at all--we were contemplating putting her down. Someone recommended him to me--he is a regular works-on-humans-chiropractor who also treats animals. After one treatment, she got up and walked 30 feet. It wasn't pretty, but she did it. After that she made great progress--although watching her run was still a little scary! Anyway, she lived another eight months after her injury, at which time she was having a hard time getting around again and this time was crying....we knew then that she was in pain and let her go. But going to that chiropractor gave us eight more good months with her. It was, to me, nothing short of amazing.

[GreytHoundPoet]

Yes. It saved my Dalmatian from having back surgery. I ave also had it done on one of my Ibizans. He stepped weird running and his gait went off. Turns out he just went out of alignment. The chiro adjusted him and he was sound again the very next day.

[krissy]

Just worked both dogs over a couple of jumps on my lunch break and she took them all with enthusiasm. Very happy right now with how much this has helped her.

[RaineysMom]

I thought chiro's where quacks until we took Nube. It was simply amazing what the difference was immediately after. He would get adjusted about every 6 months -- he would visibly slow down and after the adjustment, was like a puppy again.