Chiropracter Experiences

[NeylasMom]

Just curious to hear about your experiences with using chiropractors for your dogs. Neyla had one adjustment when she had osteo, but the vet was too far so we didn't continue them. Otherwise, I don't have any experience using them with dogs.

 

Violet just had her first adjustment with a chiro who was recommended by her physical therapist. She's doing well with her PT - her shoulder injury seems to be healed and she's been moved on to the underwater treadmill - but she has these trigger points behind her shoulders and along her spine that keep recurring with activity, even with her being on Robaxin. So I'm hoping the chiro will help us resolve whatever is causing those and she'll be back to normal soon.

 

Anyway, I really liked this person, but Violet did find a few of the adjustments uncomfortable. Just curious whether other people have had good, bad, neutral experiences and what you used it for.

Edited January 20, 2017 by NeylasMom

[Hubcitypam]

On friends advice I made sure that I chose a AVCA chiropractor who was also a vet. In addition he was an instructor at the Palmer College of chiropractic. Can't go wrong there, right? We went twice and I still kick myself for taking Rex the second time. Both times the guy did procedures that were so uncomfortable the he lashed out biting and had to be muzzled. Rex was the sweetest most horizontal dog whom out vet referred to as "incredibly stoic" Never again. Tracey (Vanillabean) and I are good friends and for a on time she referred to me as "the lady that hates chiros (she is one).

Edited January 20, 2017 by Hubcitypam

[robinw]

I used to take Phoenix, Loca and Treasure to a chiropractor. Great experiences for all and the results were good. We had to stop because she wouldn't treat once they were diagnosed with osteo. She felt it was too risky and painful for the dogs.

[MP_the4pack]

I went to my chiropractor first because my brand new horse, Hearty, was unridable. He hurt himself doing yahoos in the field. Two months of no progress, I, the non believer of chiro, broke down and found one.

I was riding and jumping within 3 weeks.

 

I've used her for both horses and dogs since 1990.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Sam went to a chiro recommended by a friend whose dogs do agility. Sam had inflamation in his spine. First visit was okay, and Sam was moving much better for a few days afterward.

 

But the pain returned after a couple of weeks, so we made another appointment. This time, she worked on his lower spine (first visit was upper). Like Hubcitypam's 2nd visit, it was a nightmare. Sam nearly went for the chiro (only response like that in 11 years with him--including when he had stitches removed after the skin had started to grow over them). He screamed and cried and shook. I cried all the way home. Two days later, he was in pain again every time he moved.

 

We never went again. Pain was met with drugs and we got along fine for a couple of years more.

[MaryJane]

I had positive experiences with my dog's chiropractor. Having said that - he teaches chiropractic adjustments a few times a year at a vet college in the mid-west. He is also a "human" chiropractor certified to do animals. If you are going down this path, I would strongly suggest that you make sure whoever you get is certified for dogs.

 

I made sure that I told him every time he came that the adjustments had to be gentle -- there is an instrument that they can use which lessens the amount of bone movement and he used that when we first started the sessions. My dog loved the adjustments and since the chiro usually came from adjusting horses (from the farm down the street) - there was a marathon sniffing session. There was no time that the chiro did anything that could I construed as painful although, there were times that it was obvious some parts of his body were a bit more tender and with that, the chiro did the manipulations more slowly.

 

The day of the adjustments, my dog would be really tired and i usually let him sleep most of the day. The next day my dog would have a marked improvement in mobility and that ease of mobility would continue for between 2 to 4 weeks.

[ramonaghan]

We took Sweep to an AVCA certified chiropractor for several sessions last year in an effort to alleviate her limping after several clear x-rays and still no diagnosis. He adjusted her shoulders and neck, where he suspected the problem was originating (he also recommended a harness, which we still use and are happy with). An orthopedic specialist later determined it was tenosynovitis in a toe. I don't consider it a waste of time to have her adjusted, since her wonky gait was putting strain on her shoulders and neck, but I wouldn't put her through it again unless I was more sure of the problem. She never really relaxed for acupuncture and chiropractic appointments, and she snarked once at the chiropractor--when he handled the foot where we eventually found the issue. She also limped much worse up to 2 days after her appointments. In our case, only time, massage, and NSAIDs have really helped.

[Remolacha]

I ended up taking Conner to a chiropractor (vet) for his shoulder limp. He has a wonky toe, back right, from an injury that didn't heal well. This throws his gait off, and eventually led to the left front shoulder limp. The chiro felt his shoulder, and along his neck and spine, found tension points, and made adjustments. It made a huge difference for him. We go once a month, and about the only time he limps on that shoulder (he has other limps for other reasons on other feet) is when he is due for his next apt. Her adjustment are always gentle, and other than an occasional muscle twitch/flinch, he never shows any reaction. He loves his chiro apts!

 

I wouldn't take him if he seemed in any way stressed or hurt. But, obviously, you have to get someone who knows what they are doing, and it isn't the right treatment for everything.

[krissy]

Kili sees a chiro regularly (every 6-8 weeks) ever since she was 10 months old. If she doesn't she starts to get sore, she'll refuse to sit, she'll refuse to jump, she'll start bailing off contact equipment. Right after an adjustment she's back to 100% normal. She's had her entire spine x-rayed and they couldn't find any obvious concerns. The problem used to be a lot worse actually, and has improved since she's matured. I haven't had to make an "emergency" appointment because she suddenly was refusing equipment, now I just take her in at regular intervals or if I start to see a bit of hesitation/resistance to holding her sits.

 

Kili hates being handled and having stuff done to her, so she's not a huge fan of being adjusted, but so far as I can tell it doesn't hurt at all. And she does really like her chiro, she gives her kisses and wags her tail when we see her.

 

Kili has had 2 chiros in her life, one in Ontario and then one here in Edmonton. I'm very picky about who adjusts my dog. I want them to be thorough, gentle, and I want them to know what they're feeling. There are a few chiros here in Edmonton (so I assume there are others in other cities) that use a "medium" when deciding what needs to be adjusted. I am not against mediums, I've consulted one once about my dogs, but when it comes to medical treatments and adjusting my dogs SPINE I want science. I want someone with a proper anatomy background and a gentle touch.

 

A chiro can be very good and very effective, but it depends on the problem. My chiro is great, and I've actually had her refer dogs to me if she thinks there is a different issue that needs to be addressed by a vet (our chiro isn't a vet, she was a human chiro first and then got double certified to see animals).

[XTRAWLD]

Taken Ryder to a couple of different chrios and he has always benefited from the adjustments. Surprisingly, once the hurt side gets fixed, you will find that the other side needs to be fixed too because of the compensation they have been doing. You'll need to go often in the beginning and then taper off the visits as your dog gets better. I agree with Kristie above though, sometimes no matter how much of the chiro you see, you'll need to see a vet or go further with figuring out where the problem lies if the adjustments do not seem to be working.

 

When you say she found them uncomfortable, what did she do that gave you that indication? I've had Ryder show his teeth before, indicating that was not a very nice feeling....but ultimately on the next visit his reaction to that area was better. Showing a reaction is a great indicator though, as you know exactly now where the sore spot is. Sort of like you with sore muscles, hurts the first time, but it's better when you go again and things get re-aligned.

Edited January 20, 2017 by XTRAWLD

[NeylasMom]

Thanks for all of the feedback so far, this is helpful. The chiro we are using is a human chiro, also certified in animal chiro, fyi. She also, like the physical therapist who referred her (and who I love love love!) works on horses, which I always consider a plus.

 

When you say she found them uncomfortable, what did she do that gave you that indication? I've had Ryder show his teeth before, indicating that was not a very nice feeling....but ultimately on the next visit his reaction to that area was better. Showing a reaction is a great indicator though, as you know exactly now where the sore spot is. Sort of like you with sore muscles, hurts the first time, but it's better when you go again and things get re-aligned.

She responded with little whimpery cries in response to the ones that elicited a reaction along her spine, and an occasional look back. There was one on her hind end while she was standing that got a big head snap that in a dog with a lot less restraint could have easily been a snap or a bite, but may have been as much surprise as discomfort.

 

The ones along her spine were at known trigger points, where her muscles spasm and she was pretty spasmy today from some more intense exercise this week so I'm hopeful that like you described for Ryder we won't see those reactions next time around. If we do we may have to rethink our plan. One thing we could change is that she and the PT conferred and wanted to have the chiro see her without us having her PT yesterday so she didn't get her usual manual therapy (massage and cold laser) yesterday. Our next visit is in 2 weeks and the plan is again no manual right before. If she is really spasmy I may ask about changing that.

 

And yeah, like MaryJane mentioned, the chiro said we should expect her to sleep most of today and see improvement tomorrow. So far Violet is taking her rest very seriously.

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by NeylasMom

[mom2four]

Our vet is certified to do chiropractic treatments. While we've never had to really use them, she will adjust the hounds at their annual exam. Our Diego who had LS found them sore but he did better afterwards.

[cleptogrey]

felix has gone a good couple of times. his lower back is the problem. he never seemed exhausted after and defiantly moved better, but the comfort was short lived. personally i find that the biggest bang for my buck and his comfort happens to be the adequan injections and occasional medical dose that are keeping him moving comfortably. exactly what's the problem w/ violet's shoulder and why the spasms?

[GreytHoundPoet]

I've taken my dogs to chiropractors before. They've always helped. One of my beezers actually threw himself out of alignment at a lure coursing trial and a chiro vet who was there running her dogs adjusted him. He was good as new by the next day and able to compete (and did really well). I was going to just pull him but he was sound, moved comfortably, and was clearly feeling awesome.

Edited January 20, 2017 by GreytHoundPoet

[lukasmom]

I have been taking my hounds to a chiropractor 5 minutes from my house for about a year. Both had great results. They relax when they are being worked on.

I am so glad I am able to help my boys.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

Blaze goes once a month to his chiropractor (a human one trained to treat animals as well). He's a McTimoney chiropractor (not sure if that's just a UK thing), and the adjustments are always very gentle. The improvement in Blaze since we started has been remarkable and we wouldn't do without his chiro sessions now. He loves seeing the chiropractor as well, which is a great sign that it doesn't hurt and makes him feel good!

 

So Blaze's experience has been wholly positive. Tail wags for Violet .

[NeylasMom]

Well so far the results seem good for us from that one adjustment. Violet was hopping with her back legs on the last stairs every time we'd go out and is now stepping on each individual step! This was a symptom of her ongoing back end stiffness so that is really significant.

 

Then I was able to reschedule her manual PT for 2 days after and Courtney was thrilled with how Violet felt. At the end Violet was literally melting into the bed with her front legs spread way apart, something Courtney has never seen her do. The chiro found she was locked up on the right side of her neck, something we had not been paying any attention to.

 

So I'm hopeful that this is the last piece of the puzzle. She has underwater treadmill again shortly And it will be interesting to see what her other therapist says as she doesn't know yet we did the chiro.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

Fantastic. That sounds really promising. Fingers crossed all the way!

 

Yes, for Blaze the key is a combination of the chiro to keep him straight, the physio to keep him loose, and the acupuncture to deal with any residual pain (of which there is now less and less, thanks to the chiro and physio). If only I looked after myself half as well! Am shambling through life after these dogs.

 

Hoping Violet continues to improve and feel more comfortable.

[NeylasMom]

Thanks. Of course when the PT felt Violet after her underwater treadmill today she found lots of spasming from her usual trigger points. Her PT has thrown out the idea of something neurological, like a slightly bulging disc. We'll give our new plan with the chiro included a bit more time and see. I really don't want to anesthetize her for an MRI and her symptoms are so mild I can't imagine we'd consider surgery anyway so I'm not sure our treatment plan would be different anyway.

 

In the meantime, she went from 8 minutes to 11 on the treadmill today, and at a faster speed so she is out.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

As long as she seems more comfortable and is moving better I wouldn't get overly hung up on trigger points, unless they are clearly restricting her. The physio can deal with them, and Blaze's pain specialist pointed out to me that some (usually bilateral) trigger points are very common and normally present in almost all dogs, so trigger points in themselves (depending on location and other factors) aren't always a reliable indicator of something else going on. If her symptoms seem improved and she's happy then hopefully there's progress in a positive direction.

 

Also, the chiro needs to be maintained, as the body will be habituated to slipping back into its 'bad' postural patterns, especially in the very early stages of chiro treatment. More treatments are usually needed to begin with, which can then be spaced out as the body readjusts and begins to use itself 'properly' again. But if there's some source of the pain (an old injury to tissue or bone that is maybe a bit achey) then it will always over time encourage the body to compensate for it, which leads to the generalised wind-up pain through other parts of the body. The physio and chiro together should be able to keep this wind-up pain under control, but they might never be able to fix whatever the source might be. For Blaze it's the repaired fracture in his wrist; that will never change and will always be liable to ache a bit, but his chiro and physio keeps his wind-up pain under good control now. Before he was sore through his shoulder and neck/saddle, all the way down his back and into his back left leg (opposite side from the injury to front right). Incidentally he has just last week had the metal implant removed from his wrist, so we're hoping that also helps him (it was irritating him a bit). This is now 2.5 years post fracture. It goes on...

 

I'll keep on keeping my fingers crossed for Violet. Hang in there, I know it can be a bit of a long haul.

[seeh2o]

I've had nothing but good chiro experiences with my dogs. My vet does chiro. Worked great for my non-grey, Sheila, for my beautiful boy Carl when he tweaked his neck, and for Doodles post FCE. She's very very gentle, especially with Doodles who is 13+++.

Edited January 27, 2017 by seeh2o

[turbotaina]

Jen, are you using Malinda or someone else? Turbo found the adjustments uncomfortable, but never seemed sore afterwards. The results were great - she got him straightened back out and made a huge difference.

[NeylasMom]

Jen, are you using Malinda or someone else? Turbo found the adjustments uncomfortable, but never seemed sore afterwards. The results were great - she got him straightened back out and made a huge difference.

Someone else. Violet's PT recommended the chiro she uses for herself, who is also certified to treat animals. I'm thinking about trying her myself.

[turbotaina]

I need one for me! I know of a good human one in Frederick, but don't have the time to make an appointment. I wish they'd come to the house like the animal ones do!

[NeylasMom]

I need one for me! I know of a good human one in Frederick, but don't have the time to make an appointment. I wish they'd come to the house like the animal ones do!

I know. I still have to go to the office if I see this one!