Chiropractic – the practice of using one’s hands to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases. Chiropractic spinal manipulations have been done on both people and animals in this country since 1895. History indicates that spinal manipulation was used on animals as far back as ancient China.
Misalignments of the vertebrae are called subluxations. When a chiropractor manually performs a spinal manipulation on an animal, he is attempting to correct subluxations in the spine in order to restore the proper functioning of that animal’s nervous system.
Spinal subluxations in dogs may be caused by any physical injury, stress, faults in conformation, excessive crate confinement, leaping from or running down stairs or other high places, using leash corrections with choke chains, chaining your dog out on any collar, poor diet, insufficient exercise, sporting activities, such as agility, herding, lure coursing and playing rough with other dogs.
If a dog has a subluxation, he may or may not experience some form of pain, ranging from moderate to severe. Symptoms that you may observe in your own dog might include any of the following:
- Shows any signs of lameness
- Refuses to have his collar or harness put on
- Does not want to be touched on specific areas
- May no longer desire to jump up on the bed or sofa when previously happy to do so
- Shows sudden change in behavior, such as aggressiveness or depression
- Becomes stiff anywhere on his body
- Appears weak or unable to walk or move about
- Excessively licks his paws causing sores to develop
- Drags his hind leg behind as he walks, or becomes paralyzed
- Favors sitting on one side
- Becomes incontinent (urinary and/or fecal)
- Develops problems with digestion
- Shows poor performance in sports activities or a decreased interest in playing
- Dogs who suffer from hip dysplasia, IV disc disease and Wobblers Disease are excellent candidates for chiropractic care.
Ray E. Derman, D.C., C.V.C.P. Equine & Canine Chiropractic 401 W. Somerdale Rd., Hi-Nella, N J 08083 Office: (856) 309-1991 Cell: (856) 889-7729 drray@peoplepc.com
