Most people think of Chiropractic as a means of treating a sore back, but it can be used for more than this. When a dog is ill or lame he is often in pain. This can cause the dog to limp or hunch so that he changes his posture and gait to varying degrees. These compensatory changes can then cause secondary problems to occur in other areas of the body, exacerbating the original problem, so that it appears to become worse. Susan Sargeant tells us briefly how chiropractic has helped two of our canine friends who were originally given a poor prognosis:

Harry had Wobbler syndrome – an  instability in the neck that increased compression of the spinal cord. This produced an uncoordinated gait involving both front and hind legs. Harry basically moved as if he was drunk both behind and in front. When his gait was slowed down using digital technology, it was possible to see that the middle of Harry’s spine rolled significantly causing problems the entire length of his spine. When touched he had several hot spots and almost fell or scratched uncontrollably. Harry had continued treatment and due to his owner’s commitment in bringing him regularly he improved significantly, living 4 years longer than his original prognosis! The chiropractic could not help the Wobblers itself, but it did help eliminate the secondary problems so Harry was more comfortable.

Scooby had two cruciate ligament operations involving pins and plates in both hind limbs. The result was that she was very stiff not only in her back legs but her front end and back suffered  too. This was due to the compensatory changes she made in her gait and posture to accommodate the stifle problems. Scooby lives some distance away so has treatment less frequently than desired but Chiropractic realigns her spine, increases her mobility and reduces some of the pain and inflammation that builds up. She now swims in conjunction with the treatment and the two work very well together.

These same principles apply to many other bone, joint, muscle and nerve disorders including Hip Dyspalsia, Osteochondrosis (OCD), Spondylitis and DM / CDRM (Degenerative Myelopathy). McTimoney Chiropractic may not cure the original problem, but it can often help with the secondary issues that occur as a consequence. Chiropractic does not take the place of veterinary treatment, but should work alongside it with good communication between vet, chiropractor and owner to establish the best for each dog.

How often do we as dog owners find that one minute our dogs seem fine but the next they are ‘not quite right’. It is difficult to say when it happened, but over a few weeks or months you may notice small things such as your dog having difficulty getting into the car, up the stairs or onto their favourite chair. Maybe they don’t want to get out of bed, go for a walk or greet you how they used to. They may growl, whimper when touched or worse still, bite. If they are a competition dog their performance may be reduced.

If any of this sounds familiar, it maybe that McTimoney Chiropractic is worth considering. Susan Sargeant is a Registered Chiropractor who uses the McTimoney method of chiropractic and undertook a further post graduate diploma in animal manipulation. She now uses the techniques on animals as well as humans.

Susan believes that dogs like people, can suffer from musculo-skeletal problems affecting not only the back but the neck, pelvis and limbs as well. Very often the dog’s only way of communicating these problems to us is to display a change in personality, character or performance as indicated in the examples above.

McTimoney Chiropractic is a non invasive gentle form of treatment where the practitioners use their hands to perform a very fast and precise ‘adjustment’ to any misaligned bone releasing them and in addition reducing pain and inflammation and increasing range of movement. It concentrates on the whole body to eliminate the cause of problems not just the symptoms.

Misalignments can cause various symptoms and the dog will often subtly change his gait to compensate for the problem. The joints involved can become stiff and lack their normal range of motion. Ligaments will be put under extra strain, muscles will have reduced elasticity and be more prone to injury. In addition nerves can become impinged causing muscle wasting (atrophy), weakness and in some cases, paralysis. Swelling and inflammation may be evident. If the nerve supply to various organs and glands is affected, symptoms of disease can often be noticed. All this will have a knock on effect throughout the body leading to further misalignments.

The causes of misalignments in dogs are numerous and include:

• Trauma such as accidents, falls, road traffic accidents.
• Repetitive activities that build up to cause a series of micro-traumas over a period of time i.e. jumping on and off the sofa, in and out of the car.
• Competitions – Greyhound / Whippet racing (bends – one direction, builds up muscle imbalance and crookedness throughout spine and pelvis.) Agility (sudden stopping /starting / tight turns, contact obstacles, weaves). Obedience – training involves the dog walking to the left of the owner so that he is craning his neck to the right.
• Breed weakness – different breeds have different flexibility and different areas of weakness e.g.

Dachshund – disc problems, German Shepherds – Hip dysplasia.

• Stud & breeding duties.
• Dental problems.
• Lameness can cause the dog to compensate which can develop into secondary back problems.

Prevention is better than cure and Susan recommends that every dog is checked at least every 6 months to avoid injury, improve performance and increase well being. She also stresses that Chiropractic does not surpass veterinary diagnosis. Current legislation means that veterinary approval must be obtained prior to treatment of any animal. If you wish to know more about chiropractic or how it could benefit your dog, Susan can be contacted on 0208 405 1268/ 07957 509594.