Chiropractic for Animals, Part 2

Chiropractic is a highly skilled art and requires lots of practice and experience. Most veterinarians, the professor told us, took the course mainly to have another tool in their medical bag, one that they could bring out once in a while when they had what they recognized as a musculoskeletal condition enter their office. You simply cannot practice chiropractic, or any manipulative manual therapy, this way, just as it is very difficult to work part-time as a chiropractor. Your skills simply get rusty too fast.

My skeptism was soon challenged as I quickly came to realize that these people were serious and that the training that they were offering was thorough, and at times exhausting. I soon knew that I would enroll for all five modules and attempt to gain certification.

Often the class was split along professional lines as we chiropractors needed a sharp learning curve to get up to speed on animal anatomy, physiology and behavior, while the vets needed to learn chiropractic theory, philosophy and how to apply the art of manual adjusting to animals. I must say that both groups were at times quite bewildered and overcome by all there was to know.

The courses were geared mostly to horses and dogs; probably in a ratio of 75/25. Although we touched on many other mammals; cats, cattle, zoo animals and even birds, everyone knew that the bulk of our time would be spent with horses and dogs. We had instructors from all aspects of the field: vets who did manual adjusting almost exclusively, chiros who worked only with animals, specialists in animal anatomy, highly trained farriers and blacksmiths who taught us about hooves and shoeing, speakers from various areas of animal sports and people who used animals for work.

I took the five modules, learned all that I could, studied hard and passed the exams to become certified, and although I have a large human practice, I work on animals as a hobby, something that I truly enjoy. I find the animals responsive and appreciative of my efforts. Horses are particularly timid, being prey animals, but once they realize that I am not going to hurt them, they seem to relax and really enjoy their treatments. Most dogs, of course, love human attention and touching; they tend to respond very quickly and positively.

In my next article, I will discuss why animals need chiropractic care.

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