Animal spines are very similar to human spines. All mammals have exactly the same number of neck bones...seven. From mice to giraffes, all have 7 neck vertebrae. All mammals have thoracic spinal segments with ribs attached and lumbar vertebrae, and although the numbers of bones in these areas differ a little from ours, the basic shapes and functions are quite similar. It's really quite remarkable when you think about it.
The spine covers and protects the nervous system as an extension of the brain. But these nerves need to leave the bony protection of the spine in order to reach the joints, muscles and skin of the arms and legs. The point where the nerves leave the spine is where they are most vulnerable. Aberrant movement of the spinal vertebrae can squeeze, bruise, crush, irritate or abrade the delicate nerves causing pain, numbness, tingling as well as paralysis or weakness of the area of the body that that nerve supplies. This happens to animals as well as humans.
Except for the occasional bird, most chiropractic care is administered to domesticated animals, primarily dogs, cats and horses. I have heard of some wild animals and circus animals being adjusted. I have even worked on day-old calves twice, but these are the exceptions. Cats as a rule don't require spinal adjusting very often because they are inherently so flexible that they can usually fix themselves with a good stretch. Cattle have little spinal trouble because their spines have interlocking vertebrae. The spines of cows need to be exceptionally strong and rigid to support the enormous weight of their several stomachs and vast intestinal tract. The two day-old calves that I was asked to look at couldn't walk. Normally this would be fatal either from the inability to feed, or from the farmer's rifle, but fortunately the treatments were quite successful in correcting the spinal problems brought on by birth in these incidents.
Humans have problems with their spines not only from too much, ill-timed or inappropriate activity, but also from too little. Sedentary lives are often lives lived in pain both for humans as well as animals. Animals, especially dogs and horses, are usually not sedentary, not by choice anyway. They trip, fall and stumble just as we humans do and sometimes the demands of competition, racing and showing are more than they can take.
Go To Page: 1 2
