Wednesday, March 12, 2014

A Veterinary Chiropractor Offers Safe Alternative Care For Your Pet

By Jaclyn Hurley


Chiropractic treatment is an effective way to keep the spinal column and joints of the body in good working order. Popular as an alternative form of healing for people, it can also be safely performed on household pets like cats and dogs, as well as animals such as horses, goats, and sheep, and offers these creatures the same benefits it does humans.

Pet owners in Pittsburgh PA can trust the skilled hands of a veterinary chiropractor to identify problems areas in their beloved animals and provide effective therapy to restore them back to normal. Once the function of the nerves and joints has be restored, the animal will enjoy reduced pain and improved overall health.

The pet will be given a full examination by the chiropractic practitioner which is carried out to identify any possible areas of subluxation, which is a misalignment of the spinal vertebrae or articulate joints. Subluxations can cause localized pain and impaired movement and are also believed to be responsible for the malfunction of reduced function of nearby nerves and organs.

Although many pet owners ultimately wait until their four-legged friend is demonstrating discomfort or they have been referred to this therapy by their regular veterinarian, it can benefit the animal as a preventative approach as well. Routine application of chiropractic care can keep one's pet in good health, eliminate any chronic or acute pain, and even improve such conditions as epilepsy and recurring ear infections.

Before the practitioner examines the animal, he or she will want to talk to the owner and get a medical background of the pet because this information can help determine the best approach to care. The normal course of treatment for subluxations is to correct the misalignment with "adjustments", these are firm, quick manual thrusts applied to the affected part, a special instrument may also be used for adjustments instead of the hands.

Animals typically tolerate this therapy without problem and will not feel pain from it. If the practitioner feels that the area to be treated is super-sensitive, only the gentlest approach will be taken, and in some cases another healing method altogether may be indicated.

After receiving a chiropractic adjustment, the pet should show signs of moving more freely and not being in pain either immediately or at most a few days later. It can take a bit of time for the animal's body to get used to being brought into realignment. The chiropractor will probably want to see the animal again after a week to make sure the effect of the procedure is still intact.

When an animal is beginning to undergo chiropractic care, it should ideally receive treatment once a week for four consecutive weeks. After improvement has been noted, treatments can be less frequent. Each animal's needs may differ from the next depending on its age, the type of condition it has, and level of activity. Generally, more active animals will require adjustments more often than sedentary ones.




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