Download Chiropractics for Animals

Dr Uli Helvoigt
Dr Joanna Kouwenberg
Dr Denise Peebles
Chiropractics for Animals

Chiropractic adjustments are part of a holistic therapy – we use it in conjunction with conventional
veterinary medicine to treat animals

What is an adjustment?
An adjustment is a controlled thrust (usually by hand) that is directed along a joint angle to
stretch a muscle fibre which in turn fires a nerve. Nerves are coming off the spinal cord to
muscles, tendons, ligaments, and even organs, so a chiropractic adjustment can affect and
improve any of these structures. Therefore, chiropractic adjustments rely on motion of the
anatomy, not just the static anatomy.

What is an adjustment NOT?
An adjustment does NOT mean pounding on the high point! Just because a horse has a bony
bump sticking up on its back, does not mean there is a vertebra out of place. This bone may
simply have formed a little different than the ones around it. How often to adjust depends on the
severity of the problem and how well the adjustment “holds”.

How can we adjust animals, especially ones as large as a horse?
Physics
 F=mxa
(force = mass times acceleration)
 Fast thrust means less mass needed to achieve force
 Angle of adjustment very important – knowledge of anatomy
 Also very important that animal is relaxed at time of adjustment
By knowing the anatomy of the spine, knowing the angles of facet joints, we can find out which
joints don’t have full range of motion and then adjust these one joint at a time. Human
chiropractors have the advantage of being able to adjust large areas of the spine by having their
patients place themselves into a position to be able to do this. Animal chiropractors usually work
on the standing animal, motion palpating one joint at a time.

Who is a candidate for chiropractics?
 Dogs: arthritis pain, body soreness, performance animals
 Horses: performance animals, older animals, chronic lamenesses

Who is NOT a candidate for chiropractics?
 Animals that are acutely lame should be evaluated first via conventional medicine – we
often have horses booked for chiropractic adjustment when they primarily have a sore
leg! That is not to say that these patients would not benefit from an adjustment, but they
will not “hold” an adjustment as they are favouring the sore leg.