dog chiropractors?

[supercorgi]

I compete in dog agility with my cardigan welsh corgi Louie. It seems like almost all of my agility friends take their dogs to chiropractors for adjustments. My trainer has suggested I take my dog to a chiropractor to check for back problems because he has been refusing to go over the A-frame obstacle. Cardigans are a dwarf breed with short legs and long backs so I guess she's suspecting back problems.

I don't believe in all the chiropractic twaddle for humans and I have a very hard time believing that it would be useful for dogs, but I don't really know. The one that was recommended to me is actually a vet and associated with Tufts University Veterinary school. Is what they do actually chiropractic or more like physical therapy? Does anyone know if there is any value from this? Since corgis are built strangly, they can be prone to joint and back problems and agility does put a strain on their joints.

I don't want to subject my dog to a worthless treatment but if it could actually pinpoint potential problem areas and suggest preventative treatment -- should I do it?

 

[Rolfe]

-- should I do it?

No. It's complete and utter unmitigated twaddle. And it's potentially even more dangerous in small animals than in man because human strength is capable of doing a lot more damage. (Utterly useless in horses too, but at least no real prospect of doing damage unless they actually bring in machinery.)

By the way, I just finished reading a book on Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine written by the rational contingent, and the pages on chiropractic almost spontaneously combusted. It seems to be a much bigger issue in the US than it is in the UK.

Rolfe.

 

[Goshawk]

I know you love your dog, but...it seems to me that if a task you're asking an animal to perform is causing the animal pain, then the solution would be to stop requiring the animal to perform that task, rather than looking for some kind of palliative to enable the animal to continue performing the task that you are imposing upon it, a task for which its body is apparently wordlessly trying to tell you it is unsuited.

Just my two cents.

 

[supercorgi]

I know you love your dog, but...it seems to me that if a task you're asking an animal to perform is causing the animal pain, then the solution would be to stop requiring the animal to perform that task...

There's no indication that he's in any pain and he loves doing agility except for the darn A-frame (which actually he'll happily run over if I have food on me -- he's so mercenary.)

But just like an athelete trains and conditions themselves for their sport, there are things that you can do to avoid any future problems with active dogs. The biggest one is keep your dog at a low weight and make sure they're conditioned and warmed up before training.

The chiropractor thing was just a theory from my trainer. So many dog people seem to have bought into woo-woo stuff from chiropratic to using flower extracts to calm their dogs during thunderstorms.

 

[supercorgi]

Re: Re: dog chiropractors?

By the way, I just finished reading a book on Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine written by the rational contingent, and the pages on chiropractic almost spontaneously combusted. It seems to be a much bigger issue in the US than it is in the UK.
[/B]

Thanks Rolfe. I hadn't even thought about that strength angle. To me it would seem that you would have to intimately know the skeletal structure of each dog breed to be a dog chiropractor and I don't think most of these people have a clue. A Basset hound is put together very differently from a Chihauhua.

The dog chiro thing is a big issue in the US. So many people seem to believe in it and use it (for that matter, the majority of people here seem to accept chiropractic for humans). I know people who swear that thier dog's performance is greatly enhanced by a chiro treatment.

 

[Dr. Popalot]

I advise you to check with the vet licensing agencies in your state/province. In some, it's legal for a DC to treat an animal. In Louisiana it is not, unless the vet is present. Any diagnosis and treatment of an animal is usually the domain of the vet not the DC.
As a DC myself, I can tell you that DC's are not trained to recognize animal diseases. For the most part, treating animals is little more than poppycock in most cases. Enhancing the performance of even humans by chiropactors is still unproven.

 

[richardm]

You might find some interesting reading here; in a series of articles critically discussing chiropractic practice on humans. Many of the dangers seem likely to apply to dogs, but more so on the grounds of their smaller stature.

edited to add: The A-Frame would seem to me to be one of the less difficult obstacles. Given that your dog will happily hop over it when there's a bribe involved, could it be that (a) she's scared of heights or (b) she doesn't see the point in going over if there's no bribe at the end of it?

 

[supercorgi]

Thanks for the link Richardm.

edited to add: The A-Frame would seem to me to be one of the less difficult obstacles. Given that your dog will happily hop over it when there's a bribe involved, could it be that (a) she's scared of heights or (b) she doesn't see the point in going over if there's no bribe at the end of it?

Actually, for a short-legged, heavy bodied dog like a corgi, the A-frame is one of the more difficult. But with my dog, I think his "problem" is more due to (b) -- he just doesn't see it as worth the effort. Tunnels, on the other hand, I can't keep him out of.

 

[IllegalArgument]

Re: Re: dog chiropractors?

No. It's complete and utter unmitigated twaddle. And it's potentially even more dangerous in small animals than in man because human strength is capable of doing a lot more damage. (Utterly useless in horses too, but at least no real prospect of doing damage unless they actually bring in machinery.)

By the way, I just finished reading a book on Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine written by the rational contingent, and the pages on chiropractic almost spontaneously combusted. It seems to be a much bigger issue in the US than it is in the UK.

Rolfe.

My roommate is a chiropractor, human only. I have politely discussed the that I don't really believe in chiro, so he doesn't offer to adjust me.

I remember several discussion between him and my ex-gf, who is a vet, about horse chiro. Humorous part is that there is a high rate of injuries, amoung the the chiropractors. Apparently, most of them don't use any mechanical assistence and are hurt by the horses.

 

[richardm]

Thanks for the link Richardm.

Actually, for a short-legged, heavy bodied dog like a corgi, the A-frame is one of the more difficult.[

I suppose. They can be quite steep, can't they?

But with my dog, I think his "problem" is more due to (b) -- he just doesn't see it as worth the effort.

Well, there's your answer - do the course waving a biscuit under his nose