We frequently get asked this question.

Did you know pets, or any animal for that matter, can suffer from joint and muscle pain just like us?

Chiropractic therapy for pets and other animals offers a myriad of benefits that contribute to their overall health, wellness, and quality of life.

• From pain management
• Improved mobility
• Improved agility & endurance
• Enhanced performance for both competition and show animals
• Support for senior pets who may have degenerative joint changes

Chiropractic care plays a vital role in optimizing the health and vitality of our furry companions. By incorporating chiropractic treatment into their healthcare routine, pet and animal owners can help their pets live happier, healthier, and more active lives for years to come.

The treatment is quite different to human Chiropractic care. There generally aren’t any audible sounds, it’s more directional mobilisation, massage and stretching techniques.
In our experience most pets and other animals enjoy the treatment and are super excited to see Dr. Richard to have their Chiropractic adjustments.

The most common animals that Dr Richard treats are dogs, cats, & horses. Though he has treated, sheep, cattle, alpacas, deer, rabbits, guinea pigs, and on one occasion, a snake. All animals can benefit from Chiropractic care.

DOGS & CATS

Just like humans, pain is usually not the very first symptom your pet will exhibit. There are subtle signs you should look out for as a pet owner as well as the more obvious signs and symptoms, such as:

• flinching of muscles when your animal is petted or groomed
• not sitting straight – where the animal is sitting off to one side
• an inability to move straight
• difficulty holding their head up
• reluctance to run or to walk quickly
• problems turning their head to one side
• difficulty with climbing up and down stairs
• difficulty jumping up – into the car, onto a couch or bed
• inability to hold their tail up or difficulty wagging their tail
• having low energy levels, or changes in their personality just to name a few.

The more obvious signs & symptoms include:

• lameness,
• incontinence
• yelping or crying with certain movements
• loss of appetite
• lethargy
• isolation and withdrawal

You know your pet best, so you will probably recognise when they’re just not feeling and behaving like themselves.

Trust your intuition and get them checked.

How do you know if your horse needs a Chiropractor?

There are many signs & symptoms that can determine if you should have your horse seen by an Equine Chiropractor. Some symptoms could be as minor as just low energy or an ‘off’ performance. Taking your horse to a qualified Animal Chiropractor can make all the difference.

In more severe situations, like an uneven pelvis, lameness or a nervous system issue, Equine Chiropractic care can be essential to prevent ongoing pain or a limited range of motion from getting worse without more invasive procedures and operations. Here are just a few of the symptoms you can look for to know if your horse needs an Equine Chiropractor.

Your horse may need Chiropractic help if it has any of these symptoms:

• Poor performance
• Abnormal Posture
• Back, neck, tail pain
• Head Tilt
• Ears pinned back
• Hesitation to move
• Difficulty in change of direction
• Holding head or awkwardly
• Hypersensitive / shying
• Off food
• Muscular atrophy
• Changes in Behaviour
• Lameness
• Stiffness
• Uneven gait
• Joint pain
• Holding head awkwardly
• Uneven pelvis/hips
• Muscle soreness
• Refusing jumps
• Hollow top-line
• Short tempered

How often do I need to see a horse chiropractor?

How often your horse will see the Equine Chiropractor is up to you and the Chiropractor.

To treat a specific issue: a couple of visits within 1-2 months may be necessary. Depending on what your horse is being asked to do, for example; jumping, dressage, eventing, racing, camp drafting, hacking, trail riding etc, and the work load your horse is under, will be a determining factor. It may be beneficial for your horse to get regular adjustments and Chiropractic check-ups to maintain the work load being asked, or to improve balance, joint mobility, muscle strength, reduce any pain & inflammation, and improve agility while performing.

When the Equine Chiropractor visits your horse, you can expect each visit to take about 30 minutes.

Regular adjustments are a great way to prevent minor issues that aren’t even an issue yet from becoming major. You should not only react to treat what is wrong with your horse but prevent what could go wrong. Instead of only medical-based symptoms to determine if your horse could use regular adjustments, here are some more things that you could consider.

• My horse is in a float or truck frequently
• Do I expect my horse to perform hard?
• Is my horse required to twist & turn off its hind quarters
• Does my horse carry heavy loads?
• Is my horse in a natural environment able to run and move freely
• Does my horse spend a lot of time on trails and uneven ground
• My horse is failing to achieve specific goals or performances for no apparent reason
• I’ve noticed my horses back-end drops out whilst walking/trotting

Chiropractic Care for your horse, can make all the difference. Get you horse checked now, by a Qualified Animal Chiropractor.

We know that you want the very best for your pet.

It is important that an animal's condition is accurately diagnosed before treatment and that the work is carried out by a qualified animal/veterinary chiropractor.

Steer clear of "self-trained" individuals, providing a variety of services purporting to be something they are not, with a very shallow understanding of what they are doing. This is both misleading and potentially very dangerous. Just because they can ride or shoe a horse, love cats or they breed dogs, doesn’t mean they have the knowledge or ability to differentially diagnose a condition let alone treat it.

In Australia, a practitioner of Animal Chiropractic must be a licensed and registered Veterinarian and/or Chiropractor who have completed exhaustive Post Graduate studies in the field of Animal Chiropractic. It is important that when choosing an Animal Chiropractor that you ask what their qualifications are.

You will find that as well as their tertiary qualifications in Veterinarian and/or Chiropractic Sciences, an accredited and certified Animal Chiropractor will have the qualification of Graduate Diploma in Animal Chiropractic. A two year post Graduate Diploma as well as their respective Vet & Chiro degree qualifications.

Dr. Shepard our Animal Chiropractor is the real deal. He has been working with animals for over 15 years, specifically - dogs, cats, & horses. (Though he has also treated alpacas, deer, rabbits, guinea pigs, cattle & pigs, and even a pet snake)