Do you take your dog to a chiropractor?

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

I see a chiropractor and acupuncturist myself, and have for quite a few years. It has helped greatly with many issues I was having, but it never really occured to me to take Jack to a chiropractor. My vet sends out a monthly newsletter, and was talking about the health benefits of chiropractic work for dogs, so I just started thinking about it.

So...how many of you have taken your dog to a chiropractor? Why did you start? What has been your experience/results? What "qualifications" does your chiropractor have?

Also, how much do sessions usually cost? My chiropractic work is covered by my insurance, so I'm not really sure how much a normal price range is.

[Bigpoodleperson]

I took Riley to the chiropractor, and it helped a Ton! We started going because he had a really painful flair-up a few years ago. He was very out of wack. He had a bad back anyways, and it always helped him. Really made him feel like a puppy again.

We went to 2 different ones. 1 was a vet who specialized in chiro work. She only came to town when she was working at the emergency clinic. 11pm appointments wernt working with my schedule though as much as I Loved her. The other is a human certified chiro who does animals also. Really great, and she really Loved Riley. She sent us a card when he passed.

I dont remember what the vet charged (30ish maybe, but she charged me less as a professional discount). The other chiro charged 50$. I would highly recommend starting to take your dog! I will take my next one.

[Dekka]

I have taken Kaiden when he had a back injury. The vet did full xrays and then suggested a chiro.

I know Maf takes Smudge. The difference it makes in him is like night and day. Its fairly common to take agility dogs to chiros and massage therapists. Many trials have one or both there.

When I get working and competing again I would like to take my guys. I am sure Dekka's running style does damage (she has no sense of self preservation and hits the contacts HARD.. you can hear her hit them from the far end of the ring even though she is so tiny)

[HayleyMarie]

Im planning to.

I want to see if it will help with Teagans incontinance.

[BostonBanker]

I haven't taken my dogs. Meg is an incredibly sound dog, with great self preservation skills. I took her to a massage person at a trial when she was having issues with the chute, just in case it was pain related, and she said Meg felt great.

I had a scary experience with a very highly regarded vet doing chiro on Tristan (the vet did come back and fix the issue completely free of charge, but still scared me), and it has made me very tentative. I'm not saying I would rule it out completely if one of my dogs had an issue clearly related to alignment, but it isn't something I personally will turn to as a "maybe it would help" thing. I know many who use it with great success however.

[MafiaPrincess]

I wrote a post and it got eaten.

Smudge sees a chiro. He has a jammed vertebrae. Multiple vets were negligent as they barely looked at him, didn't really touch him. So he stayed out of alignment for more than a year as I wasn't fully sure he had an issue or how to fix it.

First chiro visit. She looked at him and told me what and where she thought his problem was before she even touched him. After an adjustment I realized all the things he didn't do and I didn't notice. Couldn't stand and look up. Would always sit. Would put paws on things instead of jumping if he was having a bad day. Sadly, he was out of alignment for so long, his body too easily pops back to the wrong alignment. We saw the chiro weekly, then every other week for a while. For the past 2ish years we go every three of four weeks depending upon my school schedule. This week was the fourth week between appointments. Today he was really stiff all over.

Cider has been when she had a pinched nerve. Immediate relief after one appointment, back to normal in three.

I pay $60 to bring in a new dog, $45 an appt.

My chiro is a Dr of chiropractic, and took animal chiro courses. She's a member of the American Veterinarian Chiropractic Association.

[Beanie]

I have taken Auggie to two chiros.
The first was actually when he had an accident... we were out running on a day it was REALLY windy. I wasn't planning on making him take the contact obstacles. He off-coursed onto the dog walk and the wind gusted and he went blowing right off the side and landed on his shoulder/neck. So we took him to a chiropractor. She adjusted him and we came back in two weeks I think it was for a follow up... I didn't continue to take him to her. She did her adjustments up on the exam table and I just wasn't a big fan. I think she did the job, just wasn't like OMG I LOVE THIS LADY.

Maybe a year or so later, a vet that Auggie's breeder knows started doing chiropractic days at the sports vet I take Auggie to. I took Auggie in and we started doing a maintenance plan with him, about once every six weeks. We go less often if we aren't competing or actively practicing (like the dead of winter with six feet of snow and ice on the ground) and a little more if we are competing a lot. I like to take him right before we trial (and Auggie likes to do something stupid the very next day and throw himself back out of whack, I swear.) She is amazing... we sit on the floor on a yoga mat and it's all very calm and quiet and I just love her, and so does Auggie. The whole vibe is soooo different from the other vet. She spends a lot longer on him than the other vet did, too. She does a great job.
It makes a HUGE difference in Auggie. The first time I took him he came trotting out of the clinic and leaped into the car. He doesn't often leap into the back seat of the car. He was literally like "UH! I FEEL GOOD, dun nah nah nah nah nah nah!" He frequently loses his breaks while running through the house or the yard and routinely ends up flying into a wall or the bushes or something, so his neck gets messed up sometimes from headbutting things. Also, because of his feet and his compensating for it by how he stands, his shoulders get out of alignment, and then his hips do too. So he has been going for I think a year and a half, maybe two years now, regularly.
I haven't taken Payton yet but I plan on it when he gets older. He may not need to go as frequently as Auggie due to their structural differences and all that (Payton has all his toe joints...) but he is just as crazy so he might. =P

It's $40 a visit. I think it was $45 our first visit?

[JacksonsMom]

Originally Posted by Beanie

nds a lot longer on him than the other vet did, too. She does a great job.
It makes a HUGE difference in Auggie. The first time I took him he came trotting out of the clinic and leaped into the car. He doesn't often leap into the back seat of the car. He was literally like "UH! I FEEL GOOD, dun nah nah nah nah nah nah!"

This totally just made me LOL because I can completely see Auggie busting that out.

Hahaha.

Never taken Jackson. If I had a reason to, I would. But I'm not going to just take him for the hell of it.

[MandyPug]

Izzie will see a chiro if she needs to, but i can't do 2 hour trips for maintenance. Though my instructor does canine massage so we'll be likely getting maintenance work done by her in the new year.

[SpringerLover]

Both of my dogs see a chiro. Bailey started going when she had an unresolved/unidentifiable lameness issue. Her sacrum was so outta whack it took a long time for the muscles to remember where it was supposed to be (and a lot of daily intensive rehab work on my end). We absolutely adore Dr. Julia! I've found a secondary chiro/acupuncture vet for Bailey to see on an as needed basis because I just can't make the hour drive there and back to see Dr. Julia as much as I would like to. We went so frequently that first 9 months, I swear I could have made the drive in my sleep!

Buzz started seeing Dr. Julia for "elderly dog syndrome." He now runs and plays like a dog half his age on a daily basis. When he needs an adjustment, it is SO noticeable. It has definitely affected his quality of life, for the better.