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A veterinary practice dedicated to equine wellness |
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Nothing does as much for the insides of a man than the outsides of a horse. Ronald Reagan, Remark on Aug 13, 1987, North Platte, Nebr. |
Terri Van Wambeke DVM, Certified Veterinary Spinal
Manipulative Therapist |
WARNING NOTICE There are many lay-people, including farriers, massage therapists, and other holistic healers who claim to perform musculoskeletal adjustments or manipulation on animals. Please be careful as these individuals are not properly trained and may inadvertantly harm or injure your animal. In addition, they are violating CA practice laws. In CA, it is illegal for any person without a valid veterinary license or a human chiropractic license to make chiropractic or manipulative skeletal adjustments on animals. Under the CA veterinary practice act, properly trained and licensed chiropractors are legally allowed to work on animals when under the direct supervision of a CA licensed veterinarian or as referred by such person. These laws are in place in order to protect both pets and consumers. When searching for someone to work on your animals, make sure that the person is properly licensed and trained to work with your pets. This includes the practice of animal acupuncture also, only licensed and trained veterinarians can legally practice animal acupuncture in the state of CA. For additional information refer to the California code of regulations or contact the California Veterinary Medical Board directly. California Code of Regulations Link
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Education and Training Options for Animals College of Animal Chiropractic |
What is chiropractic? Chiropractic
care or spinal manipulative therapy, is yet another tool in the box of the
Holistic practitioner. Only licensed Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and
Doctors of Chiropractic are permitted to attend the three Animal
Chiropractic schools in the United States and become certified in Veterinary
Spinal Manipulative Therapy. The goal of treatment, as in the other
traditional therapies, is to work with the body to regain or maintain
homeostasis (balance) and avoid injury. The science of chiropractic is based
on the relationship of the spinal column, bones and joints to the nervous
system and the combination of these relationships and their role in movement. All joints,
including those in the spinal column, contain proprioceptors, special nerves
that communicate information about balance and movement to the brain.
Improper joint movement alters this communication to the brain and nervous
system. Chiropractors perform both static and motion palpations, looking for
asymmetry, swelling and pain, then perform adjustments when they find what
are referred to as SCs ( subluxation complexes). These
SCs, due to subtle changes in the alignment of joints, can cause
pain and inflammation. This is of particular importance because the nerves
surrounding joints (including the joints in the spinal column) are in a constant
communication with the brain, central nervous system and even organs. This
is why SCs can have both local effects such as pain, swelling and
stiffness and distal effects such as referred pain or even organ and immune
system effects. Once SCs are located, the chiropractor
performs a manual adjustment using a short lever, high velocity, controlled
thrust to help the body "reset" toward homeostasis. By making adjustments,
chiropractors influence the nervous system, blood and lymphatic flow, even
altering hormone and neurotransmitter levels, affecting the body as whole.
Large animal chiropractors utilize only their hands to perform
adjustments while a small specialized tool called an activator may be used
on dogs and cats or to loosen up muscle knots in large animals. Chiropractic is a wonderful tool to complement the regular
veterinary care of your horse, dog or cat to maintain optimal health and
maximize performance.
What is a SC? The American Chiropractic Association defines the SC as "an aberrant relationship between two adjacent articular structures that may have functional or pathology sequence, causing an alteration in the biomechanical and/or neurophysiological reflections of the articular structures, their proximal structures and/or body systems that may be directly or indirectly affected by them".
Indications for Chiropractic Maintaining a pain free and balanced locomotive system is extremely important for our performance animals and can be very beneficial in stimulating the immune system in elderly or injured animals. Horses not only need to keep their own bodies in balance at work, but do so with the added weight and imbalances of a saddle and rider. Add to that the pressure of the saddle along the spinal column and its associated musculature and one can see how important it is to keep our equine athletes pain free and provide them with a well fitting saddle or harness system if we want them to perform optimally. Likewise our working dogs take on much strain and stress on their musculoskeletal systems as they are asked to perform their duties. Improperly fitting collars and leads, just like improperly fitting tack on a horse, can itself lead to subluxations and pain.
Chiropractic care is not limited to treatment of a specific injury or problem. Once an animal has begun treatment and is responding well, regular chiropractic examinations every 4-6 weeks will help your animal avoid problems and improve their overall health and performance over the years.
Back Pain Lameness Navicular Syndrome or Caudal Heel Pain Injuries Attitude Changes Problems with Lead Changes or Cross-Cantering Knocking Down Fences Inability to Properly Collect Hitting Rails or Barrels Performance and Health Maintenance Immune Enhancement Post Surgery Temperomandibular Joint Problems Muscle and Nerve Problems Decreased Performance COPD or "Heaves"
How will my animal feel after the adjustment? Most animals respond very positively to adjustments and often show immediate improvement. They may be a little tired or sleepy for the following 24-48 hours after adjusting, so we do not recommend adjustment within 2 days of a performance event unless the animal has been regularly adjusted and has a predictable response. Some animals will require multiple sessions and chronic problems will take longer to improve as re-growth of neural pathways takes time and is delayed in elderly or ill patients.
Discounts available for large groups, clubs and
organizations - contact to set up a clinic in your area and get the group
rate! Demos available. |
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