WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY ANIMAL
WHAT'S GOING ON
WITH MY ANIMAL?
The only reason an animal starts to move in ways that are ‘not normal’ is because it hurts them to move normally. Bit by bit animals will change the way they move to avoid pain and because you see your animals every day it’s hard to notice the little changes happening over time.
Dogs in particular have such a high pain tolerance that they won’t show obvious symptoms until the pain is too much which means they’ve likely had the problem for a good while. They’ll put up with these problems without you being able to notice because they are pack animals and are reluctant to show weakness. So they’ll soldier on symptom-free until something triggers the pain in a big way such as vigorous play or a hard winter and by the time symptoms become obvious they it’s only because changing the way they move isn’t enough to avoid the pain.
It might seem like it just happened suddenly but generally it’s the case that your animal has been out of alignment for quite some time.
Muscle wastage in the limbs is another symptom of not moving/walking properly for a long time. Usually this is because there are pinched nerves in the back preventing an animal from reaching as far forward with their front legs or pushing back with their rear legs as much as they would normally be able to.
Animals suffer from pain associated with pinched nerves when they are out of alignment. Particular movements will trigger muscle spasm to protect the nerves which hurts making life very uncomfortable and which explains any yelping or strange movements you may have observed. Your animal will learn new ways to move to avoid this pain.
Secondary issues can arise such as cruciate ligament problems, and symptoms will continue to worsen if nothing changes in yours and your animal’s life and it will take longer to fix your animal when it finally receives treatment.
Yes. Inflammation from pinched nerves may subside after rest and your animal may become more mobile then if they exercise without the nerves being released by an animal chiropractor the symptoms will reoccur.
You’re not going to be able to easily identify exactly where it hurts or pinpoint the source of your animal’s pain poking them and moving them around. We don’t recommend even trying or it’s likely you can be bitten or cause more problems and discomfort for your animal.
Once upon a time these problems were never heard of. This was back when our animals were out in the backyard all the time. Since then our animals have evolved to become more a part of our family and now live inside our homes. But our homes are built for people with 2 legs and are not very good for our 4 legged friends.
Slippery floors, stairs, as well other changes in the animal world are to blame such as off leash dog parks, modern collars/harnesses/halty contraptions, and doggy doors.
Some animal are out of alignment since birth from their mum stepping on them in the litter and issues with movement and composition are often overlooked by professionals. Other events could be the reason for a sudden decline in your animal’s health like rough play or another pet jumping on them, falling off something or jumping and landing badly, slipping over etc. None of these things cause problems for animals that have been in alignment their whole life because they have muscles that are built up properly to hold their own bones in place which will be the case for your animal once they have been in alignment for a period of time.
With an animal that is out of alignment a good animal chiropractor can gently manipulate them to release pinched nerves at which time their muscle spasm and any rigidness in their body will disappear, their pain will cease and their normal movement and temperament will return. Without the nerves being released this cannot happen and nothing else will work.
Regardless of other issues it’s a good idea to have your animal adjusted to ensure that being out of alignment and having pinched nerves is not contributing to other identified issues. It’s also good to remember that your animal needs to be in alignment for their immune system to function optimally for better overall health.
The results we achieve will benefit your animal regardless of other issues which are usually already identified such as joint problems, arthritis, displasia, and other x-ray determinations. In particular a lot of dogs we’ve seen have arthritis or hip and elbow displasia but it wasn’t these things causing lameness, it was being out of alignment that contributed to most of their symptoms.
We’ve treated a range of ailments such as dogs that have severe displasia, arthritis, other bone and joint issues, cruciate ligament problems, undiagnosed problems said to require MRI scans etc, and all have fully recovered and gone on to live full happy healthy lives without needing what was recommended in the first place, but every situation is different.
We never sell or administer drugs or other pharmaceutical products. If you need medication please see your vet. Pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs only mask the problem and do not address the cause which ultimately will not go away on its own or by just giving drugs to your animal. Drugs will never completely fix any problem. Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers are not the complete solution or the best way to help your animal but they may help alleviate pain for them while you’re waiting for us to get to you.
By itself rest does not address the cause of these types of problems or their associated symptoms. We’ve often seen animals that have been rested to fix issues coming out of that resting period worse off! Symptoms may get slightly better for a little while due to a reduction in inflammation but they’ll quickly return because the cause of the problems cannot be eliminated by rest alone. We don’t advise to just crate rest your animal like others do because it won’t help them rehabilitate if they want to move around naturally.
It is important to let your animal rest until we can get to them. Dogs in particular are their own worst enemy and just want to go go go regardless of their problems.
For example, let’s say your dog has pinched nerves and you mention going for a ‘w-a-l-k’ or throwing around the ‘b-a-l-l’. Your dog becomes instantly excited and flooded with with adrenaline and instead of restricting movement your dog can now push through the pain barrier of muscle spasm to run full stretch. Muscles will still spasm because of pinched nerves but eventually something has to give and usually it’s a tearing of the cruciate ligament which we see most commonly.
This can all be avoided if your dog is put into alignment and stays that way.
Our treatments work well in conjunction with vet advice which you should always follow. Many vets and vet specialists have been referring their clients to us for years. We are not veterinarians and cannot give you advice that isn’t related to the work which only we perform. If we attend your animal and believe your animal has a problem that is not in our line of expertise We’ll be recommending you to take your animal to a vet ASAP.
Swimming, massage, physio and other practices/treatments simply will not work unless your pet is in complete alignment. Think about it. If for example your dog’s movement is restricted by pain caused by pinched nerves and you take them to hydro therapy or go swimming then when your dog moves with full range it will cause pain. Then of course muscles will spasm causing a lot of discomfort and symptoms will flare up. Also do not massage your pet or use a heat pack wherever they appear sore until their pinched nerves are released.
Once pinched nerves are released and your dog has gone through the healing process which will vary in duration depending on how bad they are and how long they’ve been living with pinched nerves, they will regain full movement and be able to move, walk, and swim properly. Then they will benefit from other therapies because their muscles are working fully.
Before initiating any program of care we will diagnose and determine the full scope of the problems by observing gait, movement, stance, composition, demeanour, as well as any information you provide about your animal and its’ history.
Treatments will include full body chiropractic adjustments to release pinched nerves (not just one body part like others do – this is important because they are all connected), laser acupuncture, magnetic therapy pulse machines and the application of anti-inflammatory cooling gel (if required) all to help reduce inflammation and increase blood flow. When needed we also provide Reiki Master treatment, a unique form of psychic and intuitive spiritual healing. We will do absolutely everything that is required to be done within our skill set to fix your animal in the shortest possible time to attain the best possible results.
The amount of care needed varies from animal to animal but basically the longer an animal has had an alignment problem, the older the animal is, and the more unfit and out condition it may be the longer the duration of care that’s required.
With dogs there are 3 layers of nerves. By the time symptoms become obvious the issues needing to be addressed are in the deeper layers and not just on the surface. After one treatment a reduction in symptoms will be obvious however to ensure all problems are fixed and the symptoms don’t quickly return it’s wise to have at least 3 treatments to deal with problems at every layer. Then if there is a problem later in life it will then take less treatments at that time to fix. All animals are different but there has been not one single animal, regardless of age or verdicts etc that we haven’t managed to get walking well again. We’ve even treated a 12 year old German shepherd that was half paralysed dragging itself around by it’s front legs and getting worse every day. After one treatment he was up on his back legs again walking around.
We’ll be able to diagnose your animal’s issues and advise you on the minimum recommended number of treatments required at the time of an appointment once we’ve seen your animal in person.
CANINE CHIRO
CANINE CHIRO
We’ve treated many dogs with a wide range of symptoms which are most often caused by avoidance of pain caused by muscle spasm from pinched nerves. Our chiropractic adjustments work by releasing those pinched nerves and causing pain to cease. We don’t suggest medications or injections like other practitioners do because if a dog is adjusted properly these things are not necessary and you will see results instantly after a treatment. Regardless of breed, size, or age ALL dogs will benefit from our treatments.
Using a holistic approach we’ll inspect your dog and identify any muscle soreness or injury and administer chiropractic adjustments and muscle manipulation techniques according to the individual conditions of your dog. Using gentle handling and stimulation we’ll start from the base of the skull opening up the atlanto-occipital joint and progressing all the way down the spine to the tail bone. Once your dog’s pinched nerves are released movement can return to normal due to pain being reduced/eliminated almost immediately. Moving with full range and free of pain your dog’s muscles will tone up and it’s toned muscle that holds bones in place thus eliminating the problem from reoccurring.
Please, for the safety of your pet, ensure that any practitioner you wish to consult about your problem can show you proof of their success. A good practitioner will be able to point out where your dog’s problems are without you saying a word. They should be able to tell you why and how your dog acquired the problem and how they can fix it simply by observing your dog walking and moving. We’ve often had to fix dogs who’ve had inexperienced practitioners attempting to fix them only to cause more damage and make things worse, so please be careful.
No. We will assess your dog by observing it’s movement and symptoms. Often pet owner’s who’ve had X-rays for their dogs have been told that the results are inconclusive or that they do not show any problems but X-rays do not show nerve structure and will not be able to identify pinched nerves from misalignment when that’s all the problem might be. If there happens to be any concerns beyond the scope of our expertise we will instruct you to visit your vet.
We have many years of experience manipulating security dogs, police dogs, trained attack dogs, and large dominant pets who are in extreme pain. Animals relax and respond well to us as we have a bond with animals that will be evident during treatment. Most dog owners are shocked at how their dogs who would normally bark and growl at men or strangers melt in our hands.
We may muzzle your dog but not all dogs require this. When handling and manipulating an animal in extreme pain we’ll use a muzzle purely to remove the defence mechanism from the dog so they relax and benefit from the treatment rather than trying to instinctively bite out of fear.
We routinely work on puppies from 8 weeks to 3 months of age. We once treated a puppy that was sitting alone in the corner being unsociable, looking depressed, and that would squeal when picked up. After being adjusted he bounded over to his litter mates, little tail wagging, had a big drink and proceeded to crash tackle his brothers and sisters – a very different little dog. It’s highly likely your dog back at that age may have been that little one sitting alone needing help. A lot of dogs we’ve treated had been like that little pup their entire lives!
Every animal is different so we work with each individual animal gently and carefully at their pace. We don’t use tools to adjust animals, just our bare hands to gently manipulate them. We may muzzle your dog but not all dogs require this. When handling and manipulating an animal in extreme pain we’ll use a muzzle purely to remove the defence mechanism from the dog so they relax and benefit from the treatment rather than trying to instinctively bite out of fear.
In some cases there may be a short sharp and very small amount of discomfort when nerves are being released. This is not usually evident though as most dogs turn around to give us a big kiss as soon as we’ve finished working on them. 🙂
APPOINTMENTS
APPOINTMENTS
Use the contact form on this website or email us at hello@k9dogman.com with video and details of your pet. We’ll get back to you usually within 24 hours.
Yes! Additional pets can be treated in the same appointment for an additional discounted fee.
We do callouts in and around South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales (see the contact page for full service area). If you live outside of this area please don’t hesitate to email us an enquiry anyway because we could be travelling to your location in the near future.
Nope! Fees are the same regardless of whether your appointment is after hours, on a weekend or public holiday, and there are never any extra fees or charges over the price quoted.
As we don’t have an EFTPOS facility right now we can only accept cash payments. Our animal clinic is still under construction which we aim to be opening in 2023 at which time we will have EFTPOS available.
Yes, but this is completely dependent on your insurance fund and the level of cover they provide. We can assist you with completing any necessary forms for making a claim but you should check with your insurance fund to confirm if they will cover for animal chiropractic holistic treatment.
HOW CAN I HELP MY ANIMAL?
HOW CAN I HELP MY ANIMAL?
Many pet owners want to leave the room saying ‘I cant watch’. It’s best that you do watch so you can learn because we’ll show you things you’ve never noticed about your pet and teach you about things to look out for in the future.
It’s also important throughout the treatment not to talk to your pet. Repeatedly saying things like ‘good boy/good girl’ can give your pet reason to fear what is about to happen – this is what most pet owners do when they take their dog for their annual injections and other vet visits. The idea is to have your animal as relaxed as possible. If you just talk to us and we just talk to you your animal will relax.
“After the first treatment you’ll see instant improvement. Dogs will have a big shake just like after a bath and will walk with much more free movement and better composition.
After the first treatment however we’ll only have released the top surface layer of nerves which will only be from more recent problems. Remember that by the time symptoms become obvious the issues are deep down and most likely your pet has hidden symptoms by progressively making tiny changes to their movement for quite some time – muscle wastage from not walking properly for a lengthy period of time is a sign of this. Clients who are so impressed with the changes their pet already has after one treatment and who don’t make a timely return for another treatment usually come back later needing that same first level work repeated because symptoms have returned. It is best to have all 3 layers of nerves released (3 initial treatments) and then later if your pet hurts itself you can come back for one treatment to fix all because all of the long standing issues will have already been fixed in the first place.
Limit your pet’s use of stairs and keep them off slippery floors. For dogs no rough play with toys or other dogs and gentle lead walking rather than allowing your dog off lead to jump down those last few steps or go galloping around potentially going out of alignment again. Every step on a lead is usually better than off lead because you’ll be toning muscle to hold your dog in alignment instead of toning muscle to hold them out of alignment.
We recommend treatments close together because most people don’t have a perfect environment for their pets to live in such as no stairs, no slippery floors, no other dogs to get the injured dog into mischief, and a nice flat grass area to walk on. By having the treatments close together there is less chance that they have already gone out of alignment before subsequent appointments.
Do your best to give your animal the perfect environment in between treatments so nothing flares up because we’ll need to be able to get into the deeper layers of the issues at the next appointment.
It is best to have your pet treated at least once a year, either before winter or prior to kennelling. It is an easy thing to remember your dog’s annual vaccinations so why not get an annual adjustment done at the same time too?
If you have already taken steps to fix your animal’s problems you should immediately assess what is and isn’t working. Results should be fairly evident immediately if you are on the right path with whatever treatments you’re trying.
It is also important to figure out what might have caused your animal’s problem in the first place. These are the things you’ll need to change so that the problem does not continually reoccur which will minimize the time needed for the healing process to finish. We may point out things in your home environment that could have contributed to your pet’s problems and provide you with advice on what you can change to help ensure they don’t go out of alignment as easily again.
For dogs some of the things you can do right now are:
- Avoid stair use. Put a baby gate at the top and bottom of the stairs and limit the number of times your dog goes up and down in a day. Walk them up and down on a lead in a slow controlled manner if you can’t carry them. Don’t let them jump down from the last few stairs!
- Have your dog sleep on a bed flat on the floor – those hessian metal framed hammock beds are no good
- Don’t use heat packs
- Don’t massage your dog (and other pets) or pull their limbs around to try to find the problem – you have identified that your dog is doing something that’s not normal and this is enough
- Keep your dog quiet but not confined
- Keep your dog on a non-slip floor surface away from tiles and wooden floors so that when they move they don’t have any stacks or slips – non-slip surfaces will help them to not deteriorate further and will also help them to heal faster
- Put food and water bowls at head height
- If they simply must get up onto something lift your dog (and other pets) up and down onto things rather than let them jump
- No doggy doors
- Leave dog collars off unless you have containment issues and they need to have their identification on
- Don’t use head halters or harnesses of any kind
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