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Even horses benefit from chiropractic
treatment
By
McKenzie Cattani
December 10, 2007 | There's a chiropractor for horse?
Yes, in fact there is a chiropractor for most animals
that are pets, and Cache Valley is showing a growing
interest.
Few doctors hold both chiropractic and veterinary
degrees. James Isrealson, DVM, of Mountain View Animal
Clinic in Logan, says that combining the two provides
the best of both worlds. Being able to diagnose the
problem and exercise both fields of expertise is a definite
plus.
To become a certified animal chiropractor, one must
first become a licensed veterinarian or a licensed chiropractor.
Certification . The course work for either license
involves approximately eight years of college and rigorous
courses of study. Once the license of Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine or Doctor of Chiropractic has been granted,
an individual is able to apply to attend the American
Veterinary Chiropractic Association,
AVCA courses which will lead to certification as
an animal chiropractor, C.A.C.
Dr. Julie Young from the AVCA says, you must pass
both written and practical exams as well as all course
work before becoming certified. The commitment to learning
this profession is from 8-10 years, or 5,090 hours of
schooling and generally costs between $100,000 and $200,000
to complete. It is a serious undertaking and requires
the utmost in personal endurance, intelligence and perseverance.
However, in the end, Young says animal chiropractic
is a wonderful profession.
Chiropractic is an excellent way to build a veterinary
practice in Cache Valley because it includes preventive
care after the initial problem is solved, Isrealson
said. Chiropractic schooling for the treatment of animals
is becoming more and more popular. While there is no
question that equine chiropractic medicine certainly
has its advantages, those advantages will only become
apparent if the person you choose to do the work is
completely qualified and has your horse's best interest
in mind.
Chiropractic treatment can address many horse health
problems. (See Chiropractic
For Horses .) Most people seeking treatment for
their horses complain of performance-related problems,
most commonly, a sore back. Other symptoms include head
tilt, stiffness in the neck when turning, stiffness
through the body when turning in a certain direction,
not picking up a lead, twisting or hollowing over a
jump, or a change in attitude about saddling, work or
jumping.
David Schwitzer, of Logan, has been treating his horses
for a number of years with horse chiropractics. David
says chiropractic care is extremely helpful for his
animals that are having problems involving the joints,
muscles and nerves. He says this is because chiropractic
addresses the mechanical causes of disease where the
nerves are pinched by a stuck or rotated joint or by
a tight muscle.
"Horse chiropractic helps my horses that are currently
involved in competition. I like knowing that I can rely
on something else besides pills and needles," he said.
One of the most common symptoms that horses have is
subluxation
. Subluxation is used to describe a very specific
condition, or disease, of the spinal column in which
one or more of the joints are not moving properly. Horses
in pain will compensate in gait or posture and often
refuse to perform certain tasks. Once identified, the
doctor will attempt a correction of the misaligned or
"stuck" vertebra. Isrealson said large horses don't
necessarily need more force than very small ones. Each
joint of the spine is moveable, and if the correct angle
is used, the adjustment is relatively easy using low
force.
Clell Bagley, DVM from Logan, says, for the veterinarian
who understands the elements of holistic practice and
the philosophy of chiropractic, every patient becomes
a possible chiropractic patient. Every examination should
include a spinal examination, and every treatment protocol
should include an adjustment if necessary.
Bagley agrees that with animal chiropractic care,
the practitioner is not adjusting a horse, but rather
the relative position of two bones at a joint articulation.
Some chiropractors use forceful adjustments, while others
use adjustments that seek movement of the vertebrae
through motion generated by the horse. A chiropractor
should be able to obtain an adjustment without severe
restraint or discomfort to the animal. An animal chiropractor
should always work with a veterinarian when possible
to provide the best overall treatment strategy for the
animal's health.
NW
MS
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