By: Kaitlyn Lackey DC cAVCA
Published: September 18, 2024
For a number of health reasons, a dog owner may elect to have one of their dog's limbs amputated. Regardless of not having 4 limbs, canine amputees can live a very happy and very full life post amputation.
In addition to traditional veterinary medicine, you might consider exploring complementary means of helping your dog should they be an amputee. Complementary is an umbrella term that could include different modalities or treatments, such as: animal chiropractic, canine massage, rehabilitation, red light therapy, and more.
Animal chiropractic care involves identifying and correcting areas of improper motion in your pet's joints. Through restoring proper joint motion, an adjustment can reduce painful muscular compensation, reduce strain to soft tissues, and can aid in promoting proper nerve signaling between the body and brain.
When it comes to your canine companion- animal chiropractic can help to decrease discomfort, manage symptoms, and help slow down the wear and tear on your pet's joints.
The difference between forelimb and hindlimb amputations
👉🏻 Since dogs naturally carry 60% of their weight on their forehand and 40% in the hind end, a forelimb amputation may prove more challenging for a dog to adapt to.
Hindlimbs are important for forward propulsion and forelimbs are important for slowing down or changing direction. For these reasons, a hindlimb amputee and a forelimb amputee may struggle with different activities or routines.
In our experience, most dogs take more time to adapt to a forelimb amputation.
Why is chiropractic care so important for tripods?
👉🏻 Due to the loss of limb, your pet will have to change how they move and ambulate. With this can come gait and posture changes which can lead to compensation patterns and joint problems.
In hindlimb amputees, there will be an increased demand on the opposite forelimb to the missing limb. Hindlimb amputees commonly will shift their weight forward and arch through the lower back. It may prove challenging for them to change positions.
In forelimb amputees, there will be increased demand on the remaining forelimb that can cause more load + extension of the remaining wrist. Often the front of the dog will drop in relation to the hind end and the dog will have to pogo through the neck and shoulders as they hop around on the remaining forelimb. Dogs will often become tired from hopping and can get tired and fall.
These compensations can put extra wear and tear on your pet's body and are a prime contributor to future joint pain.
Chiropractic can reduce compensation patterns and restore better mobility to overworked anatomy.
Will chiropractic care help my tripod?
👉🏻 The "success" of animal chiropractic care can vary depending on the severity of the problem, the length of time a pet has been struggling, and the quality of the provider. Multi-modal care with your animal care team will be important!
Ongoing animal chiropractic care can help to improve alignment of your pet's anatomy to reduce further strain to compensatory areas.
It's important that when choosing care for your animal that you do your research. Not all providers are created equally!
When choosing an animal chiropractor, be sure to choose a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL.
Only veterinarians or chiropractors are eligible to undergo post graduate education in animal chiropractic. Upon completion of the coursework, these individuals may also prove proficiency via examination such as the tests offered by the American veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA).
Common vernacular or abbreviations include:
Certified animal chiropractor (CAC)
Certified in veterinary chiropractic (CVC)
Certified in veterinary spinal manipulative therapy (CVSMT)
Certified AVCA or IVCA (cAVCA, cIVCA)
A licensed, trained, and certified provider is going to be the most responsible choice when moving forward with animal chiropractic care.
You should avoid the following:
provider does not do a thorough evaluation
provider does not evaluate pre AND post treatment
provider uses excessive force and/or theatrics during treatment
pet is excessively uncomfortable or painful during treatment
provider cannot answer your questions about what they are doing
provider continues to treat without any signs of measurable improvement
provider cannot answer where they received training, their license #, or if they have insurance
It is advisable that you seek animal chiropractic care in supplement to your existing vet care.
Numerous conditions and unexplained symptoms can often be improved with animal chiropractic treatment, however, a primary care veterinarian should always be involved and routinely monitoring your animal for signs of degrading health status so that further diagnostics and/or interventions can be explored if necessary.
Across the United States there are different rules and laws about animal chiropractic care. In a select few states pets can see an animal chiropractor without first consulting a veterinarian... whereas in many other states an animal chiropractor may require a written referral or direct veterinary supervision. Please be mindful of this as it could delay your pet's accessibility to an appointment should they immediately be in need.
In Summary
Tripod dogs are unique and come with their own specific challenges. It's important that owners of 3 legged dogs have a multi-modal approach to their pet's care to help promote optimal comfort and mobility as their pet adapts to have 3 legs instead of 4.
Animal chiropractic can be a valuable complementary treatment to help promote better alignment and reduce strain on compensatory areas. Chiropractic should NOT replace but rather complement your current veterinary care.
It's important to choose a properly trained and certified animal chiropractic provider in order to achieve the best outcome for your pet. I hope you consider adding an animal chiropractor to your animal's health care team! You can find a provider near you at animalchiropractic.org
About the author
Kaitlyn Lackey DC cAVCA
Many people don’t know that I’ve sustained 3 very serious head injuries due to horseback riding.
When I sought medical treatment for these injuries, traditional medicine "failed me."
I'm very fortunate to have found chiropractic. Getting adjusted gave me my life back after I was struggling every day with dehabilitating migraines.
After seeing what it did for me, I thought: why isn’t this available to animals, too?
I decided against vet school and instead pursued chiropractic education. I graduated Parker University in April of 2017 with 2 Bachelors and my Doctorate then later received my AVCA certification in June of 2017.
I practiced for 2 years on humans and then shifted my focus to offering chiropractic care for animals full time in 2019. I now travel across North Dallas offering care to all sorts of animals.
I continue to do all that I can to practice evidence informed and patient centric chiropractic care to guarantee that my clients receive the best results.
DISCLAIMER
We operate in full compliance with all laws and regulations. Our services are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any specific illness or condition and should only be used as a complement to routine veterinary and/or medical care. Our services may provide support and encourage the body into its most optimal state of health. The content provided herein is informational only and is not to be construed as medical or veterinary advice.
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We are certified by the AVCA which is a top notch and rigorous certification program of 200+ hours class time followed by a written and practical board exam. We take 10 yearly hours of continuing education because we value knowing the most in order to provide the best.
When choosing chiropractic for your pet, choose someone licensed, trained, and certified.
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