Symptoms
Below are some typical symptoms to be aware of in your dog.
Man’s Best Friend
Dogs are often called man’s best friend — and with good reason.
They will usually do their utmost to please their owner, even when something is wrong.
Knowing Your Dog Is Key
It is therefore essential to know your dog well, so you can notice any sudden or gradual changes in its movement pattern and/or behavior.
Dogs most often respond to pain by changing their temperament or through compensatory movements, such as stiffness, alternating lameness, pacing, moving on two tracks, and more.
During a clinical examination, it is possible to assess whether a primary lameness or another systemic condition might be part of the problem.
Ideal Candidates for Chiropractic Care
Dogs diagnosed with neck or back problems are, of course, obvious candidates for a chiropractic examination and possibly treatment with chiropractic care and/or acupuncture.
Even dogs showing only mild radiographic changes can experience improved well-being and performance when optimal spinal mobility is restored.
Lameness
Many cases of lameness without a clear diagnosis may be caused by the dog compensating for an issue in the topline over time.
This prolonged biomechanical imbalance often leads to overuse or strain in one or more limbs.
If there is visible pain in a joint, pain management — either general or localized — is necessary.
However, it is equally important to address the underlying overload that caused the pain in the first place.
In other words, restoring the dog’s biomechanical function is key to long-term recovery.
Common Patient Profiles
An increasingly frequent patient group includes dogs that:
- Have never behaved like typical puppies
- Are unusually calm or passive
- Have always moved a bit oddly
- Are “different” from other dogs
- Are overly excitable or show ADHD-like behavior
Many of these dogs have an underlying neurological dysfunction, which is often the root cause of their problems.
If this neurological component is not identified and treated, these patients rarely achieve full recovery.