about animal chiropractic

As the first (and only) Certified Animal Chiropractor practicing in Markham, Dr. Thomas is very excited to offer animal adjustments to cats, dogs, and bunnies from across the GTA.

Animal chiropractic may help:

• reduce pain
• minimize injury
• increase range of motion
• restore proper biomechanics
• improve joint function
• improve quality of life
• enhance performance

Animal chiropractic is a manual therapy that addresses dysfunction in your pet’s muscular, skeletal and nervous systems. This is a specialized treatment to complement your regular veterinary care.

Decreased motion in the joints of the spine and extremities (often called joint restrictions or vertebral subluxations); may lead to changes in the surrounding tissues (ie. the muscles, ligaments and nerves). This can cause inflammation, pain, muscle tension and compensatory changes in your pet.

An animal chiropractor will perform an assessment including a case history, posture and gait analysis and palpation of the muscles and joints of the neck, back, jaw, front and hind limbs to determine if an adjustment is needed. A chiropractic adjustment directs a quick, gentle thrust to the restricted joints to restore motion while stimulating the nervous system.

Trauma, slips, repetitive strain, injury, advancing age, poor leash habits, poor fitting harnesses or collars, running while tied up, climbing trees, quick changes in direction, crating or confinement, post-surgery and performance training are just a few reasons why animals can benefit from chiropractic treatment.

Like babies, puppies, kittens and foals should be assessed as soon after birth as possible. The delivery process and cramped quarters in-utero can cause muscle and joint dysfunction which may lead to more serious problems if not corrected.

To determine if your pet requires animal chiropractic treatment look for some of the following signs:

• Pain/facial expression
• Change in behavior/energy/sleep patterns
• Reluctance to be touched or picked up
• Change in stance/weight shifting/can’t weight bear
• Change in sitting posture
• Change in gait/ limping/shortened stride
• Doesn’t like to walk as far
• Avoidance of certain movements/jumping/playing
• Reluctance to go up/down stairs
• Trouble getting up/down
• Discomfort putting collars or harnesses on/off
• Weakness
• Stiffness
• Change in muscle development
• Holding up a paw
• Abnormal tail movements
• Jaw pain/difficulty chewing
• Decreased coordination
• Scratching/licking
• Incontinence