How do animals get bad backs?
The ways in which animals acquire back problems
are many and varied and depend on the kind of work the animal
is called upon to do. Horses, for example, were designed to eat,
reproduce and run away from predators. That's it! Nowhere in
their job descriptions does it say anything about carrying ten
stone riders at speed over obstacles which, given the opportunity,
they'd much rather run round. So they are natural prey to bad
backs from the outset.
Dogs can get back problems from horseplay with other dogs, extreme manoeuvres
in play with frisbees and sticks and slippery flooring which gives them
little or no grip and allows their feet the kind of freedom of movement
their back can do without.
Cats meet much harder objects like cars in the course of their independent
wanderings and other animals get back problems in as many ways as you can
imagine.
In addition age reduces adaptive capabilities and makes minor back conditions
much more debilitating.
Do backs just 'go' on a sudden movement?
This is unlikely and it is far more often the
case that the sudden movement is the final straw that ends a
long series of minor distortions. The back has been slowly deteriorating
in stability and has finally reached a situation in which that
deterioration is unsupportable.
Can any animal be treated?
Most vertebrates can be treated ( invertebrates
present something of a problem for spinal manipulators!).
The techniques vary slightly from species to species but the principal
remains the same - a correctly functioning vertebral system improves many
problems.
My vet says that a horses spine is immovable. If this is the
case how can it be manipulated?
Some veterinary research, conducted in the
early eighties, suggested that some of the lumbar vertebrae in
horses are ossified, essentially 'stuck together' and are therefore
likely to be incapable of movement by manipulation. As you can
imagine osteopaths, chiropractors and other manipulators do not agree with this assertion and the
controversy continues to rage. Further research is needed to
establish why manipulation of the lumbar spine appears to have
such a profound effect on equine locomotion if no movement occurs
at this level.
Will my horses back go out again as soon as he goes out in
the field and rolls?
Backs are, in general, very stable in their
'correct' alignment. It is unlikely that rolling can cause a
spinal problem by itself. Most species that have survived evolution
to date are intrinsically sound. It is usually the excess stress
of riding or some other unexpected or unusual occurrence that
bring about problems in the back.
How can I tell if my animal has a back problem?
There are a host of different indicators that
may suggest that your horse or dog has problem of the musculo-skeletal
system - some of them are obvious but some behavioural changes
may be difficult to link up to back trouble. Initially the indication
may be quite small - slight intermittent changes in movement,
uneven wear patterns in shoes(horses) or nails(dogs & cats).
Temperament changes, where a normally sociable animal suddenly
becomes withdrawn and aggressive, can indicate the onset of back
trouble.
If you have a bad back there is very little to see in the early stages
of your condition unless you actually tell someone. You could have a backache
for months before it becomes so extreme that it is easily visible - you
tend to adapt your way of doing things to accommodate your aching back.
Animals are no different. They can't tell anyone but there are subtle changes
in movement and temperament that owners notice but may not be able to 'pin
down'.
Should my animal be checked regularly, and if so how often
should it be done?
John McTimoney advised a periodic
preventative check for any animal and, in thirty years of practice, we've seen no reason to disagree with him. The frequency with which
this preventative treatment is carried out depends on the animal and its lifestyle.
A domestic pet might only need attention once a year whereas
a racehorse or eventer may need weekly checks to ensure optimum
performance. The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure is just as true for four legged patients as for
two legged ones.
Does tack make a difference to the health of a horse's back?
Tack can make a huge difference to the correct
movement of a horse's back. Correctly fitting saddles are vital
to free and unfettered movement of the spine and shoulders. Just
as your manipulator should assess the whole of your animals
locomotor system so you should consider your animal's whole environment
in working out whether he/she is happy - tack as well.
How does chiropractic differ from osteopathy in the treatment
of animals?
Chiropractic and osteopathy differ essentially
in their mode of delivery. Chiropractic uses fast direct thrusts
with short ranges of movement, osteopathy uses longer, slower,
leverage movements. Both are extremely effective in animal manipulation.
Osteopathy can require some sedation of the animal if the manipulations
are likely to be taken into a range of movement that might initiate
a defensive reaction in the animal being treated. On this count
chiropractic is easier to use on animals in that it's fast thrust
is over before the patient has time to react - or so one hopes!
Both require a high degree of skill and considerable training so you should
make sure your chiropractor or osteopath has had that training for your
animal's sake.
Can my animal's temperament be affected by the condition of
his back?
Most certainly. How do you feel if you have
constant low grade pain? Pretty pissed off right? Why should
your animal be any different. Normally sociable dogs can become
very stand-offish and even appear downright aggressive when their
musculo-skeletal systems are painful. Many times back problems
cause a painful muscle spasm on fast movement and animals will
'warn off' others should they look as though they might necessitate
quick movement on the part of the sufferer. Both of us have lost
count of the times we've been told that an animal patient's temperament
has improved following chiropractic treatment.
My dog finds it very difficult to get onto the furniture and
into the car. He used to jump on and in with ease. Could there
be something wrong with his back?
The most common use of manipulation in its
early days was on show jumpers whose performance suffered because
of low back pain. Similarly animals with low back pain find jumping
very difficult because of the mechanics of the lower spine in
the act of jumping. The animal dog or horse, needs to be able
to use its low back in a way that is often impossible when there
is skeletal distortion and consequent pain present.
My horse seems very depressed some days and I notice he often
carries his head differently on those days. It sounds silly but
could he have a headache?
We see no reason to suppose that horses, or
any other animal for that matter, cannot get headaches. If the
top two vertebrae in the neck (the atlas and axis)are dysfunctional
then increased tension in the neck muscles results, leading to
probable headaches. Again no-one would know by looking at you
that you had a headache unless you told them. Why should horses
be different.
|
