Equine K9 Chiropractic

Chiropractic can help horses and dogs too! Horses and dogs have the same muscular and skeletal structure that we do with very few differences! They can get tight hamstring muscles and neck pain and low back arthritis the same way that we can! We ask horses to jump, rein, race, do dressage and endurance and barrel races just to name a few. Dogs play, run, and tumble and we ask them to do agility. Sometimes we ask them to perform at extremely high levels.

These activities put stresses on the body and especially the musculoskeletal system. Initially, this can cause tight muscles, but over the years these repetitive stresses can start to break down the cartilage and form arthritis in the joints. Treating your horse or dog with chiropractic is a wonderful and gentle modality which can help the body mobilize and balance the joints and neurologic system of the body. Chiropractic increases joint function and performance without the use of drugs.

Chiropractic means “done by hand”. The adjustment is a low impact manual quick thrust put through the joint line at a specific angle to put a quick stretch on the muscles of the joint. The adjustment helps to reset the muscle sensors and allow the joint to perform normally again. This stimulates the nervous system which in effect is changing the input into the brain and also changing the output from the brain, allowing the entire joint complex to function better. Put simply, chiropractic gets stuck joints moving again.

How do you know if your horse or dog needs chiropractic?

Animals tell us that they are in pain in many different ways. They might use their eye expression, nostril, ear or tail twitch to let us know something is bothering them. If the subtle cues are not noticed, it might progress to not taking the correct lead when cantering, limping, kicking out, bucking, rearing or even biting, which can be very dangerous. Every horse can benefit from chiropractic.

Every horse, dog and every person uses their body a little bit incorrectly. Posture, conformation, and accidents and injuries throughout their lives can affect how they move.

Sometimes chiropractic can help with subtle or outright lameness. Horse and dog owners get their horses evaluated to determine where their animal is putting their stress. Occasionally, an owner is curious if a behavior is just a bad behavior, or if it is being caused by pain. Many people use chiropractic preventatively to keep potential subtle issues from getting worse.

What to expect during your visit?

Each visit takes approximately 30 minutes. Dr. Boehle evaluates, adjusts and then stretches out the horse’s global muscles to determine muscle and joint balances and function. She will explain any issues that the horse or dog might have and will give the owner exercises to do in between chiropractic visits.

How often should your animal get adjusted?

It depends on the horse or dog, the level of work they are in, the conformation, and the injuries that they have had. An animal in pain should be adjusted every two weeks or so until they feel better, but a good maintenance plan is normally once a month.

How much is an Equine Adjustment?

• One horse per barn: $150
• Two horses per barn: $120 each horse
• Three or more horses per barn: $100 each horse

How much is a Dog Adjustment?

• $40 a visit

Swift River Chiropractic | (413) 213-1114