Animal Care
HELPING TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR ANIMAL
Actually, it’s not just about getting the best from your animals, it’s about getting the best for them. These days we tend to regard everything natural as good, which is probably pretty accurate, but animals, even those who live quietly in fields with little human intervention, can still get injured: they trip, they fight and they can get pretty boisterous just in play. Add in the human component and things become even more stressful, because we ask unusual things of their bodies. And our habitat is far from natural – for example, slippery floorboards don’t feature prominently in the life of a wild dog, but are a daily hazard for many domestic pets!
So how does osteopathy work on animals?
Animal care is no different to treating humans - an osteopath will look at an animal’s whole body, assessing its function by watching the animal move and feeling for joint restrictions or muscle tightness. Treatment aims to remove these restrictions and imbalances by stretching, mobilisation and manipulation. Manipulation is the part that sometimes produces a “click”, but it’s painless and can have a dramatic effect in improving movement. Another effective, but extremely subtle, technique is cranial osteopathy, in which almost imperceptible adjustments are made to tissues and joints.
Who needs to see an osteopath?
Osteopathy is probably most well known in the world of horses. Riders are becoming increasingly aware of the strains we put on our mounts and that if the horse doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t.
Common complaints from riders are that the horse is not bending well to one side, or that it is struggling to perform certain movements. Other observations are that the horse’s behaviour has changed or that the horse is unbalanced without being obviously lame, but the vet can find no pathology.
Agility dogs are also regular patients for osteopaths. Owners might notice a deterioration in performance or a reluctance to work, or the dog may be arthritic after years of bouncing over fences (possibly followed by going home to the aforementioned slippery floorboards) and may require maintenance work to keep the joints healthy.
Any animal in serious training should be treated as an athlete and should receive appropriate animal care, treatment and exercise plans.
But osteopathy isn’t just about getting a better performance from competition animals, it’s also about relieving pain and promoting health in all animals. For example, the rare breed ewe in the picture was lame after giving birth to very large twins. The problem stemmed from her pelvis and after just two treatments she was sound again. Good news for the ewe (and the breed), and the owner was delighted.
Conditions that may respond well to osteopathy
Back pain
Arthritis
Unusual behaviour patterns
Unexplained unlevelness
Muscle imbalance
Injuries from accidents or changes in training
Specifically for Horses:
A tendency to work better on one rein
Problems with lateral work
A reluctance to extend
Rearing
Vet’s Permission
It is illegal for anyone other than the owner to treat an animal without the permission of a vet – fortunately, most vets know how beneficial osteopathy can be and are happy to agree. To make the process easier, try to have the vet’s details on hand when you call your osteopath.
Insurance
It goes without saying that any practitioner must be covered by their insurance to treat your animal (although this will only be valid if the vet has given permission). As an owner, your own insurance may cover the osteopathic treatment itself, but you should check with your provider first so you know how they process the referral.
To find an osteopath in your area who treats animals, please follow the link below:
Animal Care
Written by Claire Short, Registered Osteopath. To contact Claire, please click here
Actually, it’s not just about getting the best from your animals, it’s about getting the best for them. These days we tend to regard everything natural as good, which is probably pretty accurate, but animals, even those who live quietly in fields with little human intervention, can still get injured: they trip, they fight and they can get pretty boisterous just in play. Add in the human component and things become even more stressful, because we ask unusual things of their bodies. And our habitat is far from natural – for example, slippery floorboards don’t feature prominently in the life of a wild dog, but are a daily hazard for many domestic pets!
So how does osteopathy work on animals?
Animal care is no different to treating humans - an osteopath will look at an animal’s whole body, assessing its function by watching the animal move and feeling for joint restrictions or muscle tightness. Treatment aims to remove these restrictions and imbalances by stretching, mobilisation and manipulation. Manipulation is the part that sometimes produces a “click”, but it’s painless and can have a dramatic effect in improving movement. Another effective, but extremely subtle, technique is cranial osteopathy, in which almost imperceptible adjustments are made to tissues and joints.
Who needs to see an osteopath?
Osteopathy is probably most well known in the world of horses. Riders are becoming increasingly aware of the strains we put on our mounts and that if the horse doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t.
Common complaints from riders are that the horse is not bending well to one side, or that it is struggling to perform certain movements. Other observations are that the horse’s behaviour has changed or that the horse is unbalanced without being obviously lame, but the vet can find no pathology.
Agility dogs are also regular patients for osteopaths. Owners might notice a deterioration in performance or a reluctance to work, or the dog may be arthritic after years of bouncing over fences (possibly followed by going home to the aforementioned slippery floorboards) and may require maintenance work to keep the joints healthy.
Any animal in serious training should be treated as an athlete and should receive appropriate animal care, treatment and exercise plans.
But osteopathy isn’t just about getting a better performance from competition animals, it’s also about relieving pain and promoting health in all animals. For example, the rare breed ewe in the picture was lame after giving birth to very large twins. The problem stemmed from her pelvis and after just two treatments she was sound again. Good news for the ewe (and the breed), and the owner was delighted.
Conditions that may respond well to osteopathy
Back pain
Arthritis
Unusual behaviour patterns
Unexplained unlevelness
Muscle imbalance
Injuries from accidents or changes in training
Specifically for Horses:
A tendency to work better on one rein
Problems with lateral work
A reluctance to extend
Rearing
Vet’s Permission
It is illegal for anyone other than the owner to treat an animal without the permission of a vet – fortunately, most vets know how beneficial osteopathy can be and are happy to agree. To make the process easier, try to have the vet’s details on hand when you call your osteopath.
Insurance
It goes without saying that any practitioner must be covered by their insurance to treat your animal (although this will only be valid if the vet has given permission). As an owner, your own insurance may cover the osteopathic treatment itself, but you should check with your provider first so you know how they process the referral.
To find an osteopath in your area who treats animals, please follow the link below:
Animal Care
Written by Claire Short, Registered Osteopath. To contact Claire, please click here
