Chiropractic Care Extends To The Animal World

When we think of chiropractic care, we usually think of walking into a clinic, lying down on a table, and having all kinds of work done on your back. But have you ever thought of chiropractic care being translated across different species?

Jeanne Olson DVM of the Raven Veterinary Clinic in North Pole, Alaska has been practicing a state of the art combination of alternative medicine and chiropractic care on a variety of different canine breeds. Her work has been focused on athletic dogs, specifically sled dogs that work harder than human professional athletes in some regions of Alaska.

After completing her study of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University she became interested in alternative medicine, a relatively unconventional discipline at the time. As her desire to learn more about alternative medicine and veterinary care grew, she moved to Iowa where she spent years of mentorship under Sharon Willoughby, one of the first veterinarians to incorporate chiropractic care into her treatment processes.

Many medical professionals cast doubt on the efficacy of alternative medicine, naturopathy, and chiropractic care on human patients. Between the misconceptions appropriated to the lack of scientific evidence and academic qualifications of practitioners, chiropractic care is often dismissed as a sort of farce in the medical community. If humans with structural damage to their neck and spine are impacted by the stigma of chiropractic care, then how can we expect this practice to be applied to animals?

Jeanne Olson stresses that there need not be medications, surgeries, or any other type of major intervention in order to treat her canine patients, one of they key concepts in alternative medicine. This makes her job quite difficult, considering that dogs are not able to communicate specifically what they are feeling and where the pain is. However, Olson has told all of her patients’ owners that monitoring their dog is crucial. If they cannot observe different movement patterns or behavior changes resulting from the injury, it is near impossible to pin point what is wrong.

The influence of Jeanne Olson’s practices has spread all throughout Alaska. Many veterinarians all over the state have began to use similar techniques to Olson’s and the effects have only been positive. She teaches a class to local animal owners that encompasses everything owners might need to know in terms of proper care, including anatomy, diet, and proper monitoring techniques.

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Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of R∂lf Κλενγελ