Is my animal in pain?

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ANIMAL IS IN PAIN?

Animals in pain will often exhibit changes in their posture, refusal to work, and, or a noticeable change from their normal behavior.

Tell me where it hurts.

In order to cope with the Vertebral Subluxation Complex the animal will most always attempt to compensate for the pain by changing their posture and normal biomechanical patterns thus allowing for less painful movement throughout their daily routine. Unfortunately, this biomechanical change will most always result in an adverse compensatory effect throughout other areas of the spine and body.

If your animal appears to be experiencing any of the following symptoms please contact your Veterinarian for a chiropractic referral:

• Abnormal standing posture
• Reluctance to move
• Reduced performance
• Difficulty bending or flexing of the neck or back
• “Puppy sitting” or sitting with hind legs off to one side
• Abnormal behavior
• Discomfort noticed with collar or harness wear
• Sensitivity to touch
• Inability to climb stairs or jump
• Only lies on one side
• Shortened stride in one or more legs
• Overall decreased range of motion in gait
• Lack of coordination
• Differences in muscle size and/or tone
• Pacing gait
• Partial weakness or paralysis
• Stumbling while walking
• Urinary and/or fecal incontinence
• Develops problems with digestion
• Animals who suffer from hip dysplasia, IV disc disease and Wobblers Disease are excellent candidates for chiropractic care.

Horses on the dirt road

HORSE SPECIFIC

• Horse may show discomfort when being saddled
• Horse may show discomfort when ridden
• Evasion issues such as throwing its head up, grabbing the bit, or hollowing the back
• Pinning ears, bucking, or swishing tail
• Refusing jumps or knocking rails
• Difficulty with collection or lateral movements
• Horse is not tracking up
• Inability or difficulty engaging the hindquarters
• Irregularity of gait, which cannot be assigned to a particular leg
• Difficulty flexing at the poll
• Inability to stretch or lengthen topline
• The horse may seem “off”
• Stiffness coming out of the stall
• Horse pulls against one rein