Mobility problems affect the quality of life for 10 percent of dogs, says Marie Barling, DVM. She also notes that figure may be understated since 20 percent of dogs have arthritis. In this article, Barling share the opportunity to extend care beyond prescriptive medicine to include elements of physical medicine including laser, acupuncture and manual therapy, including chiropractic care.
Barling positions chiropractic care as a potential standalone added service that is economical and simple for clients to understand.
. . . not all of our clients want to sign up for weeks of intensive physical therapy and exercise for their dogs, but some will bring them in for an occasional adjustment.
Source: AAHA Trends, December 2021. Link. Additional certification is required to be licensed in veterinary chiropractic care. Barling shared these resources:
- American Veterinary Chiropractic Association <Link>
- International Veterinary Chiropractic Association <Link>
INSIGHTS: As our industry seeks to medicate less, yet improve quality of life for pets, integrating physical medicine is one of the potential pathways to pet comfort and client satisfaction.