Aging is not an easy process for anyone, including dogs.  Weakness starts to occur, they have trouble getting up and down, stairs become difficult and they may stop doing them all together.  Things that used to be so easy like walking across the floor may become difficult.  Animal Chiropractic is a great way to help your ageing dog.  I have seen it many times in my practice where the treatment that I provide has helped with mobility problems, comfort and activity levels with dogs well into their 17th year.

It is widely known that dogs age much faster than we do.  Do you know that certain breeds and sizes of dogs age differently as well?  Senior dogs are generally considered to be any dog that is in the last 25% of their life based on the standard for that particular breed.  This is when you will start to see some of the common signs and symptoms of an ageing dog such as decreased mobility, decreased muscle tone, discomfort, arthritis and more.

I often say to owners, you have to let your dog be a dog, and because of this, just like in humans, there is constant wear and tear on the dogs spine and joints from just doing their every day activities and being a dog. Playing, chasing squirrels or rabbits, agility, etc.  With all this wear and tear Chiropractic subluxations (areas in the spine that aren’t moving as they should) can occur.  When this happens, inflammation can build up causing stress on the joints, nerves and leading to pain and reduced function. If this is not corrected, the inflammation can build up to a point where it is uncomfortable for the dog to use the joint completely.  When this happens you will start to notice things that your dog used to do like go up or down the stairs,  jump up on the couch, they won’t do, or they will really struggle with it.  Another sign is that your dog has trouble getting settled into a resting position.  Over time, the decreased function and increased pain will start to affect the muscles.  If it is painful to get up or walk, your dog won’t want to do it.  The muscles will start to atrophy (decrease in size), which will put even more stress on the joints because there are less muscles to support it.  

Chiropractic adjustments help to get the joints moving better, decrease inflammation in the area, thus allowing for more comfortable movement and your dog wanting to be more active again.