Jana’s first visit to her chiropractor was triggered by a chat with a pet psychic. Really! Marla, the pet psychic, had told me that Jana was suffering from pain in her mid-spine and around her neck and tail. When Jana started refusing to go down stairs and jump into the car, I decided to check it out.
The chiropractor, Dr. Patricia Jamison, found Jana’s trouble spots right away. At her initial exam, Jana showed signs of pain in her lumbar region and at the base of her tail; and she was experiencing some stiffness in her neck — all just as Marla had said. After two adjustments, Jana was her bouncy, rolling-in-the-grass, happy self again, and I was hooked.
Dr. Jamison explained that pain or stiffness comes from what is called a subluxation or fixation in the spine or a joint, a loss of mobility. The adjustment restores the mobility and reduces the pain. When they are adjusted, most patients — canine or human — can feel improvement right away, probably within 24 hours. A friend whose young Lab suffers from poor hips and elbow dysplasia says visits to the chiropractor have helped relieve his soreness and stiffness, and 11-year-old Oriel has become a new, happy and energetic dog after a few chiropractic appointments with Dr. Jamison.
A treatment takes about 20-30 minutes and includes some stretches and physical manipulation or adjustments. Dr. Jamison uses a few tools in addition to physical manipulation to adjust a dog’s spine, one that creates a sort of static field and one that clicks. Once or twice, Jana reacted with a surprised look, and once, a raised lip. Still, she seemed to feel better immediately and forgave Dr. Jamison quickly. (The treats Dr. Jamison provided helped, no doubt.)
After each adjustment, Dr. Jamison waits for the dog to reflexively lick — a sign, she says, that the dog feels better. The lick is a small motion, almost a tongue-flick, that occurs within a few seconds of a successful adjustment. No lick? She tries again. The lick reflex, Dr. Jamison explained, is an immediate neurological response to the release of endorphins. This response is seen in dogs, horses and other animals and is similar to a verbal “wow” or other reaction in people. It is not a conscious or purposeful movement, and differs from an anxious or appeasing lick. If the lick is delayed by more than about five seconds, Jamison said, it is probably a different signal.
Chiropractic adjustments are helpful for athletic dogs as well as dogs experiencing pain from an injury or disease. But not just anyone can adjust your dog: A veterinarian or chiropractor must meet rigorous standards to become licensed through the AVCA. The program is a joint effort of veterinarians and (human) chiropractors with narrowly focused coursework. The initial coursework is only the beginning. Students must pass a tough licensing exam and complete an internship to become licensed; then, continuing education courses are required. Though there are not many veterinary chiropractors in the Tampa Bay area, more students are entering the field — Dr. Jamison has a student intern working with her now.
Dr. Jamison has practiced chiropractic on human patients for more than 25 years. She first thought about veterinary chiropractic when her dog, Amy, was injured, screaming in pain and unable to put any weight on her right front leg, Dr. Jamison said. “I took her to a vet I knew who did acupuncture, but he looked at her and said, this dog needs her neck adjusted, she doesn’t need acupuncture." The vet adjusted the dog and, within a few minutes, Amy was beginning to put weight on her leg. After a few adjustments, the dog was fine. Dr. Jamison received her AVCA certification in 2006, and she said she loves being able to help animals who are in pain.
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2010.