Question about holistic vets

downright

So my shiba Sam has this issue with her lower back/base of her tail or what we think might be her lower back/base of her tail. No traditional vet that we have been to (4 of them) has an answer. So last night we tried a holistic vet who was recommended to me by a friend. After giving her a quick exam, he thought she could use a "chiropractic adjustment." And he wants us to get 5 more adjustments spread out over a couple months. Having never been to the chiropractor before, I have no idea if this is the right way to go about it. It seems kinda general for an issue that may be very specific. I guess it can't hurt, as no other vet seems to have any ideas, we are willing to try anything. We've spent well over a thousand bucks trying to figure this out...and I don't really mind spending more...as long as it's money well spent and we can get some kind of results.

But the question I have is if anyone has any experience with holistic vets and with these "adjustments" specifically. I like the idea of going to a holistic vet who won't try and sell me a million different shots and vaccines that do more harm than good. Thanks everyone.

lindsayt

Holistic vets are generally not the type to recommend vaccines and invasive things like that. This is why most people choose to go to them. My holistic vet has been very hands off in terms of care, and he treats based on an ayurvedic approach to medicine and total body health, recomending diet modifications and non-prescription supplements. He does do acupressure/puncture and heating/cooling touch which the dogs have really enjoyed. I would say give it a go if traditional medicine has not been helpful enough.

JessicaRabbit

My holistic vet did a chiropractic adjustments to my dog Piglet. She had a torn ACL and my holistic vet encouraged surgery (which is something she is not known for doing) after surgery she went on a number of supplements, and had regular adjustments. She recovered from her surgery so quickly it kind of blew the surgeons mind. If your HV is suggesting only five more adjustments and you are in a financial place to do it I say go for it.

Edgewood

Well, not exactly in dogs, but in horses, chiropractic adjustments are pretty common and many riders swear that it really helps the horses (since you are sitting on their back). I know that I have had a chiropractor/vet adjust my horses and they really improved after the adjustment. And I know many others that really feel a difference. My vet/chiropractor also does acupuncture along with the chiropractic adjustment. Many times they also recommend massage therapy along with the adjustment (so that the muscles do not pull the spine back out of place).

And yes, at least for horses, you usually need a minimum of 2 adjustments separated by a month. Sometimes you may even need more than that.

downright

Thanks for all of the responses. Makes me feel better knowing that there is a possibility that this could help. We'll definitely go back and continue the treatment. Should I see any change after the first adjustment? This morning she was pretty uncomfortable...It really is the strangest thing. She gets off her bed and curls up on the couch. I get the dogs' leashes and Mason is ready to go. Sam doesn't want to get off the couch. But once I get the leash on, she jumps down and zooms to the front door, with her tail down and her posture kind of hunched...keeping her butt close to the floor. Once outside she'll walk a little then sit down, walk a little and sit down. With intermittent screams thrown in there for good measure. And she keeps looking towards her rear end as if there is something down there that is hurting her. But after a few minutes of walking around, she seems to get better. She's not her normal playful self but at least she doesn't seem to be in pain. It's so frustrating and I feel so bad for her.

StaticNfuzz

Just speculating here....Maybe your pooch has some arthritic issues? This can be a result of genetics or even Lyme disease.

Pain tolerance, even mild irritation pain, varies from dog to dog. It does sound like there is some discomfort from what you describe though.

I have seen chiropractic adjustment help a young dog out that was misaligned due to bouncing around/off the walls. However, the case did not seem quite as severe or as you describe. The animal did calm down a bit after treatment. So I'd say each animal exhibits or reacts to physical problems differently.

If the x-rays have rule out dysplastic hips or spinal/disc problems then I vote "go for it". There is also the option of acupuncture or Laser LED therapy to back things up too.

Also, it can't hurt to get some core strength and stretching exercises in as well to help keep things aligned and range of motion more fluid, once other therapy is working.

Here is a link to thermal wrap that we have found helpful to go along with therapy treatment. We use wraps from http://www.backontrackstore.com/ for horses and dogs who run performance during wait times and cool offs etc. If you are located in a cooler climate or working in the cold it is really helpful as is for older dogs.

Talk with your practitioner a combined plan may help out a lot.

Good luck
Snf

downright

Could arthritis affect a dog as young as 2? And she started showing signs on discomfort over a year ago. But over the last year it would only flare up about once every other month and last no longer than a day or two. This time, however, it has been almost 2 weeks of her showing signs almost every day. This has never happened before. The vet we visited last night also mentioned Lyme disease...but we did get her vaccinated when she was young before we started spending lots of time in the woods of the Poconos (northeast PA).

Also...the issue seemed to have started after she was spayed. Is there anything that could have happened during the procedure that would cause these types of symptoms?

StaticNfuzz

Arthritis can occur at any age. If your dog has spondylosis that might be a factor. http://www.vetinfo.com/overview-spondylosis-dogs.html

Spaying should not cause a problem under normal circumstances but can cause irritation that temporarily worsens a hip area or ligament if she was positioned incorrectly, if she had an structural problem to begin with.

About Lyme, "there is a great deal of controversy concerning the dog Lyme vaccine. There is a great debate about how well they actually work as well as potential side effects". http://www.drschoen.com/articles_L1_11.html
(I do not know Dr. Schoen or endorse him, but he does appear to have a decent info.)

Actually, I believe that a vaccinated dog can still come down with Lyme. There is canine erlichiosis which is also another tick borne disease.

Here is a list for you so you can look up some practitioners http://www.holisticmed.com/www/veterinary.html
http://www.acadvethom.org/

Just a basic thought though...Are you sure that the dogs are not rough housing too much? The Shikoku is bigger than your shiba at this point, so all the tumbling around if they play may cause extra strain on the hips. Also if there is a problem keeping the weight down by a pound or two will make a big difference in mobility and less strain. Snow and slipping on surfaces cause the legs to splay a bit more and if there are some weaker ligaments that will produce some aches and pains. Maybe you could start on some glucosamine with msm to ease the situation.

Snf

BradA1878

Kaia, our female Shiba, has spondylosis and has had a chiropractic adjustment a few times and it did seem to really help her, tho the effects were relatively short lived.

As a side point - Kaia would appear to have discomfort at the base of her tail too, and we always assumed it was due to the spondylosis, but since she had her second FHO the discomfort appears to have stopped. Have you looked at Sam's hips?

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downright

We had x-rays done about a year ago. Although I do not believe the vet was specifically looking at her hips. I never really considered her hips to be the problem just based on the fact that the issue only acted up very sporadically and she usually spins around and licks her crotch as opposed to go after her tail. But when she gets up, her tail is usually either down or kinda sideways. Plus none of the 4 vets we've been to suggested taking a look at her hips. Only the holistic vet that we visited last night wondered about her hips. We are going back in a week for her second adjustment. I'll talk to the vet a little more about getting her hips checked out. Rather do the testing sooner rather than later. This way we can start ruling things out.

BradA1878

With Kaia, she would spin and go for her butt area, maybe her crotch a bit too. But I am not trying to insist that it is his hips, I was just giving some anecdotal info.

Kaia had her hips checked too, and while they weren't perfect, they were not bad enough to consider surgery... until her hips came out of socket (separately)... but, Kaia is an extreme example I think.

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shibamistress

I don't have any advice for you, but do hope the chiropractic adjustments are able to help with this. I've also thought about taking my dogs to a holistic vet, but have not yet, so this is an interesting topic for me.

Jess, what kind of supplements did they suggest after the torn ACL? Bel's still recovering from that and from her LP surgery, and certainly the regular meds did her no good...