Osteopathy for Pets

Osteopathy is a form of treatment based on the manipulation of the body's bony skeleton. The basic premise is that imbalance and disharmony will result from the changes that occur in all parts of the body when one part of its structure is altered. Osteopathy is not a complete system of medicine. The idea of osteopathy for pets might seem strange, but most pets are surprisingly amenable to this therapy.

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy was developed in the late 19th century by an American, Dr Andrew Taylor still. He saw the skeleton as having a dual purpose. He saw the skeleton as having a dual purpose. The commonly recognized function was that it provided the physical framework for the body. By the action of the muscles that were attached to it, it allowed the mechanical movement of the body. The other, equally important, function was to protect the body's vital organs. Dr Still theorized that if the skeleton were out of alignment, the body it supported and protected would not be able to maintain a state of good health. The basis of osteopathy is that structure governs function.

Osteopathy is used alongside orthodox Western medicine. Osteopaths are trained to treat each patient as a complete structure, paying close attention to the relationship between the musculoskeletal system and the function of the body. They look at a patient's history to decide if osteopathy is a suitable treatment. A thorough physical examination enables them to observe the ease and range of movement in the limbs and spine. By feeling the muscles and bones, the osteopath is then able to make a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.

How it works

Osteopathy on pets uses soft-tissue massage techniques and joint manipulation to make adjustments to the damaged neuromusculoskeletal structure. The techniques used on pets and humans are very similar. Manipulation techniques make corrections which repair the damage and allow healing to occur. After the initial, treatment the osteopath will monitor improvements by sight the changes that occur in the diseased area and in the body.

Osteopathic massage increases blood flow, which speeds up the elimination of toxic waste products that build up in the damaged areas. It increases the oxygenation of the tissues to relieve pain and stiffness.

The most common joint-manipulation technique used in osteopathy is the high velocity thrust. Contrary to popular belief, although this causes popping noises, it does not realign bones and joints. It does, however, slightly separate the joint surfaces momentarily. This separation stretches the joint capsule and gives it greater freedom of movement. As the joint capsule is stretched, tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide come out of solution from the joint fluid and these are responsible for the popping sound.

The other techniques used are passive movement and articulation. These gently and painlessly stretch the soft tissues to result in greater joint and limb mobility. Passive movement involves the osteopath moving the pet's limbs while the pet relaxes and makes no physical effort. Articulation takes this a stage further, and uses the pet's limbs as levers to stretch the soft tissues. In all techniques, the osteopath monitors the pet's response and makes adjustments to its treatment plan accordingly.

Availability

Osteopathy is now recognized as a valid treatment for animals, although there are as yet no recognized schools of veterinary osteopathy. If you wish to have your pet treated osteopathically, it must first be examined by a vet. If the vet also thinks that treatment would be beneficial, a qualified human osteopath will work on your pet under the vet's direction.

It is important that the vet and the osteopath co-operate with each other. The vet's notes, diagnosis and schedule should be made available to the osteopath, and the osteopath should discuss the treatment, benefits and outcome. Failure to liaise effectively can result in an inappropriate treatment being given. Osteopaths may use other therapies in their treatment of human patients, but by law they are not allowed to use techniques other than osteopathy on your pet without the permission of the vet.

When to use Osteopathy

In the absence of scientific research it is difficult to evaluate the value of osteopathy in pets. However,where vets have referred pets for osteopathic treatment, the results have been encouraging. Osteopathy seems to be particularly useful to alleviate any joint pain arising as a result of road traffic accidents and degenerative diseases.

Although the theory of osteopathy is valid for all species, it is important to remember that cats, in particular, do not like being handled by strangers. Their reluctance to co-operate with osteopathic treatment is a great drawback to its use, except when the cat is trusting enough to relax and allow manipulation, in which case good results can be obtained. However, if the cat refuses to co-operate, do not force it, but postpone the treatment session to another date. Alternatively, you may wish to consider a different therapy after discussing the options with your pet.