happy birthday to our office dog
A teenager!! Yes, we have a teenager in our house now, but it may not be exactly what you think. This one is on the “downside” of her life unfortunately, but is as healthy as can be for her age. Yes, I’m talking about my Golden Retriever Kalo, who turned 13 in January. I first saw her when she was about 3-4 weeks old; she was a tiny fuzz ball and one of five in the litter. I told the breeder I wanted a dog for my office that could kind of serve as an unofficial therapy dog and at that young age, she was able to determine the dogs’ personality and selected Kalo to be our dog. I picked her up on a Saturday afternoon, and on Monday morning she was in our office. And as many of you know, she is with us almost every day we are open.
Some people are surprised she is 13, because she really doesn’t look or act that way. I credit her “young” age to so many things, and in fact it isn’t a whole lot different than what keeps humans feeling young and healthy. She gets plenty of exercise; she eats mostly organic dog food; she’s on supplements to support her health (and only one medication at this point); she gets plenty of love; and has been getting regular chiropractic adjustments since she was a puppy. After all, if we encourage and understand the importance of adjusting babies, toddlers, teens, adults & seniors, why would it be different for a dog?
When Kalo was younger, she would get adjusted about once every 3 months (by Dr. Heidi at Bells Ferry Vet). There was rarely anything wrong, it was just adjustments to ensure that her spine & nervous system were working as best as possible. She did a lot of ball chasing, running and sliding on the ground, so it only made sense to get her checked. And watching her getting adjusted was one of the things that really inspired me to pursue a degree in animal chiropractic. I remember one time playing ball with her, and I noticed she was limping when she’d run back to me with the ball in her mouth yet I didn’t notice her limping when she was running without a ball. I mentioned it to Dr. Heidi and she checked and adjusted her jaw, and boom, the limp was gone! It seemed crazy, but when she had the ball in her mouth it caused distortion in her jaw, resulting in throwing her whole body “off”. Currently, she has a fair amount of arthritis in her paws and joints, and I know the adjustments have prevented that from getting worse. She slips & slides more on hardwood floors, so she’s being adjusted more to help decrease that. And she’s getting adjustments to help her feel more comfortable & strengthen her functioning of her nervous system.
Chiropractic care for animals is a real thing. They have a spine & nervous system, just like people. They can get subluxated, just like people. And they can get adjusted, just like people. Animals typically respond very well — better movement, less limping, more activity, more restful, better digestion, less seizures — those are just some of the common things I see when working with animals. It is so amazing. Yet it goes beyond adjustments. Animals (and people) ideally should practice the five aspects of health in order to maximize their overall health. I can only hope and assume that these five aspects of health (adjustments, diet, sleep, exercise, love) have contributed to my dog Kalo being as healthy as possible. Doesn’t everyone want that, whether it’s for themselves or their pet? Why not?
Yes, regular chiropractic care can help people and animals feel better, function better and generally be healthier. It’s a wonderful thing. Who do you know that we can help?
