An Animal Chiropractor specializes in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders in animals through manual manipulation and adjustment of the spine and other joints. They aim to restore proper alignment, relieve pain, and improve overall mobility and function in animals. Animal chiropractors work with a variety of animals, including pets, livestock, and performance animals such as racehorses and show dogs, ensuring their physical health and performance.
Animal chiropractors typically do the following tasks:
Conduct thorough examinations to assess the animal’s musculoskeletal health and identify any misalignments or injuries.
Diagnose issues related to the spine, joints, and nervous system that may be causing pain or limiting mobility.
Develop individualized treatment plans that may include chiropractic adjustments, rehabilitation exercises, and recommendations for overall health and wellness.
Perform precise manual adjustments to correct spinal and joint misalignments, alleviate pain, and enhance mobility.
Track the progress of treatments and make necessary adjustments to the plan based on the animal’s response and recovery.
Work in conjunction with veterinarians, physical therapists, and other animal health professionals to provide comprehensive care.
Educate pet owners and handlers on preventive care, exercise routines, and techniques to maintain their animals’ musculoskeletal health.
Maintain detailed records of examinations, diagnoses, treatments, and progress notes.
Animal Chiropractors work in various settings, including veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, farms, stables, and private practices. They spend a significant amount of time handling animals, which requires physical strength and stamina. Working conditions may vary, with some treatments performed in indoor clinical settings and others in outdoor environments such as barns or stables. The role can involve traveling to clients’ locations, especially when dealing with large animals like horses or livestock.
While the job can be physically demanding, it is also rewarding, as chiropractors see the positive impact of their work on animal health and well-being. Working hours can be flexible, but may include evenings and weekends to accommodate clients’ schedules.
Becoming an Animal Chiropractor typically requires a background in veterinary medicine or chiropractic care, with additional specialized training in animal chiropractic techniques. The following steps are generally involved:
Undergraduate Education: Complete an undergraduate degree in a relevant field, such as biology, animal science, or pre-veterinary studies.
Professional Degree: Obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree. Veterinarians often pursue additional training in chiropractic care, while chiropractors need specialized training in animal anatomy and physiology.
Specialized Training: Complete a certification program in animal chiropractic care. Accredited programs, such as those offered by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA), provide the necessary training and credentials.
Licensing and Certification: Obtain licensure to practice veterinary medicine or chiropractic care, and acquire certification in animal chiropractic. This typically involves passing exams and meeting continuing education requirements.
Experience: Gain practical experience through internships, apprenticeships, or supervised practice with experienced animal chiropractors.
Continuous professional development and staying updated with advancements in chiropractic techniques and animal health are crucial. Membership in professional organizations, such as the AVCA or IVCA, provides access to resources, networking opportunities, and ongoing education.
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of animal chiropractor.
Biosecurity related to animals: Awareness of hygiene and bio-security measures when working with animals, including causes, transmission and prevention of diseases and use of policies, materials and equipment.
Signs of animal illness: Physical, behavioural and environmental signs of health and ill health in various animals.
Animal welfare legislation: The legal boundaries, codes of professional conduct, national and EU regulatory frameworks and legal procedures of working with animals and living organisms, ensuring their welfare and health.
Animal welfare: Universally recognized animal welfare needs as applied to species, situation and occupation. These are:
need for a suitable environment
need for a suitable diet
need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals
need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
Physiology of animals: The study of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical and biochemical functioning of animals, their organs and their cells.
Environmental enrichment for animals: Types, methods and use of enrichment for animals to allow the expression of natural behaviour, including the provision of environmental stimuli, feeding activities, puzzles, items for manipulation, social and training activities.
Anatomy of animals: The study of animal body parts, their structure and dynamic relationships, on a level as demanded by the specific occupation.
Animal behaviour: The natural behavioural patterns of animals, i.e. how normal and abnormal behaviour might be expressed according to species, environment, human-animal interaction and occupation.
These skills are necessary for the role of animal chiropractor.
Manage animal biosecurity: Plan and use appropriate biosafety measures to prevent disease transmission and ensure effective overall biosecurity. Maintain and follow biosecurity procedures and infection control when working with animals, including recognising potential health issues and taking appropriate action, communicating site hygiene control measures and biosecurity procedures, and reporting to others.
Assess the animal’s rehabilitation requirements: Assess the animal’s rehabilitation requirements in accordance with its current condition and according to a referral from a veterinary surgeon, taking into account pre-existing health conditions e.g. diabetes, epilepsy and medication.
Prepare animal therapy equipment: Ensure that animal therapy equipment is assembled and prepared for use, including personal protective equipment.
Manage animal welfare: Plan, manage, and evaluate the application of the five universally recognised animal welfare needs as appropriate to species, situation, and occupation.
Apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting: Apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting in order to identify hazards and associated risks so as to prevent accidents or incidents. This includes injury from animals, zoonotic diseases, chemicals, equipment and work environments.
Plan physical rehabilitation of animals: Develop a plan for the handling of animals undergoing physical rehabilitation treatment, considering: age, species, breed, temperament, surroundings, prior experiences, owner’s influence, current health status, clinical history, prescribed drugs and their effects, reason for referral for rehabilitation treatment, external influences including interaction with humans and other animals, and welfare requirements. Formulate a rehabilitation treatment plan, following referral from a veterinary surgeon.
Use animal chiropractic techniques: Provide chiropractic treatment to animals, including designing a treatment plan and applying appropriate chiropractic techniques to animals.
Manage animal hygiene: Plan and use appropriate hygiene measures to prevent disease transmission and ensure effective overall hygiene. Maintain and follow hygiene procedures and regulations when working with animals. Communicate site hygiene controls and protocols to others. Manage the safe disposal of waste according to destination and local regulations.
Manage personal professional development: Take responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional development based on reflection about own practice and through contact with peers and stakeholders.
Handle veterinary emergencies: Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.
Monitor the welfare of animals: Monitor animals’ physical condition and behaviour and report any concerns or unexpected changes, including signs of health or ill-health, appearance, condition of the animals’ accommodation, intake of food and water and environmental conditions.
Advise on animal welfare: Prepare and provide information to individuals or groups of people on how to promote the health and well-being of animals, and how risks to animal health and welfare may be reduced. Provide recommendations for corrective actions.
Deal with challenging people: Work safely and communicate effectively with individuals and groups of people who are in challenging circumstances. This would include recognition of signs of aggression, distress, threatening and how to address them to promote personal safety and that of others.
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of animal chiropractor. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Provide mentorship: Guide and support less knowledgeable or less experienced colleagues.
