Don't laugh... but my dog went to the chiropractor today...

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

I guess I shouldn't mention that my dog had acupuncture done.

<gasp> What is wrong with you man!

[troutman]

Does the placebo effect work on animals?

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by fotze

Good point, but this is about chiropractic, which has nothing to do with mediacl care.

I suspect there are millions of people who disagree with you... some probably on this forum even.

I for one know that when my lower back seized up one day at work (I could barely walk) I went to a chiropractor that same day (it was my first time) and he was able to give me immediate relief from the pain and I left his office walking upright (when I went in I was hunched over like a 90 year old man, from the pain).

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by Matata

And the more expensive they are, the more inbred they likely are too. By being able to pony up the $5000 up front, the more likely they are to pay that dogs expensive medical bills in life, so that's nice for the dog.

That's a load of crap, unless you're a complete moron and just plunk down thousands of dollars on a purebred without checking out the breeder and the lineage. Getting a purebred dog from a reputable breeder actually can help you avoid inbreeding problems. Backyard mutt breeders are just as guilty, if not more so, of shady practices.

Like anything, if you do your research you are less likely to get burned.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by fotze

Good point, but this is about chiropractic, which has nothing to do with mediacl care.

Originally Posted by Rerun

I suspect there are millions of people who disagree with you... some probably on this forum even.

There are millions of people who believe Elvis is still alive, majority is not a good argument, nor can we count on anecdotal evidence.

However, it really depends on what school of thought the Chiropractor is coming from. There are the chiropractors that focus on back and neck problems that tend to provide similar health benefits to getting a good massage, so they actually do accomplish something.

There are the others who suggest that chiropractic can cure eczema, and other skin conditions, as well as more serious illnesses like multiple sclerosis. These claims made no goddamn sense when they were originally proposed and given what we know about the human body, make even less now.

[CaptainCrunch]

So when have you scheduled him for a doggy prostate massage.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

So when have you scheduled him for a doggy prostate massage.

That's still something they like to do at home.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by peter12

That's still something they like to do at home.

Are you suggesting they like to play "Red Rocket" at the Rerun household?

[peter12]

It only looks like a light bulb.

[BigBrodieFan]

My dog Hank recently had to go to the doggie optometrist, how do you think he looks with his new frames?

[Kavvy]

Not that I really think buying from a breeder is a bad thing, and you bring up good points, however,

Originally Posted by Rerun

10 reasons to buy a dog from a breeder:



3. You know the pup hasn’t had a troubled life.
When adopting from a good breeder, there are no uncertainties about the pup’s past. You know your puppy hasn’t been abused or neglected, resulting in behavioral issues. There are no questions about how it was treated before. With a shelter dog, you often will have no idea about the dog’s past.

This makes me not want to buy from a breeder, I have no problem owning a rescue dog, in fact, I would prefer it. Saving a dog from a troubled life is not a bad thing, supporting the person who did it maybe, but I can get over it to save the little guy/girl.


9. Mixed-breed dogs might develop new health issues.
Certain breeds are prone to certain health issues and sometimes this can be avoided by adopting a mixed-breed dog. Other times, a mixed-breed dog will just develop different health issues, or the health issues it inherited from its purebred parents of two different breeds. For example, a dachshund/pit bull mix might have back issues because of its long, stocky body.

This is known to be true for tons of pure breds due to inbred breeding to keep the genetics pure, or because of breeders breeding out traits they don't like.

[Bertuzzied]

[ernie]

We went over it in the chiro thread way back but to sum up my feelings:

-can a chiro help someone? Absolutely. They do help me. I've gone from years of weekly almost daily popping of muscle relaxants 18-24 months ago to having taken less than 5 muscle relaxants since. I had YEARS of MRIs, Xrays, specialists (in two countries!) who couldn't pin point the issue and finally the last two specialists I went to recommended the chiro I go to. Why? Because the chiro I go to combines physio in his office and doesn't subscribe to the traditional crap chiropractors promote. He's makes an "adjustment" because he truly believes it is necessary and not just to make something crack like most do. I went from adjustments every 2-3 weeks along with regular physio to right now I'm at 3-4 months (and actually my next appointment is 7 months from now given I haven't had issues between my last appointment 3 months ago and the one I had this week). The goal from my chiro is to basically never see me again. A goal that aligns more with proper physiotherapy than what you find with many (most?) chiros. Believe me I never thought it would work as I was the the lead skeptic among chiro skeptics but it did. Ain't no placebo effect in my case.

-are many quacks? Yes and more than likely a very large percentage of them. They will not cure your asthma or colitis or whatever. Simply won't happen. Stay away from those that make that claim....even though they are supposed to.

-can chiro be beneficial for a dog? no idea but somehow I suspect regular "just because" adjustments aren't beneficial (just as they aren't beneficial for people IMO). When an issue comes up then yes it can probably be beneficial. Thing is our pets are so much more robust than humans you likely won't know if there is an issue until something truly major happens and you bring it to your vet anyways.


On buying from a breeder...I agree sometimes it's great to save the dog from the shelter or a troubled life. I've done it (cat and 2 dogs). Other times, like when you have small kids running around your house often surprising the dog, you may want to be assured that the dog hasn't had a troubled life. That said there are terrible breeders as well so you need to know your breeder.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Kavy

Not that I really think buying from a breeder is a bad thing, and you bring up good points, however,

Originally Posted by Rerun
10 reasons to buy a dog from a breeder:

3. You know the pup hasn’t had a troubled life.
When adopting from a good breeder, there are no uncertainties about the pup’s past. You know your puppy hasn’t been abused or neglected, resulting in behavioral issues. There are no questions about how it was treated before. With a shelter dog, you often will have no idea about the dog’s past.

This makes me not want to buy from a breeder, I have no problem owning a rescue dog, in fact, I would prefer it. Saving a dog from a troubled life is not a bad thing, supporting the person who did it maybe, but I can get over it to save the little guy/girl.


9. Mixed-breed dogs might develop new health issues.
Certain breeds are prone to certain health issues and sometimes this can be avoided by adopting a mixed-breed dog. Other times, a mixed-breed dog will just develop different health issues, or the health issues it inherited from its purebred parents of two different breeds. For example, a dachshund/pit bull mix might have back issues because of its long, stocky body.

This is known to be true for tons of pure breds due to inbred breeding to keep the genetics pure, or because of breeders breeding out traits they don't like.

Its admirable that you want to adopt a rescue dog. Bravo.
However Pt 3 should not discourage you from purchasing a dog from a reputable breeder. Its the disreputable/backyard breeders you should avoid as they are usually in it just to make a buck, not to improve the breed.

As for Pt 9, reputable breeders go to great lengths to ensure that their breeding stock is healthy and to improve it. For example, so far I have had my Golden Retreiver's hips and elbows x-rayed for dysplasia. Thankfully the hips came back as good and the elbows were normal. If they had come back otherwise I wouldn't breed him. Next we will be getting his heart and eyes checked out.
This is all standard practice in the reputable breeding world as we are all trying to improve the breed by by reducing/eliminating genetic defects. These tests by the way, costs a breeder hundreds of dollars.

His results are posted on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website www.offa.org , which everyone has access to. This again is standard procedure in the world of reputable breeders.