Dog owners often seek treatment when the dog is showing obvious signs of pain and dysfunction. It is however, also important to consider regular maintenance treatments as part of your dogs well being plan.
From a preventative point of view, it’s important to ensure dogs are as symmetrical and balanced as possible. When the musculoskeletal system is balanced there is no unnecessary strain on the joints, and the muscles can work optimally.
Even if your dog doesn’t have any known musculoskeletal issues they can still benefit. Remember, they can’t tell as when something starts hurting. Eventually when it gets bad enough their behaviour will change but what if you could catch those imbalances early and get ahead of any issues? While it may not prevent them entirely, it can lessen their impact and / or keep your dog more comfortable.
Maintenance treatments are even more important if your dog has dysplasia, arthritis, or another musculoskeletal condition. You don’t want any unnecessary strain going through the problem area because the adjacent areas aren’t working optimally. An example might be elbow dysplasia. If the entire front limb, back and neck are working well and balanced, both left and right, then the problem elbow takes as little strain as possible. It’s not going to change the fact that the elbow dysplasia exists but less strain on the joint is a good thing. This can lead to less pain and discomfort and a happier dog.
Maintenance treatments may be monthly, six weekly, or three monthly depending on the age and health status of your dog. For further advice or consultation, please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss how treatment can help.