Chiropractors Treat Pets, Too
Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Practitioners say treatment benefits animals
By ALAN GUENTHER
Courier-Post Staff
Last Christmas Eve, her dog Sheba lost the ability to walk, so Kaye
Seger called chiropractor Ray Derman, who "worked wonders," she said.
Today, after some surgery and dozens of treatments, Sheba, a mix of
collie, Labrador and German shepherd, is able to walk again.
Only 25 years ago, chiropractic treatments for dogs and horses were
practically unheard of. But now, more than 100 chiropractors and
veterinarians in New Jersey are giving treatments to hundreds of
animals.
Shirley Seger, Kaye's owner, says the logic is simple.
"It worked for me," she said. She'd lost the ability to walk after a
car accident and regained feeling in her legs after a chiropractor
adjusted her spine. So she figured - why not try it on the dog? And
the results are clear, said Seger. "There's a light in her eyes.
She's not in pain anymore."
At the Magical Acres farm in Chesterfield, horse trainer Noel Daley
said chiropractic care for horses was commonplace in his native
Australia. But when he came to America 14 years ago, almost no one
was doing it.
Then a chiropractor worked on his back, said Daley.
"If you've had a bit of luck with it yourself, why not give it a go
on the horses?" he reasoned. The stakes are high. One of Derman's
regular clients is Mr. Muscleman, a horse that won $1.3 million in
races last year.
Derman, 41, said he adjusts about 40 horses and 40 dogs a month.
It's hard work. On a recent morning at the Magical Acres farm,
despite roaring exhaust fans blowing air throughout the barn, his
white shirt was soaked in sweat. He lifts the horses' legs. He pushes
against their shoulders. He pulls their tails and tries to realign
their spines and relieve discomfort.
"I've always enjoyed physical work," he said. "And I enjoy being
around animals. I could do it all day."
He became involved in chiropractic care for animals about two years
ago.
"It's one of those things - as soon as I did it, I was just totally
captivated by it, and it's become a borderline obsession for me ever
since," he said. "It felt like something I should be doing. It's
become a total focus of my life."
When he works with horses, "I enjoy seeing almost the instantaneous
relief they get. The horse will come around and touch you with his
nose and thank you in a way.
"I enjoy the atmosphere, being in the barns."
Treatments for dogs are about $45, and it costs about $95 to treat a
horse. The animals he adjusts are referred to him by veterinarians.
He doesn't diagnose pets' illnesses, he said. Vets do that.
Derman studied chiropractic care with Bill Inman, a veterinarian in
Seattle.
"My clients started to ask for other methodologies to treat animals
besides surgeries and steroids that don't work," Inman said. He
started his Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM) technology
training in 1982.
Today, 6,700 veterinarians and chiropractors around the country are
working on animals, he said, using his VOM Technology technique.
There are 82 VOM Technology doctors working in New Jersey. Another 18
have been certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic
Association.
Derman says results vary but usually aren't achieved overnight.
"An animal can be saved," he said, "but it takes a lot of patience."
ON THE WEB
VOM Technology: www.vomtech.com
American Veterinary Chiropractic Association: www.avcadoctors.com
-----------------------------------------------------------
Reach Alan Guenther at (856) 317-7871 or
aguenther@courierpostonline.com
www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m080304j.htm
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group Aug 5, 2004