Chiropractor caters to canines too
Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, September 9, 2015
- Chiropractor Michael Dunigan works on Betty, a Boston terrier, with assistance from veterinarian Kayann Busshaus in the Furry Friends Animal Clinic in Northumberland.
NORTHUMBERLAND, Pa. — When Betty’s knee pops out of the socket, she walks on three legs.
“She gets to the point she doesn’t want to go outside because it hurts,” said Cindi Wetmiller, owner of the 6-year-old Boston terrier who was at Furry Friends Animal Clinic on Saturday for her fourth treatment, or adjustment, by chiropractor Michael Dunigan.
“It was amazing after the first time she came here how she could jump,” Wetmiller said.
Dunigan also is the chiropractor for their family members. “With him adjusting all of us, it makes sense to adjust our dog,” she said.
Dunigan has been doing chiropractic work on dogs for 15 years, but the practice has been slowly gaining popularity since the 1980s. The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association lists 1,100 doctors who have been through their certification program since 1989.
Dunigan took a class from an animal chiropractor and his first patient was his own Weimaraner, who had lost a leg to cancer. He now works on both cats and dogs.
“I had a patient who was limping. An X-ray showed a vertebrate out of place in the neck. He adjusted her, and we started from there,” veterinarian Kayann Busshaus said.
Eventually, Busshaus will do surgery on Betty’s knee to correct the defect she was born with.
Gracie, a nearly 6-year-old three-legged boxer, was a first-time patient. She lost her leg when she was hit by a car as a puppy, said her owner, Corey Woodcock, of New Columbia, who rescued Gracie.
Woodcock is no stranger to chiropractic treatment for pets. She owned a boxer before who underwent chiropractic treatments in Connecticut.
“With her missing a back leg, the treatment will be proactive to any issues,” Woodcock said. She expects their other dog, Buddha, a boxer who is almost 6, to also become a patient.