Questions Surround Role Of Chiropractic Pet Care

Does chiropractic treatment have a place in veterinary medicine?

This question has raged for years in the profession, as alternative therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, massage, natural diets and herbs come to the forefront.

Dr. Sharon Willoughby, of Port Byron, Ill., the country's premier veterinary chiropractor, has more than 200 graduates in her American Veterinary Chiropractic Association, which trains and certifies chiropractors and veterinarians in the practice of animal adjusting.

Chiropractic veterinary care, says Willoughby, is a "viable alternative to surgery for hundreds of lame and injured animals. Sometimes, it's the owner's way of beating death for a beloved pet." There's disagreement

Some practitioners, however, disagree on the merits of chiropractic care when treating pets. In fact, few, if any, veterinary orthopedic texts even refer to what chiropractors call subluxation, a misaligned vertebra that is stuck or unable to move correctly and is putting pressure on nerves. Subluxations interfere with flexibility of the back and neck and disrupt the functioning of the nervous system.

Chiropractic medicine has become a particularly hot issue among Seattle veterinarians stemming from the use of veterinary orthopedic manipulation by Dr. William Inman of Lake City Animal Hospital.

While Inman lists several hundred satisfied clients, veterinary chiropractic manipulation was cited in a statement of charges filed last month against him by the six-member state Veterinary Board of Governors.

The past several months the board examined several client complaints, determining whether these charges represented a violation of the state veterinary-practice code. "We're not passing judgment on him," says Maryella Jansen of the board office. "We're only saying we found these allegations worthy of pursuing. He'll have an opportunity to thoroughly defend himself."

The veterinary board addresses veterinary orthopedic manipulation head-on. "In the course of providing veterinary services to the public, the respondent practices a technique called veterinary orthopedic manipulation. The respondent represents to clients that this treatment is successful, when, in fact, the patient's condition is improved by corticosteroids given in conjunction with orthopedic manipulations."

Other allegations involve misrepresentation of the results of treatment and surgery, incorrect use of a steroid and antibiotic, incorrect diagnosis of a dog's skin problem and subsequent use of the wrong steroid.

Inman has responded to the charges and with his attorney, is preparing a defense. A hearing date has not been set.

Is it a witch hunt?

Inman calls the action a witch hunt and defends VOM as a chiropractic treatment that has restored normal function to the misaligned spinal system of hundreds of pets, 80 percent of which were dogs.

VOM involves maneuvering the hand-held stainless steel Activator (an approximate six-inch-long rubber-tipped instrument) down the back of the pet. He describes looking for a panniculus reflex (muscle wincing), which indicates the area of subluxation. Once determined, an adjustment is made at the site.

"The Activator heals nothing," emphasizes Inman. "It's only a tool that helps restore the pet's ability to heal itself."

Later in the initial office call, the pet is given a light anesthesia, put on a heart monitor and X-rayed.

A key five-to 10-minute window period follows, which Inman calls "blueprint of adjustment." When the subject is coming out of the anesthesia, the Activator is applied again to the diagnosed trouble spot, reducing subluxation and nerve-pressure tension and resetting the body to heal itself.

Next, a muscle relaxant is administered, designed to keep the adjustment in place, and the pet is returned to its cage or run to sleep off the anesthesia.

It usually goes home the next day and subsequent treatment is provided depending upon the animal's recuperation. Treatment costs vary from $200 to $350. Inman estimates that 40 percent of the subluxations are reduced with one adjustment and another 20 percent may require as many as five treatments.

"For years, veterinarians have been treating symptoms of subluxations, not the source of the clinical disease, with drugs alone and/or surgery," Inman says. He says he has even seen success with VOM in cases involving urinary tract infection and hip dysplasia.

No regulations preclude Inman from practicing veterinary chiropractic medicine in the state. And although they are forbidden from accepting payment for treating animals, several chiropractors who treat people have also treated pets for spinal problems.

One of those, Dr. Randy Baze of Renton, has treated hundreds of pets free the past nine years. He, too, uses the Activator, saying it's more reliable than hands. "We're human and we can have an off-day with our hands," he says. "it puts a consistent force into the body and releases the bone that is subluxated, removing both biomechanical and neurological disturbances."

Needs controlled study

Asked to comment on Inman's technique, Dr. Mark Engen, a Kirkland veterinary orthopedic surgeon, questioned its effectiveness. "I have seen nothing in any professional journal validating this technique. Before something like this should be offered to the public, controlled studies need to be conducted."

Dr. Ken Sinibaldi, Seattle veterinary orthopedic surgeon, seconded the response. "He talks about obtaining a panniculus reflex when he runs the Activator down the animal's spine. Heck, that's something you can get by simply pinching the skin.

"He (Inman) feels strongly he is doing something good - but he is not. In fact, he could be doing more harm than good with all of that thumping."

Inman counters that the board has filed a range of charges against him to to try to stop his technology. "I'm confident I can answer all of these satisfactorily. I feel an ethical commitment to my clients and others to continue this treatment. I'm delighted the board has brought it to a head and I hope to prove that VOM is an asset to our profession.

"Veterinary orthopedic manipulation is not a cure-all, but it certainly warrants consideration by any client whose pet is lame, paralyzed or stiff, before that animal faces euthanasia."

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