SAN DIEGO — As more and more pet owners are looking for holistic healthcare options for their pets, some are turning to animal chiropractic care.
"It's a branch of animal healthcare that specializes essentially in manual or physical rehab of the animal's spine or extremity joints," said Dr. Mindy Mar, a board-certified animal chiropractor practicing here in San Diego.
Dr. Mar said she sees pets of all ages.
"A pet parent will reach out to me and say 'Out of nowhere [my] dog no longer wants to jump in the car' or 'They're having trouble going up and down stairs,'" she said.
While animal chiropractic care can definitely help with that, she said its best used for preventing issues in the first place.
CBS 8 sat in on an appointment with a yellow lab named Sage. She's 13 years old.
Dr. Mar examined her back, her muscles, and her joints. Then she performed different adjustments along Sage's spine, neck and legs.
Sage has been getting adjustments regularly for seven years Her owner is Dr. Katie Kangas, the owner of Integrative Veterinary Care, which is one of the clinics that Dr. Mar works at in San Diego.
"It has really kept her young and granted she's on a good diet, but she gets regular chiropractic care because mobility is such an important aspect of maintaining quality of life, aging gracefully and aging well," said Dr. Kangas.
"I love to call her my anti-aging poster child because she can literally hike ten to fifteen miles without a problem," she added.
But is animal chiropractic care necessary?
"I definitely think it has the potential to be beneficial, pending the diagnosis," said Dr. Jenna Olsen, a vet at B Street Veterinary Hospital in Golden Hill.
"Alternative therapies have a great role in conjunction with typical Western medicines," she said. "So in conjunction with medication, or surgery, or physical therapy."
Laws regarding animal chiropractic care vary by state. In California, you need a referral from a vet before you can bring your pet to an animal chiropractor.
"[Dogs] can't speak, they can't tell us if they're uncomfortable or if that was stressful or if they were super nervous. Chiropractic care has the potential to be dangerous if done with the wrong force, at the wrong angle, the wrong timing," said Dr. Olsen.
"It's important to find a board certified animal chiropractor and that can be a doctor of chiropractic or a doctor of veterinary medicine," said Dr. Mar.
She said though animal chiropractic care can't extend your pet's life by fifty years or anything like that, it can improve the quality of his or her life.
"Part of living a quality life is being as pain-free as possible," she said. "And it's being as mobile as possible, it's being able to get up, comfortably walk outside, do your business outside and just be able to do daily life activities."
She said she hears success stories from pet owners all the time.
"[They tell me] 'Hey my dog is willing to jump into the car now!' or 'My dog is going down the stairs, no panting, head bobbing, no signs of distress or hesitation,'" she said.
According to Dr. Mar, the price of a chiropractic visit for your pet is similar to what humans pay for a visit. It's anywhere from $75-$100. She said pets don't usually need to be seen by a chiropractor as often as humans.
To find a board certified animal chiropractor click here.