Chiro-tastic!

This morning Secret had her first appointment with our new chiropractor. You may recall that she visited our previous VSM-accreditted veterinarian just once, a bit over a year ago. I'm happy to say that this visit was much better for all involved!

After leaving the previous chiropractor for various reasons (namely, I was very disappointed with our last couple of appointments), none of my dogs have had any VSM (veterinary spinal manipulation) work done for getting close to a year. I knew of two options within driving distance -- One in Viroqua and one over in Winona, MN. A friend of mine actually works at the Winona clinic, so it was nice to have a personal reference -- Although she told me he wasn't so good with nervous dogs, so I worried about that with Secret & Kaiser.

I couldn't find anyone who had ever been to our other option -- Rising Sun Animal Wellness Center. All I knew was second-hand information that "the vet was a hippy." lol Seriously, I need to stop listening to people. Besides, what is wrong with hippies? We like to let our hair down and be free and all that jazz.

So I tested the waters with Luke & Kaiser last Friday. I was very happy with the results, so this week was Secret's turn. She paired up with Luke -- It never hurts to have a calm buddy to show you the ropes.

Secret got to go into the office last week to meet the staff and check out the place. I find it helpful to have her familiar with something before the "scary stuff" starts. She fixated on the cat in the waiting room a bit this morning, but was otherwise pretty calm & cool (ie: no tail tucked up to her belly button).

She was a good girl on the scale -- but holy heck, she was 49.7 lbs. Sheesh, girl. But look, still under 50. :o)

We let Secret chill while we did Luke's adjustment first. Dr. Marta was going to start on Secret, but I figured it would be best to let her settle in like we did with Kaiser last week. Secret was super curious about everything at first, but then she just plopped down and watched everything.


When it was her turn she was suddenly, "Wait, what??" She got very nervous and very tense. Dr. Marta works from behind with the dog standing and her assistant supporting the dog under the midsection. I hold the head. Secret was very worried to start, but she did ease up and start to relax as we went along.

She was one messed up baby dog. I explained to Dr. Marta how her back has always been so tense, but I figured it was more of a muscular issue. Ends up she's just a chiropractic mess. Secret didn't seem to have much going on in the pelvic area, but once the doctor hit mid-back there was a ton of work to be done. Her ribs were displaced and the vertebrae were very out of alignment. Dr. Marta did so much of an adjustment that she actually recommended icing for a couple of days.

I was concerned about what Secret would do when Dr. Marta got up to her head/neck, but this woman just takes charge and doesn't fuss about anything. :o) Just what Secret needs! Secret did squirt back when Dr. Marta was adjusting her neck to the left. She acted fairly traumatized and jumped onto the table next to me. I got her down with treats and we were able to finish without any problems. I was ever so thankful that Secret didn't snap or otherwise make any threats whatsoever, as after our last experience I expected her to be pretty bad. I was ready to put a muzzle on her straightaway, actually. I'm glad we didn't.

Secret forgave Dr. Marta and her assistant quickly when treats were offered, then she proceeded to go comatose on the floor while we discussed everything. Seriously, she had the dopiest look on her face. I'll assume it's because she felt so much better!

All three dogs will get one more adjustment next Friday, and then it will be off to Springfield! I'm very curious to see what sort of effect this has on Secret. I feel bad for not getting her in sooner, but who could have known she'd be such a mess? Maybe this will unlock some new gears in her. :o)