Osteopathy treats the system to enable its self-healing process, this also applies for animals.
“Osteopathy is Nature” -Andrew Taylor Still
Through the study of the anatomy and biomechanics of dogs and horses, the same techniques of traditional osteopathy can be performed, for example vertebral manipulations, articulatory manoeuvrers, fascial techniques, etc.
A Playful Experience
In animal osteopathy, the approach with the patient is totally different and it is mainly based on trust and patience. Since it establishes a connection between the osteopath and the animal, the treatment is easier when the animal is relaxed. For some animals it is a relaxing experience but for others, especially dogs, it is a playful experience.
Manual osteopathic therapy treats the cause and not the symptom, so it could be a solution for the real problem of the animal.
Osteopathy is a complementary therapy to classical veterinary medicine, so it is important that before treatment, your vet rules out serious diseases.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
The basic principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is that the vital energy of the body circulates through channels called meridians, which branch off following very specific paths, connecting organs and bodily functions.
TCM can be integrated with Osteopathy, in fact they both have an holistic approach where the body is not divided into districts, but it is seen as a single unit, psyche included.
In addition to musculo-skeletal and visceral problems, TCM can be helpful on the dog’s behaviour by treating emotional meridians.