09/18/2026
131 years ago today, D.D. Palmer performed what is recognized as the first chiropractic adjustment. He couldnāt possibly have imagined all the places this profession would eventually goāincluding barns, kennels, pastures and exam rooms filled with patients who have four legs instead of two. ā¤ļøš¾š“
Today, I have the incredible privilege of practicing chiropractic on both humans and animals, and my animal patients have taught me some of the most fascinating lessons about what an adjustment can do.
Chiropractic is about so much more than pain.
The body is an extraordinarily complex, interconnected system. Joints, muscles, fascia, sensory receptors, proprioception and the nervous system are constantly communicating. Movement affects neurological input, neurological input affects movement, and dysfunction in one area can create compensation somewhere else.
With animals, we often see those compensations before we ever know whether theyāre experiencing āpain.ā
Itās the horse that suddenly wonāt pick up one lead, struggles to bend one direction, starts stumbling, becomes resistant under saddle or just isnāt moving quite like himself.
Itās the dog whose gait has changed, who hesitates on the stairs, isnāt jumping into the car anymore, isnāt tracking straight, has lost coordination or simply isnāt acting like herself.
And sometimes the changes are far more dramatic.
Over the years, Iāve had the privilege of working with dogs who came to me paralyzed, vet recommending euthanasia, ā a few adjustments and they are chasing squirrels again! Watching a dog who couldnāt stand take those first steps again is something that never gets old. Those cases remind me just how extraordinary the nervous system is and how much we still have to learn about neurological recovery.
I occasionally hear someone say they donāt ābelieveā in chiropractic.
The thing is, chiropractic isnāt a religion. It doesnāt require belief. š It is grounded in anatomy, biomechanics, neurology and physiology. We can study joint motion, sensory input, motor control, proprioception and the neurological responses associated with manual therapy. We can observe and measure changes in movement and function.
And perhaps nowhere is that more apparent to me than with animals.
Animals donāt know what chiropractic is. They donāt know what theyāre supposed to feel afterward. They arenāt impressed by my degree, and they definitely donāt care about my explanation of the nervous system. š
They simply show us what changes.
They show us through movement, posture, gait, balance, coordination, performance and behavior. When a horse that couldnāt bend comfortably begins moving freely, when a dog starts using a limb differently, or when an animal that couldnāt stand begins taking steps again, there is something observable happening.
That doesnāt mean chiropractic cures every condition or that every animal will respond the same way. Biology is far too complex for that. But it is exactly that complexityāand our continually growing understanding of how movement, joints and the nervous system interactāthat has kept me fascinated with this profession.
Animals canāt tell me where it hurts. They show me.
Thereās something incredibly humbling about placing your hands on a horse, dog, cat, cow, goat, sheep, pig, ect!āand using anatomy, biomechanics, neurology and palpation to figure out what that animalās body is telling you.
After all these years, I still get excited when I see an animal move differently after an adjustment. I still love watching an owner recognize that change and say, āThere! Thatās what I havenāt seen him do!ā
And I still feel incredibly fortunate that this is what I get to do for a living.
From performance horses to senior dogs, tiny kittens to 1,500-pound horses, and even the occasional cow, calf or goatāthank you to every owner who has trusted me with an animal you love.
Happy 131st birthday, Chiropractic. š
Iām incredibly proud to be part of this professionāand especially grateful that my version of it comes with so much fur, slobber, hay, hoof dirt and the occasional barn-cat assistant. ā¤ļøš¾š“š
