With the growing use of complementary and integrative health services among humans, it’s not surprising that animal owners are also exploring preventive, nondrug and non-invasive approaches to care. Owners of working, performance and show animals may have another goal as well: helping their animals perform at their best. For ACA member Brett Wessel, DC, the expanding demand for animal chiropractic has brought him to the cusp of a career change—one that will soon allow him to focus full time on his four-legged patients.
The ACA Blog caught up with Dr. Wessel recently to learn more about his professional journey and what his daily practice as an animal chiropractor in Oklahoma looks like.
Members who would like to learn more about animal chiropractic can join the ACA Animal Chiropractic Interest Group by emailing memberinfo@acatoday.org.
What led you to become an animal chiropractor?
Dr. Wessel: My first exposure to animal chiropractic came in the form of a weekend seminar I saw advertised while I was a student at Palmer. I attended for selfish reasons. My wife and I were still competing in rodeos, and I wanted the competitive advantage. I continued my education through Parker’s animal chiropractic program and American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) certification.
I am currently in the process of selling my human practice after 25 years, but will continue as a full-time animal chiropractor.
What types of animals do you typically see and what are some of the most common reasons they come to you?
Dr. Wessel: I have the opportunity to work on a variety of species, including but not limited to dogs, sheep, goats and cattle, but horses make up the biggest portion of my business. Reasons for visits vary, but most fall into the category an old doctor once described to me as “ADR.” The owner says something like, “I don’t know what it is, Doc, but he Ain’t Doin’ Right.”
For companion animals it may present as a dog not as playful, or difficulty jumping on the couch. Or maybe it’s a show lamb that won’t brace, or a heifer with an uneven topline. Slower competition times, sub-par performance or refusal to work can be the reason a horse owner calls.
How different is it to adjust an animal compared with adjusting a person?
Dr. Wessel: Animals are not any more or less difficult to adjust than humans, in my opinion. There is of course a great deal of variation from a Toy Fox Terrier that weighs 16 ounces to a bucking bull that weighs 1,600 pounds, and the angles and numbers of vertebrae do vary, making additional training a necessity. I associate adjusting animals closely to adjusting very young children, in the way that it is very important to have the confidence of the owner (parent) and the comfort of the patient as a high priority. Present time consciousness is key.
Walk us through a typical visit. How do you evaluate an animal that obviously can’t tell you where or how it hurts?
Dr. Wessel: A typical visit starts with observation. I watch them travel. I listen to the owner give a history, including time of onset, mode of injury, prior treatment etc., just like any human patient encounter. I use palpation, check diagnostic points and consider patterns related to their particular discipline. From there, we could get more specific with neuro evaluations, hoof testers, saddle fit evaluations or whatever the situation calls for. A great place to start is to determine what is different, what has changed. An owner knows what is normal behavior — performance or activity level — for their animal, and what is not. All this to find the subluxation, fix it and leave it alone.
Is there a particular patient or case that has stayed with you over the years?
Dr. Wessel: I think most animal chiropractors that have practiced for some time have a disc dog story. My first was a Dachshund that had lost the use of its hind legs, dragging himself along the ground for weeks and, after a few adjustments, returned to normal walking and running. I will admit the day of his third visit, when he ran down the hall to meet me, I choked up a little. But just as memorable was the roping horse I did not treat because of exam findings. After consulting with the veterinarian, we sent the horse out for X-rays and found a fractured skull.
How often do you interact with an animal’s veterinarian? What does good collaboration between an animal chiropractor and a veterinarian look like?
Dr. Wessel: I practice in Oklahoma. In my state, DCs can treat animals without veterinarian supervision or referral if the DC is certified in animal chiropractic by the Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The chiropractor must complete the accepted courses and maintain CE hours and malpractice insurance. However, I do work with vets in my area frequently. When I recognize issues that need veterinarian evaluation and/or treatment we send the animals to the vets, and we frequently see animals that have been referred to me by veterinarians. Concurrent care is the norm, be it chronic or acute. I host a veterinarian and an equine dentist at my facility several times a year, where we all work side by side.
Are there misconceptions about animal chiropractic—even among chiropractors—that you wish you could correct?
Dr. Wessel: People are often mystified about how one tells if an animal needs an adjustment. As we touched on earlier, it is as simple as normal vs. abnormal or function vs. dysfunction.
Second, because I work in both the human and animal world, people often make comments like, “I bet you like doing animals better because you don’t have to put up with people.” My reply is something like, “Animals don’t write checks, there are always people.”
There is always an owner on the leash or lead rope that needs to be educated and served, as well.
Lastly, I would like owners, doctors and the general public alike to know that there are professional, certified animal chiropractors out there and they are regulated by the laws of the state in which they practice.
What do you find most rewarding about working with animals? Is it rewarding in a different way than treating people?
Dr. Wessel: If you are a chiropractor who loves philosophy, you would LOVE animal chiropractic. The principles are so purely represented. Animals respond so well to adjustments; I feel like I can fix a dog in a fraction of the time it would take to fix a human with a similar condition. There is no placebo effect or preconceived ideas of what works and what won’t. The expression of innate is turned up to a speed and volume that comes out in immediate gratification for the doctor and the patient.
You are the immediate past president of the AVCA. What issues are animal chiropractors concerned about?
Dr. Wessel: Animal chiropractic is growing. The recognition and demand in all disciplines of animal sport and competition is well established and expanding among producers and pet owners. We want everyone to know there are standards outlined by AVCA that represent the gold standard of education and professionalism for animal chiropractors. These standards have been adopted time and again by the states that have written laws to codify animal chiropractic, and I expect more states to follow suit in the future.
It is my desire to see more animals cared for in more places by certified AVCA doctors.
