Everyone knows that chiropractors are bone and joint doctors. They help alleviate back pain and other aches by making adjustments that improve skeletal alignment and musculoskeletal function. In recent years, chiropractic adjustments have become popular for dogs, especially those recovering from accidents or injuries.

But did you know that chiropractic care can improve a dog’s digestion; speed healing after illness or surgery; treat behavior or mood changes; help alleviate ear infections, urinary incontinence, and allergies; and even correct neurological imbalances?

Cheryl Morris, DC (Doctor of Chiro-practic), a chiropractor for humans in Congers, New York, knew something was wrong with Stanley Queue, her five-year-old Scottie. He vomited spontaneously three or four times a day several times a week, and when she palpated his abdomen, his diaphragm felt tight.

Stanley’s digestive problems were her main concern, but he also limped because of hind leg weakness. Five months ago, she took him to chiropractic veterinarian Sue Ann Lesser, DVM. Dr. Lesser conducts monthly animal chiropractic clinics in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland.

“After that first adjustment,” says Dr. Morris, “Stanley’s tail was up for the first time in months, he walked normally, and he went for an entire week without throwing up. Even after his vomiting returned, it happened less often and was less intense.”

Dr. Lesser suggested a change of diet, so Dr. Morris switched dog food brands and protein sources. “That made a big difference,” she says. “At his second appointment, his thoracic lumbar junction needed adjustment, and after that he kept improving. So far Stanley has had five adjustments, and he keeps getting better.”

In another chiropractic success story, Cassie, a spayed female Shepherd mix, suffered from urinary incontinence until chiropractic veterinarian Cindy Maro, DVM, adjusted her fifth lumbar vertebrae, sacral apex, and the base of her sacral bone. As soon as she did so, Cassie’s urinary leakage and long-term bowel and anal gland problems disappeared. (We discussed this case in more detail in “Not Just for Sore Backs,” Whole Dog Journal October 2003.)

Some breeders coping with reproductive problems consider chiropractic a fertility treatment because so many of their dogs conceived after being adjusted.

Even hot spots and lick granulomas may respond to chiropractic adjustments. Last summer my Labrador Retriever, Chloe, developed a lick granuloma on her right front paw. At her monthly appointment, Dr. Lesser said, “I’m not surprised. Her toes were jammed.” After a quick toe-freeing adjustment, Chloe forgot about chewing her foot.

Chloe’s problem had a mechanical cause, but dozens of conditions that have no obvious connection to the skeleton and its alignment respond to chiropractic treatment. As the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) website explains, all of the body’s organs are connected to nerves that run between vertebrae, and adjustments in these areas can change or influence nervous system input and blood flow as well as hormones and neurotransmitter levels directly affecting organs, glands, skin, and joints.

“Every dog is an individual,” Dr. Lesser says, “and responses vary, but I truly can’t think of a medical condition that won’t be helped in some way by chiropractic adjustments. I’m never surprised when dogs respond to chiropractic treatment, even for conditions like infections, skin and coat problems, digestive disorders, behavioral problems, and recovery from the use of anesthesia. This doesn’t mean that chiropractic care is a stand-alone treatment that replaces conventional veterinary care. Chiropractic is a complementary or support therapy. A thorough veterinary exam should always precede any chiropractic evaluation.”

To help determine whether your dog will benefit from chiropractic treatment, see “Biomechanical Evaluation” by Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD (August 2002 Whole Dog Journal). Dr. Kidd’s descriptions and checklists will help you see your dog from a new perspective, keep accurate health records, and make more informed decisions about your dog’s care.

America’s veterinary chiropractors
The formal training of veterinary chiropractors in the U.S. began in 1989 with a 100-hour post-graduate course developed and taught by Sharon Willoughby, DVM, DC, in which veterinarians and chiropractors were trained side by side. In programs approved by the AVCA, that practice continues today. Veterinarians receive a foundation of chiropractic theory and technique, while chiropractors study common animal diseases, comparative anatomy, and animal-handling techniques. Adjustments are taught with both dogs and horses.

Licensing regulations vary by state. In New York, where Dr. Morris adjusts human patients, chiropractic treatment can be given to dogs and other animals only by licensed veterinarians. Even if she studied veterinary chiropractic, Dr. Morris could not legally treat animal patients in New York State. Across the border in New Jersey, Dr. Morris could practice on animals with a veterinarian’s referral. Currently no states allow chiropractors to work on animals without a veterinarian’s referral or, as in California, a vet’s supervision.

Are the approaches of veterinarians who learn chiropractic techniques and chiropractors who learn about veterinary medicine different? Because of their training, chiropractors are likely to have a better understanding of the actual adjustment technique, while veterinarians are more familiar with animal anatomy, handling methods, and specific illnesses.

But it’s more likely that personality traits, interests, experience, and other factors will determine which veterinary chiropractor will best help your dog. The same is true when choosing a chiropractor or healthcare practitioner for yourself.

The AVCA defines a chiropractic adjustment as “a short-lever, high-velocity controlled thrust by hand or instrument that is directed at specific articulations to correct vertebral subluxations.”

“Subluxation” describes the misalignment of vertebrae resulting in a disturbance of normal function. Subluxations may cause animals and people to compensate for resulting pain with changes in posture or movement, such as shifting weight or avoiding certain motions. Secondary subluxations can occur in other parts of the spine as a result, creating complications.

When a vertebral subluxation is diagnosed, the chiropractor re-establishes normal motion with an adjustment. When properly performed, this thrust mobilizes or frees the vertebrae and restores normal function in that spinal segment. As a result, spinal adjustments may reverse a variety of nerve, muscle, and motion problems.

Subluxations can cause abnormal or uneasy posture while standing or sitting, a refusal or unwillingness to go over jumps, the development of unusual behavior patterns such as biting or growling, unusual sensitivity to touch, a lack of coordination or gait abnormality, stiffness on rising, stiffness in lateral movements of the back or neck, muscle atrophy, lameness in hindquarters, abnormal biting or chewing of the coat or tail, increased sensitivity to heat or cold, and limited range of motion.

“The problems that subluxations cause might be visible and obvious, or they may still be developing,” says animal chiropractor Marc L. Sommer, DC, of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. “We think of the subluxation as the problem, its adjustment as the cure, and the improvement of symptoms as a desired side-effect. Most animals show significant improvement after one to four adjustments.”

In chiropractic examinations, major muscle groups are checked for atrophy, hypertrophy, tone, symmetry, heat, tenderness, and pain. In addition, the spine is palpated and examined for abnormal protuberances, restricted motion, and other unusual features.

Some veterinary chiropractors use only their hands while others employ a small spring-loaded impacting device called an activator to provide mechanical-force, manually assisted adjustments. Both methods have their proponents, and individual preferences vary. (All of the practitioners mentioned here use their bare hands.)

Large and unwieldy devices like mallets or hammers are not needed to adjust even the largest animals, says Dr. Sommer, and they can create more acute and serious conditions. Other procedures that he warns against include the use of excessive force and jerking on the legs or tail. “These practices do not constitute a chiropractic adjustment, and they may exacerbate an already existing injury,” he says. “Remember that skill, not extreme force, is the key to successful adjustments.”

Typical patients
Trauma injuries remain the number one reason for bringing a dog to a veterinary chiropractor.

“When a dog is hurt, it’s important to deal with fractures and internal injuries first,” says Dr. Lesser, “but after that, chiropractic care speeds recovery from any injury, including being hit by a large object like a car, bus, train, or another dog of equal or greater size. Dogs often injure themselves by body slamming, playing bump-and-run, and other canine games. Or they hit a large immoveable object such as a wall while playing ‘magic carpet ride,’ or they fall off the porch, deck, bed, or dog walk, or down a flight of stairs.”

Among medical maladies, she says, chiropractic adjustments speed recovery from surgery and the use of general anesthesia as well as chronic ear infections, especially those that occur in only one ear, and a host of structural problems.

For example, dogs with hip dysplasia often feel better when adjusted. “While chiropractic cannot cure the bilaterally dysplastic dog, they are more comfortable when the rest of the body moves properly,” says Dr. Lesser. “Dogs with unilateral hip dysplasia in the absence of trauma have sacral-pelvic misalignments that biomechanically stretch the ligaments and joint capsule of the hip. Straightening the dog’s hind end and specifically conditioning the dog will often eliminate unilateral hip dysplasia.”

Chiropractic adjustments can be used to treat persistent lameness, including lameness that does not respond to anti-inflammatory therapy and chronic lameness that is secondary to long-term orthopedic treatment like cruciate ligament surgery. “It might not be the surgically treated elbow or knee that is bugging the dog,” Dr. Lesser explains. “The problem may be the compensations that his body has made since the knee or elbow was injured.”

Disc disease at any spinal level or severity, she cautions, should be treated only in conjunction with conventional or holistic veterinary care. Acupuncture combined with chiropractic care may improve the outcome.

Dogs with arthritis usually respond well to chiropractic adjustments in conjunction with acupuncture and medical therapy, including the use of nutritional supplements such as Glycoflex or Cosequin, says Dr. Lesser. “These treatments can provide the arthritic dog with a better quality of life. Interestingly, dogs with significant arthritic changes seen in their x-rays usually have good mobility in their joints, while older dogs with ‘clean’ x-rays usually have a reduced range of motion.”

Another of Dr. Lesser’s risk categories is what she calls “occupational hazards.”

“Here we have dogs who were playing or working and then became acutely lame. Their lameness usually improves with minimal conventional treatment, but after that the dog is never ‘quite right.’ The category includes all competition dogs at all levels. Any decrease in performance is a symptom, such as a competition dog who isn’t placing or scoring as high as previously, won’t hold a sit/stay, won’t ‘stack’ (hold a pose in the conformation show ring) without shifting, is suddenly slow to retrieve, or simply doesn’t work as well or as enthusiastically as previously.”

Dr. Lesser lists poor leash manners as the number-one cause of cervical (neck) problems, followed by inappropriate leash corrections as the number-two cause. “And then there are all the problems that come with always heeling on only one side in both breed and obedience,” she adds. “Any unilateral activity creates muscle imbalances that can profoundly affect the dog’s gait. For every five minutes that a dog heels on the left, he should heel on the right. Dogs do not have difficulty switching sides; people do. In addition, dogs who routinely turn in one direction while racing out the kitchen door to chase squirrels will exhibit much the same subluxation patterns as dogs who heel only on the left side.”

Dr. Lesser’s final risk category is something she calls “dogs are dogs.” Here she includes any American-bred German Shepherd Dog more than four years of age; dogs who vigorously play ball, Frisbee, and fetch games; dogs who chase squirrels, cats, and other creatures; dogs whose notion of fun is a flying leap into space; dogs who play actively in deep snow, especially those who bound, porpoise, plow, or tunnel; and any dog who has way too much fun.

“While subtle at first,” she says, “over time minor injuries associated with these activities accumulate and your exuberant playmate becomes an ‘old arthritic dog’ well before his time. Then he won’t jump onto the couch or bed, won’t go up or down stairs, won’t jump in or out of the car, and is slow to stand up or lie down.”

To this list of conditions and symptoms that respond to chiropractic adjustments, the AVCA adds old age, any chronic health problems that do not resolve as expected, and seizures or neurological problems.

Chiropractic assessment
What do veterinary chiropractors look for when they first see a patient? Dr. Lesser observes the dog’s posture, as well as his level of alertness when he initially enters the treatment area. Then she has the patient walk with his handler away from and toward her while she checks his tail position, gait, and overall appearance.

“The dog may show a personality change by seeming not as active or happy as usual,” she explains. “He may start snapping or look like he has a headache or an anxious facial expression. The tail might not wag symmetrically, or it may be clamped or held straight out from the body. I look for a rolling motion through the back, which might not be there or it may stop at one point. When I touch the dog, there might be a lumpy or bumpy feeling through the spine, especially near the back of the rib cage. In severe cases, the back may look like a tent. I notice whether the dog’s head is tilted or the dog has trouble turning his head in one direction, including up or down.

“The dog might scuff one foot while gaiting, the hind legs may look stilted, or there can be a lack of symmetry from limb to limb. Most commonly there is a catch or rattle through the shoulder or hock, or differences in muscling. The skin on one area of the back may move or wiggle when touched. One side of the dog’s croup may be higher than the other.”

In contrast, Dr. Lesser explains, “Correctly aligned dogs have a certain presence and glow about them, and they’re so balanced that your eye isn’t drawn to any particular part of the body. If your eye is drawn to the back, pelvis, head, or other part, it’s because something there isn’t moving correctly. Any dog whose appearance invites meticulous analysis of gait should be chiropractically examined.”

Most dogs accept their chiropractic examination and treatment without significant discomfort, and practitioners are trained to use gentle techniques to reduce pain before delivering adjustments. Patients typically show immediate improvement, though adjustments are often followed by 24 to 48 hours of fatigue, and some dogs require several sessions to resolve acute pain and re-establish and maintain normal function of the joints and nervous system.

For your dog’s best treatment response, the AVCA recommends sharing information about her medical history and treatment from all healthcare providers, including diet, supplements, and medications. In addition, be sure you understand the animal chiropractor’s recommendations regarding post-adjustment exercise and home therapy.

Trends in canine chiropractic
One of the biggest trends in today’s chiropractic care for animals is the scheduling of monthly appointments for routine maintenance, especially for competition dogs.

“Among performance people,” says Dr. Lesser, “it’s becoming routine to get their dogs adjusted. They have observed that their dogs perform better, stay sounder, have fewer injuries, and in general are ‘healthier’ as a result. My clients have repeatedly commented that their dogs are living longer and with better quality of life in their golden years. Whether that’s due strictly to chiropractic or a combination of chiropractic and better awareness of nutrition, conditioning, and training, I can’t say for sure, but I always feel that I’m part of the team that helps Rover feel better and do better.”

Dr. Lesser, who has taken so many workshops that she calls herself a chiropractic education junkie, recently completed a Master’s Degree in Advanced Neurology of Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy (VSMT), a post-graduate program offered by the Healing Oasis Wellness Center in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.

“My first research paper for this course,” she says, “evaluated whether dogs improve their appearance after an adjustment. According to my panel of experts (two conformation judges and an expert on canine structure) and my professional colleagues in the advanced class, an adjustment does definitely improve the posture and therefore the appearance of dogs.

“My second paper is titled ‘Why Dogs Should Dance: The Neurobiology of Music and Canine Freestyle.’ I have observed through the years that the highest-level freestyle dogs are the most superb athletes in my five-state practice. So I asked the question, ‘Why is that?’ One hundred seventy pages later, I think I found the answer. In a very small way, it’s the canine version of This Is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin, or Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks.” (For ordering information, see “Resources Mentioned in This Article,” below.)

What is her most interesting or exciting discovery about canine chiropractic? “This question makes me laugh,” she says, “because fellow VSMT practitioners and I are always exclaiming, ‘Hey, this stuff really works!’ Seventeen years ago I took the training to become certified in veterinary chiropractic and was amazed that by mobilizing the joints to move as they should, many positive things happened to the dog’s body.

“Now I’m amazed even more by the changes that result from receptor-based therapy, which is the manipulation of the nervous system through chiropractic adjustments and specific challenges to the senses, such as vision, hearing, smell, proprioceptors, etc. Yes, this neuro stuff really works. The wonderful thing about doing the new receptor-based therapy work, which I consider the cutting edge of canine chiropractic, is that the owners are intimately involved with the therapy homework. If they follow through with the prescribed exercises, incredibly positive changes can and do occur.”

Will your dog benefit from chiropractic? The growing number of qualified practitioners, satisfied clients, and well-adjusted dogs suggest that this hands-on approach to health and healing may improve almost any dog’s quality of life.

CJ Puotinen is author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats, and other books (see “Resources,” page 24 for purchasing information). She lives in New York with her husband, a Labrador, and a tabby cat.

Like all mammals, dogs require the same basic constituents that their ancestors did in ancient times. Though dogs have been re-designed by human needs over the centuries, their need for proper food, exercise, rest, play, social interaction, and touch remain the same.

In Chinese medicine, health and emotional well-being are considered to be highly dependent on lifestyle, which can be further supported by acupuncture or acupressure and herbs.

From the perspective of this ancient medicine, everything is “medicine.” Health is defined as both an internal and external balance of nutrients and energy so that the human and dog alike can function within its environment. The Chinese were interested in how the living body maintains health, thus preventing illness, from season to season and location to location. The goal is to help the body adapt to constant environmental change.

To achieve this goal consistently, Chinese medicine incorporates the “Five Branches,” or stems, as a guide to balance and health. The Five Branches are:

• Food

• Acupuncture/Acupressure

• Tui Na (Chinese meridian massage)

• Chi Gong (exercise)

• Herbs

Species-appropriate food is essential. Exercise and body movement to enliven energy is absolutely necessary. All mammals need to be touched so that the body receives sensory, caring stimulation.

To support the effectiveness of a balanced lifestyle, dog guardians can provide acupressure that corresponds directly with the Five Branches of Chinese medicine. Only holistic veterinarians are allowed to prescribe herbal supplements in most western countries, but as dog guardians we can enhance how well herbs are metabolized by using acupressure. The same is true with acupuncture; only trained veterinarians (or a trained acupuncturist working under the supervision of a veterinarian) can legally perform acupuncture since it is invasive. Guardians, however, can readily offer acupressure for similar effect.

The Five Branches of Chinese medicine offer a model for living a long, full, and healthy life. The intention underlying the Five Branches is for the animal to remain energetically balanced no matter what the season, the animal’s stage within the canine life cycle, or whether living in a generally cold or hot environment. A dog’s health is dependent on his body’s ability to adapt, and given the right “ingredients,” all dogs can thrive.

An older dog has different requirements for exercise than a younger dog, for instance, but both need exercise to be healthy. In the winter, according to traditional Chinese medicine, a dog needs to retain body heat and should not exercise as exuberantly as he can in the other seasons. This is about paying attention to the animal within the context of the current environment and supporting the dog’s ability to adapt. Each of the Five Branches provides the day-to-day constituents of health.

Acupressure points and the Five Branches
There are specific acupressure points that every dog guardian can use to maintain their dog’s health and further support the animal’s lifestyle.

The first acupressure point, also called “acupoint,” addresses the first essential branch of Chinese medicine (food) as well as the absorption of herbs. The second acupoint identified supports Chi Gong, or body movement and exercise. The Third point relates to Tui Na (pronounced “Tway Nah,” original Chinese meridian massage, which offers calming and mental clarity). The fourth acupoint supports the dog’s overall immune system. And the fifth point is commonly used in health emergencies.

■Stomach 36 (ST 36), Leg 3 Mile, is the “master point” for the gastrointestinal tract and is known to enhance the function of digestion and absorption process, so that the body can break down nutrients from food and herbs, making them bioavailable for absorption.

■Gall Bladder 34 (GB 34), Yang Mound Spring, is the “influential point” for strengthening and increasing the flexibility of tendons and ligaments. Though dogs are cave animals and usually stretch after resting and before exercising, GB 34 maintains the body’s ability to move by keeping the tendons and ligaments supple. Stimulating this point will help minimize physical injuries. This point is known to support emotional balance as well.

■Heart 7 (HT 7), Spirit’s Gate, offers the dog’s heart original, essential energy so that his mind can attain clarity and his emotional state can be generally calm. This point can be used with any stressful situation for your dog.

■Large Intestine 11 (LI 11), Crooked Pond, is known as a powerful immune system strengthening point. LI 11 is a “tonification point”; it enhances the flow of blood and energy throughout the body. It is part of most health-maintenance acupressure protocols.

■Governing Vessel 26 (GV 26), Middle of Man (Dog), promotes resuscitation and consciousness and is often used during a seizure and for traumatic emergencies especially when there is a loss of consciousness. This point is often included in canine first aid courses since it can be used to keep a dog alive while on the way to veterinary care.

These five acupoints are gifts from ancient medicine that we can offer our dogs so that their lives will be filled with optimal physical and emotional health. Sitting down with your dog once a week and slowly holding these points on both sides of his body will go a long way to letting him know how much you treasure his life.

Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis are the authors of TheWell-ConnectedDog:AGuidetoCanineAcupressure,Acu-Cat:AGuidetoFelineAcupressure,and EquineAcupressure:AWorkingManual. They own Tallgrass Publishers, which offers meridian charts and acupressure DVDs for dogs, cats, and horses. They are also founders of Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute, offering hands-on and online training courses worldwide, including a Practitioner Certification Program. See animalacupressure.com or call (888) 841-7211 for more information.

Can exposure to color change your health? What about tapping on key acupuncture points or other body parts? And is there any way to focus or concentrate naturally occurring energy so that it has a more therapeutic effect?

Veterinarians and other healthcare practitioners who experiment with energy healing deal with these and related questions when they address the “etheric body,” the invisible part of the patient that is also described as the vital or energy body. Improving the etheric body’s energy flow or state, they say, stimulates a self-healing mechanism that encourages the body to repair itself, often in record time.

In the past four issues, we’ve described a number of “energy medicine” tools such as homeopathy, flower essences, Reiki, crystals, acupuncture, and therapeutic touch. In this article, the conclusion of this series, we’ll describe several more modalities that can be used alone or in combination with conventional or alternative therapies and are widely considered to be free from adverse side effects.

Healing with color
When photobiologist John Ott pioneered time-lapse photography, he discovered the vital role that full-spectrum natural light plays in the development of plants and animals. He also discovered that color can have a profound effect at the cellular level.

Whenever he photographed living cells under electron microscopes, Ott noticed that changing the color filters on his camera lens changed the cells’ behavior. When he was hired to document the effects of pharmaceutical drugs on living cells, lens color changes had a more dramatic effect on the cells than the drugs did.

In animal research, prolonged exposure to a single color has caused female reproductive problems, fur loss, toxic symptoms, digestive disorders, male sterility, abnormal bone development, abnormal body weight, and cataracts.

However, short-term exposure to colors has had the opposite effect. In the late 19th century, English physicians discovered that exposure to light of different colors caused measurable improvements to their patients. Years later, scientists in Europe and elsewhere explored the ways in which exposure to color influences health. In the United States, color was a popular healing therapy until the 1940s and ’50s, when lobbying efforts by conventional physicians convinced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the use and sale of medical color projection equipment illegal.

Many physicians will tell you that color therapy is still on the fringes of modern medicine, but look at some of the applications used today:

• Maternity wards of major hospitals routinely use blue light to treat neonatal jaundice.

• NASA uses red light to speed the healing of injuries in space.

• The U.S. Navy uses colored light to treat injuries.

• Medical research shows that blue light suppresses the metastasis of melanoma cells in mice, red light has anti-inflammatory effects, and full-spectrum light, which contains all colors, is a successful treatment for depression caused by seasonal affective disorder.

• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are common in medical devices that relieve pain and fight infection with red, blue, and other colors.

William Campbell Douglass, MD, was newly interested in color treatments when a patient came to him with a large ulcer on the side of her leg. The ulcer was half an inch deep and full of pus – and had plagued the patient for five years. She had tried salves, antibiotics, and various surgical interventions (debridement or scraping) with no improvement.

As he describes in his book Color Me Healthy, Dr. Douglass treated the ulcer by shining indigo light on it. The patient continued this therapy at home twice a day, one hour at a time, and soon new skin covered the open sore. Within a week she was free from pain for the first time since the ulcer developed, and six weeks after her initial treatment she returned to show Dr. Douglass a leg that had almost completely healed.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” he says, “but color therapy really works. And not just for external wounds. It also works for many internal ailments at which modern medicine just throws useless drugs and surgery.”

Many veterinarians, ophthalmologists, and other healthcare professionals who treat patients with color follow the guidelines of the Dinshah Health Society, which publishes books and instructions for using Spectro-chrome equipment consisting of color filter material and a light source such as a slide projector, lamp, flashlight, or the sun.

Each color has its own wavelength and frequency. Red, orange, and yellow are stimulating; green is said to bring the body into balance; and blue, indigo, and violet are at the calming or sedating end of the spectrum. The Spectro-chrome system also uses lemon, turquoise, purple, magenta, and scarlet. As explained in Darius Dinshah’s book Let There Be Light, every physical condition has its own protocol or sequence of color treatments, and drinking water can be treated with color for internal and external application.

A more elaborate and expensive color therapy system is the Lumalight, developed by Spectrahue Light & Sound, which shines light through mineral-based glass color lenses.

Rainbow of benefits
Lynn Younger, who lives in Sedona, Arizona, has worked with dogs and other animals for 10 years using “colorpuncture,” a European modality of acupuncture that substitutes concentrated Lumalight for acupuncture needles. “I’ve treated thousands of canines, most commonly for painful conditions like arthritis or hip dysplasia, infections, and emotional issues,” says Younger. “Usually the animals present with conditions that have been treated by conventional veterinary medicine without success, and the application of color almost always triggers improvement.”

Ojito, a Chow-mix belonging to Eliza-beth Heaney of Tucson, Arizona, pinched a nerve in her back and was in too much pain to eat or drink for three days. “About 15 minutes into her color treatment,” says Heaney, “Ojito abruptly stood up and began to drink from her water dish. By the end of the treatment she was eating hungrily. The change was remarkable, from barely lifting her head to walking around and wagging her tail. She’s been fine ever since.”

A fungal infection called Valley Fever is a serious problem in Arizona, and when it settled in her lungs, Kali, a nine-year-old Wheaten Terrier, coughed as often as 20 times a minute. “She did not respond to prescription drugs,” says her owner, L. Enlow, “but color therapy stopped her coughing, and a chest X-ray taken after a few months of ongoing color treatments showed that the virus was greatly reduced.”

Color therapy doesn’t have to involve elaborate equipment, says Younger. “You can tonate water in colored glass jars or bottles simply by placing them in the sun. For a dog with arthritis, you could keep water in a red glass container and then apply it as a spray or wash. You could also have the dog lie on a red towel. There are many ways to expose dogs to color. In my experience, animals respond much more quickly to color therapy than humans do. They don’t try to figure out whether or how it works. They just enjoy it.”

Annie, a 16-year-old Bichon Frise belonging to Linda McGuire in Wethersfield, Connecticut, seems to enjoy her Spectro-chrome tonations. “She goes right for the light and lies under it for her snooze,” McGuire says. “The colors help with her kidney disease and other symptoms, and she actually positions herself for best results. Animals are so smart! My vet doesn’t want to know the details, but he says I should keep doing whatever I’m doing because it’s working so well.”

Pamela Fisher, DVM, a holistic veterinarian in North Canton, Ohio, has treated almost a hundred canine patients with Lumalight color during the past year, most of them for skin, digestive, emotional, or respiratory problems.

“When cooling blues are applied to hot spots or other inflamed skin conditions,” she says, “there is an instant calming and skin color change, from red and irritated to more normal, which starts the healing process.”

Color therapy tonations usually last half an hour to an hour, but Dr. Fisher‘s single-color Lumalight treatments seldom take more than a few seconds. “The results are actually that fast,” she says.

One of Dr. Fisher’s patients is Michael, a 16-year-old West Highland White Terrier belonging to Lyn Sabino of Canton, Ohio, who has chronic lung problems. His bronchial dilating medication was recently changed by another veterinarian, and after two doses on the new medicine, he grew weak and struggled for breath.

“His condition was serious,” says Dr. Fisher, “and it was getting worse. I applied cooling blue color to his chest and heart area, and within a few seconds his labored breathing calmed and the color of his mucous membranes improved, becoming more pink due to better oxygenation. He continued to improve, and I sent him home with color-treated water for continued application.”

Dr. Fisher reports that separation anxiety, thunder phobia, fears, incessant barking, inappropriate urination, and other emotional or behavioral issues also respond quickly to color therapy.

BodyTalk and AnimalTalk
Australian chiropractor John Veltheim, an expert in applied kinesiology, acupuncture, Reiki, osteopathy, sports medicine, counseling, and philosophy, combined all of these interests when he developed Body-Talk, a system in which the practitioner uses muscle testing (kinesiology) to ask the client’s body specific questions about what parts need treatment first. This approach, says Dr. Veltheim, is what sets BodyTalk apart from other healing systems and makes every BodyTalk session unique.

Once the initial organ or body part has been identified, the practitioner asks a series of yes or no questions to discover what that part needs, such as a link to a specific gland or organ. As soon as the link is identified, the practitioner uses gentle hand contact and tapping to correct imbalances and speed healing.

“Lightly tapping on the skull,” says Dr. Veltheim, “seems to activate the brain centers in a way that causes the brain to consciously reevaluate the state of health in the bodymind. Tapping on the heart completes the process by sending patterns of energy and information to every cell in the body.”

Five years ago, Ange Trenga of Missoula, Montana, became a BodyTalk instructor and practitioner for people and animals. AnimalTalk is a version of BodyTalk designed for pets and other animals.

One AnimalTalk client had a six-year-old Golden Retriever with severe skin problems. The dog’s skin was raw all over her body, says Trenga, “especially on her belly and in her ears, and it was made worse by her constant itching, chewing, and licking. She was losing huge chunks of fur. She was also dehydrated because she refused to drink water. The first thing that happened when we started tapping was that she ran into the kitchen and drank several bowls of water.”

Using kinesiology, Trenga determined that the dog was reacting to corn in her food, grass outside, and several cleaning products in the house. She used AnimalTalk to strengthen the dog’s immune system, and when she returned two weeks later, the dog’s fur had grown back, her skin looked normal, her chewing had completely stopped, and the itching had almost disappeared. After their second session, the dog needed no further treatment.

“One of the things that I love about AnimalTalk,” she says, “is that you don’t have to work with the dog every week for a year. In most cases, two to four sessions correct the problem, and the dog’s body holds the memory of these adjustments so that no additional treatment is needed.” Trenga has used AnimalTalk to help dogs recover from accidents and injuries.

AnimalTalk training used to be available only to BodyTalk practitioners, but now pet lovers with no BodyTalk experience can take AnimalTalk workshops that demonstrate basic techniques for dealing with pet health problems, behavioral issues, and emergencies.

“Anyone can learn it, including kids,” says Trenga, who teaches AnimalTalk around the world. “It is a wonderful support therapy that’s compatible with veterinary care, and it can even neutralize old fears and traumas. My favorite example of this is a dog who was terrified of going out of the house because he had been attacked years before by another dog. The sight of his leash made him cower and tremble, and when he went outside to eliminate, he didn’t waste a minute and raced back in. At the end of our single session, he explored his backyard without any fear, and when his owner took him for a walk, he was completely relaxed and confident. It was as though the attack had never happened, and his fear has never returned.”

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
Gary Craig isn’t a trainer or veterinarian. In fact, he doesn’t even have a dog. But his acupressure tapping procedure called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) has transformed the lives of countless dogs and their human companions.

EFT is one of several meridian therapies, so called because they are said to release blocks along the same energy paths used in acupuncture. According to Craig, the combination of focused thought and acupressure tapping releases energy blocks that contribute to behavioral problems, anxiety, pain, or illness while simultaneously releasing their underlying emotional causes.

Meridian therapies are often complicated, but EFT is so easy to use that small children teach it to one another. “Don’t let its simplicity fool you,” says Craig. “It’s used by thousands of healthcare practitioners, including medical doctors and veterinarians. In many cases, chronic and acute symptoms have resolved in a matter of minutes.”

EFT’s tapping points and basic protocol are clearly described in the free EFT manual that is distributed online in 19 languages, and Craig’s inexpensive seminar DVDs provide impressive demonstrations. EFT classes and workshops are taught in several countries, and more than 50 books by a variety of authors describe the technique. These are remarkable statistics for a procedure that is only 10 years old.

Animals can be treated directly, by tapping on their acupuncture meridians while focusing on their condition, or they can be treated surrogately, by proxy. That is, you can tap on yourself while focusing on the dog.

Catherine O’Driscoll, an EFT practitioner in Scotland, did this with her Golden Retriever, Sophie, who had suffered from arthritis for several years.

“We helped her with nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, and acupuncture, but the arthritis never completely went away,” she says. “Finally, when she was 14, her front paws swelled up and knotted so much that they became deformed. I tapped on myself for her, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The paws went down as though they were balloons letting out air. It was like a horror story special effect in reverse.

“I didn’t trust myself not to have imagined it,” O’Driscoll continues, “but Sophie was good enough to manifest the swollen paws a few weeks later while my sister was visiting. I again tapped for her while my sister and husband looked on. Again, we saw the swelling subside in front of our eyes. Sophie lived to the grand age of 17, and her arthritis never returned. She had also become deaf by age 14, but thanks to this wonderful energy therapy, she was able to hear again for the last years of her life.”

Christina Bequette, an EFT practitioner in Deer Trail, Colorado, first tried the technique with Stella, a 14-year-old Australian Shepherd/Red Heeler mix belonging to Patty Kemp-Cobb in Carbondale, Colorado. Stella constantly whined and pressed her head and body against Kemp-Cobb. “She had a reputation for biting and didn’t like to be touched,” says Bequette, “so I expected resistance, but Stella willingly let me tap on her, as if she knew I was there to help.”

Bequette focused on thoughts of not being loved, having things to say, and being ignored, and whatever else she could think of that might be a factor. “The best result came after I referred to the issue of Stella feeling invisible despite being recognized for her excellence as a cattle dog. The session lasted about 20 minutes, and to everyone’s astonishment, Stella quit whining. Not only that, but from then on she acted much more gentle and loving, no longer snapping or biting when touched. It was quite exciting to her human family, and now, two years later, they still talk about her transformation. Stella is almost 16, and her whining habit never came back.”

In 2002, California artist Lee Lawson was bothered by a neighbor’s dog, who barked all night, every night, for months. “The neighbor claimed not to hear it,” she says, “and so it went on and on and on. Then one night I did EFT on the situation. I focused on being a vibrational match to the barking dog, deeply and completely loving and accepting myself and the dog. The barking stopped immediately. About three hours later it started again and I tapped again. It stopped, and that was the last time the dog barked at night.”

Lawson also used surrogate tapping when she got a new puppy for everything from housebreaking (immediately accomplished) to sleeping through the night (which a single EFT treatment took care of). “I even used EFT to get her to pee on command after she noodled around for 15 minutes in the freezing cold,” says Lawson. “I’d start a single round of tapping for this and she would go before I could finish.”

Dozens of EFT practitioners in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia responded to my online requests for reports about how EFT has helped their dogs. They described EFT’s success with treating asthma, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, kennel cough, injuries, and other physical ailments, as well as how rescued dogs adjusted to their new homes; how dogs who began fighting when a beloved family member moved out live in harmony again; how dogs overcame their fear of vacuum cleaners, thunder, and fireworks; how formerly aggressive dogs now stay calm and focused; and how competition dogs overcame physical or training problems to win their events.

Zero Energy Balancing (ZEB)
Three years ago, agility competitor Melissa Chandler of Galena, Ohio, suffered injuries in a car accident that hindered her mobility. She was referred to a massage therapist who used Zero Energy Balancing, or ZEB.

“I was amazed at how much this helped, and I purchased a ZEB unit for myself,” she says. “Then I learned about how the ZEB helps dogs from my holistic veterinarians, as they both use it in their practice.”

The ZEB, a tube of extruded plastic pipe containing diodes, was invented by retired aerospace engineer Cliff Stumbaugh. It comes in several models costing $150 to $450, the most popular of which is the $250 Ultimate Biofield ZEB, which Stumbaugh describes as an all-purpose energy device with a frequency range of 8Hz – 650Hz. “Its usage is ideal for balancing meridians and chakras, breaking up energy blockages, correcting general body dysfunctions, and using biofield resonance therapy,” he says. “It has an automatic mode of operation and comes complete with three auto-program modules.”

There are no moving parts in the ZEB, and it has no power source other than the naturally occurring energy that flows around it. “ZEB has a bioplasma radiation field around it comparable to a magnet,” the inventor explains. “It perpetuates itself by circulating plasma energy around itself from the output back to its input in one continuous process.”

What exactly is zero energy balance? According to Stumbaugh, a healthy human or animal biofield consists of flowing, unpolarized bioplasmic cells. When the biofield is blocked, negative, polarized bioplasmic cells exist. “The ZEB’s energy beam network attracts the negative bioplasmic cells from the subject’s biofield and accelerates these through the ZEB unit via its tuned cavity ring-down processor. Here the negative, polarized bioplasmic cells are depolarized and discharged out of the unit, thus creating a zero balance.” (And this is one of the manual’s simplest explanations!)

“I use the ZEB on my dogs daily,” says Chandler. “You can use it to prevent injuries from becoming chronic problems, help with autoimmune and endocrine dysfunctions, assist digestion, treat diarrhea or constipation, test foods and supplements, and speed the healing of wounds or surgical incisions. The ZEB can be used to rid the system of pathogens, bacteria, and viruses.”

Programming the ZEB involves sticking a small note on one side of the tube and placing a cotton swab saliva sample from the person or animal being treated on the other. The note can list one or more numbers from the accompanying frequency/vector manual, or you can simply write the desired result in a circle. Then you move the tube over the affected body part for 10 to 15 seconds or, to treat the entire body, leave it next to the resting patient for 10 to 30 minutes.

This procedure is so unusual, it’s downright weird. Can it possibly work?

Betsey Lynch of Delaware, Ohio, believes it does. “I am an avid agility participant,” she says. “I bought my first ZEB in January 2005, prior to which two of my holistic vets used the ZEB on my dogs. I now have four ZEBs and use them all every day on my four Cavaliers and one Papillon to help with muscle repair and recovery from training and competition.”

Lynch’s current agility star is six-year-old Trouble. “Trouble has syringomyelia, or SM, which is a neurological condition that affects Cavaliers and some other toy breeds,” she says. “With daily use of the ZEB, Trouble has been able to run successfully and remain an active and happy little dog. I keep one ZEB dedicated to distance healing of the SM alone and believe it has kept her symptoms from progressing.”

Jan Knode in Apple Creek, Ohio, has been styling dogs since 1989, teaching and training in agility since 2001, and competing since 2002. She uses the ZEB to treat pain and injuries, eradicate skin parasites, and treat yeast infections.

“Last July a holistic vet who does energy work used the ZEB on my seven-year-old Doberman,” says Knode. “My girl was very sick and slept almost all the time. After the vet used the ZEB on her, for about an hour, off and on, Sere played in the van all the way home! Her body began to heal and she felt great. Since then, she has a lot more energy for agility and playing ball and Frisbee. It’s so nice to have my girl back.”

The ZEB is one of several devices that are said to correct physical and emotional conditions by concentrating or redirecting energy. From what we can determine, especially because it does not plug into an electrical outlet, use batteries, or have an external power source, the ZEB is unlikely to cause harm. Like the other energy therapies described here and in the four preceding articles in this “energy medicine” series, it might work or it might do nothing, but either way, it isn’t likely to damage the patient.

CJ Puotinen, a frequent Whole Dog Journal contributor, is the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, which describes several energy healing techniques. She is also an EFT instructor and practitioner.