Most pets are potential candidates for ABM treatment. Pets can get very similar injuries to us. Anything from back pain, sore muscles, stiff joints and arthritis to more serious injuries like ruptured ligaments, dislocations, broken bones, torn muscles and nerve pain. Any of these conditions are potentially helped with ABM, just like they can be helped with human chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy or massage.
Aside from obvious injuries, pets who aren’t as functional as they used to be, or are behaving differently may also benefit as often they are masking pain and doing their best to get around.
Imagine if you were so stiff & sore that you couldn’t bend over, climb stairs or sit down anymore. You’re probably be feeling a bit depressed or frustrated right? If you’ve ever felt like that & then seen a practitioner who can help with your pain and mobility you’d usually be feeling a million dollars after a few treatments.
If you can relate to that, then that’s how ABM can help your pets.
Keep in mind though, there are lots of things we can’t help with – emergencies, medication and surgery being the main ones. If you’re unsure then send us a message.
Vets play a crucial role in the medical paradigm of animal healthcare. However, the the area of musculoskeletal rehabilitation hasn’t been addressed in the same way that is has been for humans. In the human world a GP is the central hub for most illnesses and they direct you to the best specialist/expert for that condition.
Specialists will do the surgeries, then for post operative rehabilitation a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist is often the chosen path.
For other common problems such as sports injuries, neck/back pain, muscle strains and joint sprains there are many different treatment options. This could be chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, physiotherapy, massage and much more.
With all these options out there for us humans, shouldn’t our pets also be given the same options for treatment?
Initially the course was run under the Animal Chiropractic program between 1998 and 2009. However due to some political stances between professional bodies the course had to be put on hold, restructured and renamed. In 2014 the new ABM course started running again at Box Hill Tafe, Melbourne.
To be eligible to enrol in the ABM course, a practitioner needs to be either a vet, chiropractor or osteopath with a minimum 2 years practical experience and with current registration. Further to this, intake interviews are conducted to make sure the right types of practitioners are selected to complete this unique course.
The course runs part time for 2 years, taught both online and 4 day practical workshops 4 times a year on site.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming qualified in ABM then read this blog post.
Your pets treatment will be very akin to what you would get for a similar injury to yourself. Predominantly we’ll use chiropractic, osteopathic and rehabilitation techniques.
This can include strengthening, joint adjustments (cracking/popping), stretching, massage, hydrotherapy, activator technique, strengthening, neurological retraining and more.
Every pet that see us receives an individualised ABM program which is based upon what is wrong with them, their age and how receptive they are to certain techniques.
In short, no.
In Australia there are no other courses which teach these skills at such a comprehensive level. The ABM course has prerequisites of at least 2 years practicing as veterinarian, chiropractor or osteopath. Besides the detail in teaching animal biomechanics and pathology, the chiropractic and osteopathic treatment techniques taught are unique to this course.
There are some short courses in Australia that exist for qualified allied health professionals, but as at the time of writing this they serve as more of an introduction in to animal musculoskeletal treatment. To expand this knowledge to a level on par with the ABM course a practitioner would need to study overseas.
Other courses do also exist which have no pre-requisites, which mean that anyone can do these courses.
You can learn more about becoming qualified in ABM or how to enrol in a similar course by reading this blog post.
This is a very important thing to know as there are people ‘treating’ animals who have no formal qualifications what-so-ever. This unfortunately happens a lot more than you think.
The first place to check to see if your practitioner is an ABM qualified practitioner is here, at the professional body of ABM practitioners. http://www.abmprof.com.au
While not all qualified animal rehabilitation practitioners have done the ABM course, they may be qualified through another reputable course so it would be wise to check their qualifications, and if necessary ask them where they studied. When it comes to practitioners who are vets, chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, massage therapists and acupuncturists who are providing animal rehabilitative treatments, you can check their registration through their respective professional bodies. If they have no active registration, you should probably ask more questions such as what their background is and where they studied to do animal rehabilitation
To be eligible to enrol in the ABM course, a practitioner needs to be either a vet, chiropractor or osteopath with a minimum 2 years practical experience and with current registration. Further to this, intake interviews are conducted to make sure the right types of practitioners are selected to complete this unique course.
The course runs part time for 2 years, taught both online and 4 day practical workshops 4 times a year on site.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming qualified in ABM then read this blog post.
The kind of pets that we treat typically have chronic health conditions (eg arthritis) or they are recovering from surgery, injury or other musculoskeletal conditions. Your pets activity level & behaviour is also a great indicator of their general health.
If your pets is usually really active, but recently they have become noticeably less active for no apparent reason, they may be in pain.
Some other things you should look out for:
We also treat many pets for weight management and mobility using our Canine Underwater Treadmill.
If you are unsure about whether or not your pet can benefit from our tailored rehabilitation and treatment plans, please contact our experts for a chat.
