Did you see the recent news story on animal chiropractic care?

It gave pet parents good information about why chiropractic care could help their furbabies and how to tell if a pet might need it

BUT you shouldn't trust your pet to just anyone! Just like your own service providers like hairstylists, life coaches, and personal trainers, some animal chiropractors will be a great fit for your furbaby, and some will not. You should be interviewing your own service providers as well as those who serve your pets, to be sure you're choosing the best one for your individual needs

Here are the 5 questions you should be asking when you interview animal chiropractors, because whether you work with me or with someone else, I want you to rest easy knowing you're choosing the best fit for your furbaby:

The 5 Questions you need to ask when interviewing

Animal Chiropractors

1. Where did you get your training in animal chiropractic care? The state of Missouri DOES NOT currently require training in this specialty. Any veterinarian and any other person working along side a veterinarian can legally say they provide animal chiropractic care - whether they are trained in this specialized field or not. Be sure you're working with an expert

2. What licenses and certifications do you hold for animal chiropractic? Your pet's chiropractor should be a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) or a licensed Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and they should be certified in the specialty of animal chiropractic by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA), whether your state requires the certification or not

3. Where do you treat animals? While every state's rules are different, Missouri law requires a veterinarian to be present during animal chiropractic treatments. Your pet's chiropractic care should take place either at a veterinary hospital, or with a vet present if off-site

4. What sets you apart from other animal chiropractors? Because you and your furbaby deserve to work with a doctor who's the best fit for both of you

5. Can my pet get to know you first? Don't let the relationship start off on a bad paw. Right now, your pet most likely thinks: "car ride to vet's office = shots and other super not fun stuff!" But a chiropractic treatment is different - no shots, no thermometers in unpleasant places, and they get to go home feeling better than when they came in. Before that happens, though, your furbaby should be comfortable with her chiropractor, and start associating "chiropractor" with "nice person who helps me feel great!" A great way to do that is with a meet-and-greet to see if she even likes the doc in the first place, without adding the new and likely unfamiliar experience of a chiropractic treatment happening at the same time