Just like us, animals can suffer with problems of the back, neck and pelvis which may cause pain and discomfort.  This may in turn lead to stiffness and a decline in the animal’s mobility and performance.  In this day and age we place increasing demands on our domestic animals, especially those used for competition, all of which is far removed from what nature intended. However, in almost all cases, the McTimoney Technique can help.

• An injury making them move differently
• Their conformation
• Excess weight placing extra stresses on certain areas of their anatomy. 
• Every day occurrences such as pulling on the lead or harness 
                                                           rough play with tug toys or other dogs 
                                                           racing around on slippery floors

Sporting or competition dogs have specific factors which may contribute to problems, for example:

• Racing greyhounds make explosive starts from the gate and race on a tight track in one direction
• Agility dogs tackle a range of obstacles, requiring them to twist and turn and jump great heights, all at speed
• Obedience dogs are predominantly trained on the left of their handler, and required to look up at them which can lead to stiffness in the neck muscles and issues further down the spine

Older, arthritic animals, or those with conditions such as hip dysplasia, may adapt their movement to cope with their illness. This change in posture can place stresses on the rest of the musculoskeletal system, causing issues elsewhere in the body. While the treatment is unable to improve the condition itself, it can be used to address the problems arising from the compensations and improve general mobility.

Your dog may be giving you warning signs of an underlying problem. Examples include:

• A reluctance to go out for walks
• A reluctance to play
• Stiffness after exercise
• Difficulty jumping into the car
• Difficulty climbing the stairs
• Crying out when getting up
• Sensitivity to being stroked
• Irregular gait, limb dragging or uneven claw wear
• Lameness after a fall or accident where alternative causes have been ruled out
• Other changes in behaviour  

Horses

Again with horses, a one-off incident may cause misalignments to occur and problems to manifest as a result. Examples include:

• A slip or fall whilst ridden or turned out
• Being kicked
• Getting cast in the stable
• Rolling awkwardly. 

In the longer term, other contributing factors include:

• A poorly fitting saddle
• An unbalanced rider
• Incorrect foot balance
• Their conformation
• An injury making them move differently
• Excess weight placing extra stresses on certain areas of their anatomy. 

The discipline within which your horse competes can lead to problems developing; endurance riding, dressage, show jumping and eventing all place different demands on their musculoskeletal system.  

   Your horse may be giving you warning signs of an underlying problem. 
   Examples include: 

• Lameness after a fall or accident where alternative causes have been ruled out
• Odd, irregular action, toe dragging or uneven shoe wear
• Unexplained changes in attitude or behaviour
• Decline in performance
• Soreness or tension in the saddle area, disliking being girthed/rugged up
• Working better on one rein than the other
• Being unable to work in a correct outline or with the correct bend
• Favouring a particular canter lead
• Problems executing schooling movements
• Reluctance to work into the corners of the school
• Finding it hard to halt squarely  
• Refusing or rushing jumps
• Napping/bucking/rearing/bolting
• Difficulty in getting up from lying down/rolling