BARKS from the Guild/May 2016

F E L I N E

43

Cats and Chiropractic TherapyPatience Fisher speaks to chiropractor Dr. Michael Savko, who explains how

chiropractic/VOM therapy for cats can act as an additional tool for behavior consultants

Dr. Michael Savko is an all-species animal chiropractorwho works in a number of locations in western Pennsyl-vania. Although I was familiar with chiropractic services

for mobility problems in horses, I was surprised to hear that Dr.Savko treats many dogs and cats too. I was even more surprisedto learn that not only does he treat them for physical ailments,but also for behavioral issues. Much the same way that veterinarymedicine can sometimes be used to aid behavior consultants, sotoo can chiropractic services. As a feline behavior consultant andwriter, the focus during my interview with him was on how chi-ropractic therapy can assist cats with problem behaviors.

BARKS: How many cats have you treated?

Dr. Michael Savko: Well, I’ve been doing this for 17 years, soit’s hard to say exactly. But I’d say around 1,000 cats.

BARKS: I wouldn’t have guessed that many. So many cats don’teven get taken to the veterinarian regularly. How do people findyou?

MS: I work with five local veterinary practices so sometimesone of those practices refers clients to me. I also get referralsfrom clients. But a lot of people find me on the internet by doinga web search. I have both a website, Animal Healing Now, and aFacebook page.

BARKS: What are some problems that you have treated in cats?

MS: It would be easier to explain what I can’t treat: tumors,blunt force trauma, broken bones, and infections. The instrumentsI use to diagnose and treat are very gentle, so there is no harmin pursuing chiropractic care for any other issue. I have had a lotof success with just about every other type of problem. But evenfor the problems I listed that I can’t treat, I can still help by pro-moting healing after the animal has received veterinary care. Forexample, I can’t treat cancer but I have provided palliative care tocats with cancer. That was actually one of my most satisfying catcases. Of course I could not cure the cat but I gave her and herowner many months of quality life, which was the goal of thetreatment. The owner was so very grateful, she called me severaltimes to thank me and to tell me how well her cat was feeling. Itwas very satisfying to have helped them through such a difficulttime.

BARKS: Can you explain your technique?

MS: I use two different instruments that quickly tap key points

Dr. Michael Savko with oneof his patients: “Veterinary,chiropractic, and behaviorconsultants are all toolsavailable to address behavior problems.”

on the animal’s body. The first phase is finding out where thenervous system is not working right – where the static interfer-ence is. There’s a pathological reflex in animals that people donot have. When there is a problem area they involuntarily re-spond to the instruments. So, phase one is to find and reduceneurological static and phase two to find and reduce muscularspasm and imbalance. First I scan for the reflexes, which we call adiagnostic pass, and then if problems are found, I will go back andwork on these areas several more times with therapeutic passes.I work on the area with the goal of having these reflexes reduceor resolve completely. Sometimes we get changes during the visitand sometimes it can take several visits to get results. First I dothis for the nerves and then I use a different instrument for themuscles.

BARKS: How do you get the cat to accept that sort of treat-ment?

MS: Normally they’re good! The instruments don’t hurt them.Now, they do make a clicking noise; I get the cat used to thatnoise first, and then I use the instrument on the middle of the

back, which is a place I have found that they are most comfort-able with. I then proceed to scan the neck and head. If I need tohave someone hold the head, I do that. But the cats usually don’tmind the treatment. It does not hurt them, and may even feelgood. Now, with cats that are in extreme pain from an injury aswell as for cats that do not react well to handling in general, I willwrap them in a towel.

BARKS: But don’t you need them to be relaxed for a chiroprac-tic adjustment to work? Or for it to at least to be comfortable?

MS: For manual, hands-on adjustments, yes. But that is one rea-son I use the instruments. They are faster than human hands. If Iam on the right spot, it will work with thecat in any position or even if the cat istense. They are that fast.

Even if the cat is relaxed, with manualadjustments there is a greater chance ofnot getting it done. I get more done withless force by using the instruments.

BARKS:What qualifications should some-one look for in an animal chiropracti-tioner?

MS: Look for someone who is VOM cer-tified: that is certified for veterinary or-thopedic manipulation. There are a lot ofpeople out there that have just taken acourse or two. I would not use someonelike that.

BARKS: What cat behavior problemshave you treated?

MS: I’ve treated cats that were not reli-ably using their litter box. I’ve dealt withaggression issues, and I’ve treated compulsive behaviors.

BARKS: How can chiropractic adjustments help solve litter boxissues?

MS:When pain is making it hard for the cat to get into his litterbox, relieving that returns the cat to good litter box habits.Older cats that may be arthritic, as well as cats that have had aprevious injury, also benefit from chiropractic treatment.

BARKS: How about cats that are marking with urine?

MS: Cats that are marking are often stressed. Maybe there is anew baby or a new pet in the house. Of course, the underlyingproblem causing the stress must be addressed, but chiropractictreatment is helpful in getting that problem resolved. Just likewhen you are stressed by, say, a difficult co-worker and you endup with tension headaches or something like that—that justmakes it harder for you to cope with the problem. By making the

F E L I N E

BARKS from the Guild/May 201644

cat feel better physically, the cat is more able to adjust to thestress in his life and benefit from any improvement to the envi-ronment that we make to deal with the crux of the problem. Say,by separating two cats that aren’t getting along and reintroducingthem. This will have a better chance of success if both cats feelwell physically and mentally.

BARKS: Is that how it works when dealing with aggression is-sues?

MS:Yes. By making sure the cat is calm both physically and men-tally, the cat is more apt to be helped by the behavior modifica-tion program.

BARKS: Have you worked in conjunc-tion with a behavior consultant?

MS: For dogs I have. I had a case of adog that liked people, but tended tosnap unpredictably when being petted. Ifound neurologic static on the craniumand the brain stem. It’s an ongoing case,but after a few treatments he is 80 per-cent better.

BARKS: There are cats that bite after ashort amount of petting. Could that bedue to neurologic static?

MS:Yes, it could well be.

BARKS: You mentioned compulsive be-haviors in cats. Tell me about a case yousuccessfully treated.

MS: I had a case where the cat wascleaning himself incessantly; it was al-

most like a seizure – he even licked the air. Sometimes whenthey experience an abnormal sensation, they are stimulated todo something, and cleaning themselves is something they knowhow to do— that they often do—so that is how they deal withit. It could be a nerve impingement. Every case is different, butthe client usually will see improvement and a decrease in suchaberrant behavior after just three to four visits. I often start withonce a week, and then spread the treatments out to every-otherweek, then monthly. This is just an example. Every case is differ-ent.

BARKS: How can someone decide when to call a veterinary chi-ropractitioner?

MS:Well, in this day and age more people are looking for naturalsolutions first, or in conjunction with medical so they can be asnon-invasive as possible, and use as little medication as possible.So anybody that is thinking like that will be looking for naturalsolutions right away. Sometimes clients have already seen the vet

© Can Stock Photo Inc./Thilien

Cats that feelphysically wellare better ableto cope withstressors in their lives

BARKS from the Guild/May 2016

F E L I N E

45

first and will find me or get referred to me because they are notseeing results, or not getting as good of results as they want withthe current care plan. Sometimes people come to me, becausethey can’t have the cat on medications: maybe the cat is elderly,and suffering from kidney problems. Or maybe the personprefers to try a holistic approach first. There is no reason not tosee a qualified chiropractor first or in conjunction with the vetfor a strange behavior: strange behaviors often trace back to thenerves, which is what I treat.

BARKS: Behavior consultants often don’t get called until after acat owner has spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars atthe veterinary clinic, and at that point they aren’t willing to spendthe time and money required to address the problem. Do youface this problem as well?

MS:Yes, certainly. Why not try all three? Veterinary, chiropractic,and behavior consultants are all tools available to address behav-ior problems. If you have done test after test at the veterinaryclinic and don’t have a diagnosis or results, why not see if a be-havior consultant or a veterinary chiropractitioner can help? Oryou might even want to start with one of these holistic ap-proaches if it is behavioral. For instance, once infection and crys-tals in the bladder have been ruled out, you might want to have achiropractitioner treat the cat for possible mobility issues. Oryou might want a behavior consultant to examine the relation-ships in the household or any other potential stressors.

BARKS: How do you integrate your services with an animal be-havior consultant?

MS: If a behavior consultant is dealing with cat-cat aggression, orurine marking due to a stressor in the cat’s life, a chiropracti-tioner can help with that plan by alleviating physical and mentaltension. As I said before, if you are stressed at work due to badrelationships there, you are likely to develop physical problems,such as back tension or stomach problems. You could also be-come grumpy due to your pain and stressed mentally due to yourpain and your problems, and that will change your daily behav-iors. Cats are no different. And just like you, when a cat feels wellphysically and mentally he is able to deal with life’s challengesbetter, and so is more receptive to a behavior modification plan.

BARKS: How do you integrate your services with a veterinarian?

MS: I work right in the office with them. I travel to several vet-erinary hospitals each week. I am a specialist that comes in anddoes VOM and other holistic modalities in their practice. I alsoget referrals from many veterinarians across the region. If I see ared flag with a case I will refer back to the veterinarian. I see ourroles as complementary. n

Patience Fisher BS DipFBST is a certified veterinary assis-tant and the owner of Patience, www.patienceforcats.com, afeline behavior consulting service located in Pittsburgh, Penn-sylvania. She has fostered many cats and assisted with adop-tions for Pittsburgh-area shelters. She has also worked withprivate clients.

ResourcesAnimal Healing Now: www.animalhealingnow.comDr. Michael Savko on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnimalHealingNow/?fref=ts

Dr. Savko works in conjunctionwith veterinarians and behaviorprofessionals and says if a cat is

“calm both physically andmentally, [he] is more apt to

be helped by [a] behaviormodification program.”