Sarah Ceriati is a McTimoney Animal Practitioner who graduated with the MSc Animal Manipulation (Chiropractic) in 2022 and works in the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire areas. Sarah also recently presented the results of her MSc research at the inaugural Animal Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Conference in Abingdon.
As an avid dog lover and breeder, Sarah used her MSc research to investigate how McTimoney chiropractic treatment can help with young puppies’ future development. Sarah explains, “Being involved with working with puppies and having whelped a few litters, I saw the pressures put on their young bodies in the womb, during birth, in the nest, and then rough play and fighting with siblings up to 8 weeks old and wondered what issues they were starting their developing lives with and how treating these may prevent musculoskeletal diseases from developing in the adult dog.” There is a lack of research in this area in dogs, so it was not only interesting but very important too.
Luckily, Sarah had access to Basset Hound puppies at home from the moment they were born, so they could control the variables as much as possible. However, Sarah found that as the research developed, it became clear how broad this topic area was and how many factors there were to consider in the bigger picture to be able to give clear conclusions.
Using 23 Basset Hound puppies, Sarah’s research identified the locations of spinal and pelvis asymmetries in puppies at 8 weeks of age. The results of Sarah’s research showed that there was no difference in the weights of the puppies at 8 weeks of age, even if they were found to have greater asymmetry of the spine and pelvis compared to their litter brothers and sisters. This means that their growth and development continue within normal boundaries.
The birthing presentation also did not affect the presence of skeletal asymmetries, meaning that whether they were born head first or tail first, they could still present with spinal asymmetries, and in fact, spinal and pelvic asymmetries are actually very common. Of the puppies in the study, 62 percent born headfirst had asymmetries compared to 40 percent born tailfirst. 46 percent of puppies born headfirst had asymmetry in the neck, 20 percent had both neck and back/pelvic asymmetries. Interestingly, 60 percent of puppies weighing less than 400g at birth had the greatest asymmetry present, which may mean that the larger, stronger puppies are less likely to have spinal and pelvic asymmetry.
The key finding of this study was that spinal and pelvic asymmetries are common in Basset Hound puppies by 8 weeks of age. This warrants further research to investigate potential effects on these puppies as they grow up and to consider whether similar findings are apparent in other breeds.
Sarah has been working for a year in practice now and treats mostly dogs and some horses, but has also treated donkeys and sheep. Sarah says, “I enjoy seeing the relief, sometimes instantly, I can give to the animals presented to me for treatment. Seeing the difference in their behaviour a few days post-treatment and how thrilled the owners are to have their happy animals back is very satisfying.”
Sarah explains that she has also learnt a lot in the last year, including ” never make assumptions, keep an open mind, treat each animal and case completely independently, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.”
For more information on Sarah’s research, go to the website.
