08/06/2025
There are people out there who claim to be “animal chiropractors”…
Some say they manipulate animals.
Some use the term “animal chiropractor” in quotes or parentheses, because they aren’t actually trained or certified.
🚨 This is a serious red flag.
Becoming an animal chiropractor requires years of education, training, and certification. Here’s a look at what’s involved:
✅ A Bachelor’s degree (typically in biology or a related field)
✅ A Doctorate in either Chiropractic (DC) or Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
✅ Passing all required board exams (for chiropractors: Parts I, II, III, IV, and Physiotherapy)
✅ Completion of an accredited 220hr animal chiropractic program
✅ Passing of the AVCA certification exam and/or IVCA certificate exam
✅ A current active DC or DVM license
✅ Ongoing continuing education for professional licensure, whether DC or DVM
✅ Ongoing continuing education to maintain animal chiropractic certification
✅ Malpractice insurance, which those who are unlicensed can not obtain
✅ Compliance with your state’s laws (in Illinois, for example, a veterinarian must sign off on animal chiropractic care)
As you can see, becoming an animal chiropractor takes 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 of commitment and rigorous training.
👉 Please do not trust anyone who is not properly educated, licensed, and certified to perform chiropractic care on animals. It’s not just unethical, it can be dangerous.
💡 Always ask:
Are they licensed?
Are they certified?
Do they follow state laws?
🐕🦺 If you love your pets, protect them by choosing qualified professionals only.
𝑨𝒕 𝑽𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑨𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄, 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔.
If you’re not in our area, we still want your pets in good hands. Search for certified professionals near you here:
🔹 animalchiropractic.org (AVCA)
🔹 ivca.de (IVCA)
AVCA is the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and IVCA is International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. If a doctor completes their education passing their certification exam and maintains their required continuing ed, they will automatically be listed. Question those who are not. If they do have the qualifications, they should welcome you asking, just like Dr. Cat and I would.
