04/19/2024
Lots of people don't realize what it takes to become an animal chiropractor. And the answer is a lot of hard work, grit, and dedication, and I hope you like school.
In order to even consider becoming one you must first be either a chiropractor or a veterinarian, both of these require doctorate degrees to begin with. Once you have accomplished that or are within 1 year of completing your degree you can then attend one of the very few animal chiropractic programs. There are less than 10 to choose from, and only a few of those are in the United States to begin with. I personally attended Animal Chiropractic Education Source (ACES) in Meridian, Texas. This particular school is neat as it is a hybrid course and consists of 3 modules divided into 40 hours of online content paired with a 4-day hands-on weekend for each module. This adds up to 3 trips to the middle of nowhere in Texas, 120 hours of online coursework, and a minimum of 120 hours of in-person classes which often run well over the allotted time. The classes cover everything from anatomy and physiology to diseases to nutrition to the actual adjusting and exam process. In order to pass the course, you take many exams throughout and of course a multipart large cumulative exam at the end including 300 multiple choice questions, case studies, and of course a hands-on exam on both an equine and canine patient. Once you pass all of this, you get a fancy certificate and are now allowed to take more exams!
To become certified, you then apply to take the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association exams to become certified. These exams are offered once per year in Miami, nope, not in Florida, Miami, Oklahoma. This includes a 100-question multiple choice exam and then a 10-station practical exam. The practical includes stations such as taking a case history, adjustments on both a horse and dog, saddle fit, and many other things. Once you pass these exams, then you get to call yourself an animal chiropractor. However, there still may be obstacles in your way before you can actually see patients, especially as a human chiropractor seeing animals.
Each state has its own laws regarding who is allowed to practice on animals, some states, such as Ohio, as long as you have the certification through the AVCA (or IVCA which is very similar but recognized internationally) you can see patients for chiropractic visits only. Other states like Georgia, require chiropractors, even with the AVCA or IVCA certification, to be under direct supervision of a veterinarian. Other states have very vague and confusing laws and some like Colorado only allow chiropractors with the AVCA certification to see dogs and horses, but can't see cats, cows, or any other animal.
New Hampshire is in an interesting time right now as our state has no written law for animal chiropractic, but the veterinary laws state that only licensed veterinarians can treat, cure, or prevent an illness. It is generally accepted that human chiropractors can see animals with a veterinary referral though. This means the vet needs to sign off on care or refer you to the chiropractor. An exciting bit of news though is that NH is currently working towards opening access to AVCA or IVCA-certified chiropractors to see animals without this referral. This is great news as vets are often overloaded and can't see every single pet that needs care. Bill HB 1233 has now passed in both the state senate and house of representatives as of yesterday, meaning in 60 days this bill will be signed into law, and pet owners can get their pets the care they need without the wait for a veterinary referral.
