Turn to this Bend doc for well-adjusted pets

Many people visit the chiropractor to get adjusted, get physical therapy after an injury, or if they feel stiffness or pain. Now, many animal lovers are turning to chiropractors to help their pets.

Popping, pushing, stretching and massaging is all part of Dr. Amanda Kremer’s day. She is one of only a few animal certified chiropractors in Bend.

Her love for animals started at a young age and grew into a career, when she took her first job as a vet assistant. It was then that she heard about animal chiropractic care.

“I just heard all of these just amazing stories, and how she helped animals get better from arthritis, or they hurt their back and they’re paralyzed, and now they’re walking again,” Kremer said Friday.

Those stories were all it took to inspire Kremer to go to chiropractic school and earn her certification.

She moved to Bend last spring, working out of La Paw Animal Hospital on Bend’s Westside. She has many regular patients, like a beagle, Chewbacca, who injured his back after a fall down the stairs.

“I’ll go along the spine and just feel how the joints are moving in relation to each other, one vertebrae compared to another one,” Kremer said. “And there might be one that I come across that isn’t moving right, and it isn’t moving very well. And I can feel muscle spasms and that sort of thing.”

Kremer said she is often asked, “how do I know if my pet needs chiropractic care?” She said many pet owners will notice simple changes in their four-legged friends, like their cat not jumping up on its perch, or a dog not rolling around in the grass any more, due to pain.

It’s not just dogs and cats Kremer cares for. She works with horses, goats and alpacas, and wants to continue to expand her work with livestock animals.

She said it’s a rewarding job she hopes to do forever.

“They are all unique in their own way,” Kremer said of her patients. “Every case is interesting and fun, and they’ve all got their own personalities, so I love what I do.”

Even if a pet is feeling perfectly healthy, Kremer says it’s a good preventative to get an evaluation.

A vet must refer your pet to an animal chiropractor. Supporting veterinary clinics include Deschutes, Blue Sky and Bend vet clinics.

To learn more, visit Kremer’s website at www.chiro4critters.com