A video of an animal chiropractor treating a giraffe is raking in likes. The giraffe, named Gerry, had been chewing abnormally, till his owner Missy Nowell noticed this and sought help from Joren Whitney, a popular animal chiropractor. While talking to USA Today, Whitney said, “I noticed that the giraffe’s jaw had more range of motion to one side than the other side. I facilitated that movement with an adjustment and then I went and checked his cervical spine. When I found areas that didn’t move very well, I put a little bit of motion into it.” After the chiropractic treatment, the giraffe’s movement improved. Missy Nowell, a Longhorn cattle rancher, told USA Today that Jerry is chewing normally again.
Whitney is licensed through both Oklahoma’s veterinary and chiropractic boards, which allows him to treat animals, whereas regular chiropractors cannot treat animals. Now a video of Whitney treating Jerry’s neck is viral, with many discovering animal chiropractors. Whitney first shared this video on his TikTok but it soon began circulating across social media. On May 7, USA Today posted it on Instagram where it got over 19,000 likes. Commenting on it, an Instagram user wrote, “Aw he smiled! You can see the relief!”
Another noted, “As a veterinarian, I have no issue with this as long as the chiropractor has a veterinary chiropractor license to do so. Our pets are not humans and they’re anatomy although similar is also very different so additional education is required. If you are looking for chiropractic care for your pets be sure to do your homework!! There is a certification for chiropractors to work on pets AND there are veterinarians who are also certified to perform chiropractic care.”
Missey Nowell got Gerry, the giraffe, five years ago from a wildlife safari park when Gerry was just two months old and was abandoned by his mother. Nowell built a specialised barn for Jerry on her ranch and fed him from a bottle for his first two years. As per the Washington Post, she also has a zebra and three camels who are “good friends with Gerry”.
Oklahoma is one of the few US states where it is legal to own a giraffe after getting some permits. However, for a long time animal rights activists have opposed the private and commercial ownership of wild animals on account that animals should not be kept in captivity.
Comments
0 comment