|
Clint Riese
Staff Writer
A close call with a chomping dog is an occupational hazard most can avoid on their first day at a new job, save for the mailman.
Or Dr. Josée Gerard. The former Forest Lake chiropractor has a new set of patients that have been walking away from appointments with their tails wagging. And, other than the biting German shepherd, she’s been having a howl.
“This is my dream job,” the 41-year-old says in between appointments at her elaborate office in Lino Lakes, where she still sees patients of the human variety four days a week.
Gerard has become a Dr. Doolittle of sorts, seeing everything from dogs and cats to a deer and llama. Heck, she’s even recouped birds that hit her house windows until they flew out of her hand.
 “I’ve always had animals, they’re like family to me,” says Gerard, who currently comes home to two 90-pound dogs, a pair of cats and 100 koi.
Dr. Josée Gerard's chiropractic care for animals is not limited to dogs and cats. She has even treated a young deer and has a llama as a regular patient. The Wyoming area doctor has her main human practice in Lino Lakes.
(Photo Courtesy of Dr. Josée Gerard)
For Gerard, as with owners she encounters, the need for animal chiropractic is obvious. But she faced an uphill battle to get to the point where pets can get the help they need.
The graduate of Northwestern College of Chiropractic has worked with humans since 2001, but went into the field in order to care for animals. She received in 2005 her certification to do just that, and that year she began Chiropractic Care for Animals, LLC in St. Croix Falls, WI.
Gerard continued to see humans, first in Rosemont, then at Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake and now at Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care. Meanwhile, she pioneered a long legislative battle to legalize animal chiropractic care in Minnesota.
After years of garnering public support, holding forums, reviewing bills and lobbying politicians, she prevailed with the passing of a new law this May. The floodgates were opened.
“The demand was so quick,” Gerard says. “They’ve been waiting for me for years, some of these patients.”
Six months ago, she would see animals about four days a month. Now, it’s nearing 20. She makes house calls for some appointments, while others take place in the lawn outside the Rice Lake Professional Center, 6776 Lake Dr.
To some, this sight might seem like a zoo, but Gerard says her four-legged friends are typically better patients than the species that own them.
“They react very fast to adjustments,” she says. “They’ll give a big shake and there is a noticable difference right away. They will start prancing around, they’re happy... We’re psychological beings. We always get in the way of our own healing. [Humans are] the more difficult breed.”
The results have been dramatic, from a sled-pulling dog with a hitch in his stride to a fawn that was born without use of its back legs.
For an animal lover, her line of work is often not for the weak of heart.
“Sometimes I’m their last option,” Gerard says of terminally ill patients. “If it doesn’t work, [owners] have not spent a whole lot of money and haven’t harmed the animal.”
Other situations are easier to swallow. One of just three animal chiropractors in the state, Gerard also cares for young animals for preventative measures, and even works to keep show dogs in top shape.
Compared to human patients, there are differences: “They can’t tell you where they’re in pain.”
And there are similarities: “They have a spine, just like you.”
Most of the time, the results are more than comprable to human chiropractic care.
“Owners just want their animals to feel good,” Gerard says. “If they themselves have seen a chiropractor before and believe in natural healing and holistic health, then they’ll want their animals to have that, too.”
The therapy is a two-way street, the doctor continues.
“Truly, and I know this sounds crazy, I become one with the animals,” she says. “...It sure is a good feeling to get that love back from them. You can tell they appreciate it, too.”
|
