"One day I was standing in the clinic, working on a dachshund who had a back problem," Ava says. "Suddenly I realized, 'I can give this dog some drugs, but I can't fix the problem.' And that's what got me to begin to look at chiropractic because I wanted to be able to fix the problem.

"A chiropractic adjustment is aimed at correcting subluxations and restoring proper functioning of the nervous system. In doing that, we eliminate the cause of a dysfunction, not just the symptoms.

"Chiropractic is more than just having knowledge, it is being able to implement it. It's a feeling you have between your hands.

"A person with this really good feeling can take their fingertips and feel the muscles and nerves. They can feel the animal's sense of where they're at. There are some animals--when I get into a horse or dog's space and I touch them--it's like they are sad to be in that body.

"Some people are better at it than others. I have that, and that is what makes a person in this field better than another."

The birthing process can also lead to problems because the spine is subjected to abnormal forces at delivery.