Animal Osteopathy in Diverse Species: Beyond Horses and Dogs

The prevalence of certain species, namely dogs and horses, within all areas of animal therapeutics is clear to see. Training courses, professional development and even articles like this one generally cater to the higher demand in those particular species. However, there is a vast number of species that can benefit from Osteopathic intervention from zoological to farm animals and exotic pets. That leaves plenty of room to open up the conversation around diversity of species in Osteopathic practice, from the anatomical similarities and differences to professional ethics and how one might develop this area as a specialist interest.

The Usual Suspects: Why Equine and Canine Osteopathy Dominate

So why are so many courses and products aimed towards the canine and equine species? According to the British Equestrian “State of the Nation Report” (2023), there are around 1.82 million regular riders in the UK, with approximately 331,000 horse-owning households (Equestrian Trade News, 2023). PDSA, the pet charity, estimates around 10.6 million pet dogs in the UK (PDSA, 2024). Those are immense numbers of owners and animals in the UK and the figures in other countries will of course exceed those figures.

Now this is not to say that the numbers of other species are not very high too. Farm animals, for example, will be in very high numbers due to the food industry and other products, more and more people are taking on exotic pets and, of course, there are our native species' wild populations. But consider the fact that horses and dogs are far more likely to be involved in sports and leisure activities that may cause injuries or highlight existing concerns. 

Thousands of horse riders and carriage drivers compete all year round in a variety of sports from dressage and showjumping to horse driving trials and horseball. Dog owners regularly get into agility and obedience classes whether that be at lower-level or top-level competition. Eventing horses is one sport with a high prevalence for injuries. In their 2024 descriptive study, Tranquille, Chojnacka and Murray (2024) found 49.4% of respondents to their survey of British Eventing competitors reported previous injuries or musculoskeletal issues in their horses.

Growing Awareness of Animal Therapies and Veterinary Recognition

As the world of animal therapies expands, more and more owners and keepers of diverse species are coming to see the benefits for their animals. The veterinary profession is becoming more accepting of allied professionals and even referring to trusted professionals on a regular basis. There has been excellent work done by professional organisations and special interest groups to promote standards in therapeutic training and practice. This has helped to both assure veterinary professionals of the practitioner’s abilities and scope and educate the public as to how they can help their animals.

The Veterinary Surgeons Act Review

With the development of recognised and accredited courses in animal therapeutics, professional practice has begun to receive the respect it deserves. In the UK, the Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966) is under review for legislative change. Within that change, the paraprofessional disciplines such as Osteopathy, Physiotherapy and Chiropractic are earmarked for statutory inclusion. The progress of this will be slow as the initial focus will be on veterinary professionals with allied professions in the second tranche of review, but the fact we are being recognised is a very positive move.

From Equine and Canine Practice to Farm and Exotic Animals

It's inevitable that the high popularity of a discipline in one area of the animal world will spill over and influence other groups. Some graduates of the current programmes in animal treatment, who will have trained predominantly on equine and canine, are already offering specialist services to farm animals. With farmers wanting to ensure high standards of animal welfare, it is not surprising that dealing with mild to moderate lameness, age-related difficulties and overall wellbeing is being taken seriously. The research is yet to be conclusive but it seems reasonable to believe that treatment such as Osteopathy to enhance animal wellness could enhance yield from livestock, be that meat, dairy or fabrics.

Ownership of exotic and non-traditional pets in the UK has gone up 60% since the year 2000 (BritExotics editorial team, 2026). Reptile and bird ownership being quite popular, these groups will begin to lean into things like Osteopathy too.

Osteopathy for Farm Animals

Hoof Health and Gait Assessment in Cattle

The dairy and beef industries rely on the animals involved being healthy and reproducing in sufficient numbers. Of course, there are also cattle herds which are not intended for commercial use as well, such as rare breed herds and those purely kept for pleasure. 

Regardless of the animal’s life cycle and future, their welfare is paramount. One feature of keeping cattle is routine hoof management and there are specialist trimmers whose entire job is travelling farm to farm to trim feet and assess hoof pathologies such as white line disease and infections. 

The prevalence for hoof deformity, infection and overgrowth can also make Osteopathic care a useful adjunct to the trimmer’s interventions. Cattle are large and heavy animals; the slightest of gait changes as a result of foot pain can create repercussions throughout the proximal limb and locomotor system. 

One aspect of osteopathic care is gait analysis and assessment. Having regular visits from the Osteopath to the farm can be more than just treating those who are “on the list” but also allow the practitioner to observe the others moving and monitor for gait changes that might indicate further investigation. Due to cattle being moved in herds/groups, there is ample opportunity to observe the other animals even if only seeing one that day.

Neck, Jaw and Feeding Function in Cattle

Regular joint articulation and mobilisation can assist in cattle feeding and ensure weight management and meat quality are maintained. Dysfunction of the cervical spine, temporomandibular joint or even shoulders and thoracic sling can disrupt comfortable eating. 

Bovines are ruminants and require continual access to high-fibre food and grass. Should a cervical restriction prevent the cow from comfortably lowering the head to graze, this could diminish the nutrition they are able to obtain leading to weight loss, digestive distress and even low mood. 

Pain in the temporomandibular joint might arise from dental wear patterns, dental abscess or trauma. The reduced capacity to chew properly can lead to the same issues as above. Cows chew with a lateralised action, crossing the jaw to grind the food. Practitioners should study the pattern of mastication from species to species to ensure they understand potential dysfunction and fundamentally what normal is.

Osteopathy in Sheep: A Rare Breed Case

Within sheep farming, it is reasonable to suggest that Osteopathy could support continuation of the herd and support the farmer’s income. In my own experience, I had attended a smallholding that produced rare breed sheep. One of their Tups (Rams) was experiencing difficulties with covering the Ewes and the farmer was concerned about his ability to expand the herd. 

On examination, I found that he was suffering lumbar pain and my hypothesis was that the cause was some minor bone change (age-related) leading to restrictions and nerve root compression. After an Osteopathic treatment involving gentle articulation in all planes and some traction I advised on some in-hand exercises to target lumbar mobility and strength. 

The Tup was subsequently only too happy to attend to the Ewes and there was a good outcome at lambing. This certainly settled the farmer’s concerns and, of course, it contributed toward conservation of a speciality breed.

Exotic and Zoo Animal Osteopathy

Despite the scarcity of Osteopaths working with farm animals, they are at least more common than those who work with exotics, small mammals and perhaps zoo-kept animals. Osteopath Tony Nevin DO works with Longleat Animal Park in Wiltshire, UK, treating all kinds of species. 

He has been featured on the BBC TV show “Animal Park” many times. Tony has performed cervical spine manipulations on a male gorilla (under anaesthesia) and used rehabilitation movement with big cats. Tony also teaches elephant Osteopathy on a regular basis in South East Asia. While he is certainly a pioneer in his field, the wider awareness of Osteopathy for animals may increase the number of practitioners who wish to work with a wider span of species.

Training and Mentorship for Working Across Species

One vital component of being a good animal Osteopath is to remain reflective and to recognise your own scope and knowledge base. When one wishes to work with species that are outside their foundational training, the most important thing is to seek out further education and perhaps even mentorship. 

Osteopathy for different species is not just applying the same techniques across them all. As any Osteopathy student or graduate will know, everything starts with anatomy. Of course, different species will have widely different anatomy; consider the biomechanics of a quadruped such as a horse and then that of a snake…

Learning the anatomy from a book or tutor is great as a start but you would then also need to experience the variations through palpation under guidance. Taking opportunities to work alongside practitioners, vets and keepers of different species is a huge plus. Many professionals will allow you to shadow or even get involved with certain procedures and animal husbandry further expanding your repertoire. Most importantly, we should never think that because we can treat horses and dogs, we can go straight into small animals, farm animals or exotics without any extra input.

Building a Practice Across Species

Of course, working with a larger variety of species is not for everyone. Many practitioners get into animal Osteopathy to work specifically with just one species. However, consider the potential for a regular income. Farmers will often budget specifically for interventions that help to maintain welfare amongst their livestock; animal parks and zoos will also maintain a budget for external professionals to assist in their animals’ health. 

Working as part of the wider veterinary-led team, an Osteopath could potentially support wellbeing enough that vet visits are fewer in number with less need for risky surgeries or ongoing expensive medications. As farms, zoos and animal parks are commercial businesses, they may well buy into a membership of sorts with you. This could provide a regular set of dates throughout the year and a reliable source of work to bolster your profits or allow you to expand without as much income anxiety.

Small animal work could be found by associating yourself with local veterinary clinics. They may even allow you to work within the clinic as an external contractor. While this is clearly a good way to earn, it also helps the profession as a whole by raising awareness amongst vets and owners who may not be as accustomed to seeing Osteopaths as those in the equine industry where it is so popular. 

Importantly, spreading Osteopathy to wider species enhances animal welfare on a larger scale; all veterinary professionals are seeking to do this. Perhaps as the animal Osteopathy industry moves forward, specialist courses and associations will cater to the diverse species areas of practice. My hope is to see innovation in the field and Osteopathy truly stepping into its rightful position as a valued paraprofession.

Bibliography

BritExotics Editorial Team (2026). Most popular exotic pets in the UK 2026: Top 10 species ranked by ownership data. [online] BritExotics. Available at: https://britexotics.co.uk/blog/most-popular-exotic-pets-uk-2026 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2026].

British Equestrian (2023). State of the nation report 2023. [online] Available at: https://www.britishequestrian.org.uk/assets/EXTRA_Docs/Short%20State%20of%20the%20Nation.pdf [Accessed 13 Oct. 2026].

Equestrian Trade News (2023). Riders numbers up, horse ownership down – but only slightly. [online] Available at: https://www.equestriantradenews.com/riders-numbers-up-horse-ownership-down-but-only-slightly/ [Accessed 21 Oct. 2026].

Gov.UK (1966). Veterinary surgeons act 1966. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1966/36 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2026].

PDSA (2024). How many pets are there in the UK? [online] www.pdsa.org.uk. Available at: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/uk-pet-populations-of-dogs-cats-and-rabbits [Accessed 13 Oct. 2026].

Tranquille, C.A., Chojnacka, K. and Murray, R.C. (2024). Musculoskeletal injury and illness patterns in British eventing horses: A descriptive study. Animals, [online] 14(18), p.2667. doi:10.3390/ani14182667.

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