Animal Osteopathy

It isn't only humans who suffer from aches and pains, and that's why animal osteopath Tony Nevin uses his healing hands to bring comfort to creatures large and small.

Tony holds everything from dogs and tortoises to elephants and rhinos in unusual positions to give them the same treatment as his human patients. The 47-year-old treats both domestic and wild animals at vets and wildlife parks in the UK and abroad. He qualified as an osteopath 23 years ago and eases people's sprains and stiff joints. And aching spines of Cocker Spaniels...

Osteopathy involves physically lifting limbs to treat biomechanics as well as adjusting the nervous, muscular and skeletal systems of the body. Tony, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, began treating animals after some of his human patients asked if he could treat their pets too. Like this lurcher suffering from back problems...

And the joint pains of this hamster...

In order to do so, he studied the way animals move and how they are put together so he could treat them with the same careful care. The result? Hedgehog joints trouble be gone!

Chihua-wow that feels good...

Images: Rex