Not necessarily so, I have found. I take my dog (and have even brought one of my cats) to a chiropractor who treats both humans and animals. I have discovered that the combination of chiropractic and massage can compliment each other nicely.
Chiropractic’s main center of attention is on the skeletal system of the body whereas massage focuses on the muscular system. However, due to the innate connection of the muscles and the skeleton, both modalities serve to impact each system. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg in regard to how these modalities can positively impact all of the systems of the body.
For instance, my dog, Meesha, has a chronic carpal / metacarpal (wrist bones and joints extending to the fingers), alignment issue. I know she is out of alignment because I will hear a “clicking” sound as she walks. As a massage practitioner, my goal is to relieve tension by working on the muscles and tendons of this part of her body. As tension is relieved via massage, this will often serve to naturally re-align the joints. However, there are times when she needs more of an assist and that is when her chiropractor can then more deliberately realign these joints.
Used in conjunction with each other and/or at different times for different issues, chiropractic and massage are two methods of supporting our animals that I have found only serve to enhance each other.
For more information on a variety of holistic techniques for animals visit
http://www.iaath.com/treatments/massage.shtml