Pets are family members we choose, and they become fixtures in our daily routine. They are here to celebrate our wins and comfort us through hard times. This profound bond between humans and animals has inspired a growing commitment to keep our pets healthy and happy by treating them similarly to how we treat ourselves.
Though they may look and behave differently from us, our pets share many of the same health needs and desire for “creature comforts.” From routine veterinary care to specialized therapies and even spa treatments, pet guardians are greatly improving their animals’ quality of life.
Visit Your Veterinarian
When you bring a new pet into your life, the first thing seasoned pet keepers recommend you do is schedule a visit with a veterinarian. This is especially important for cats and dogs, but it’s beneficial for all pets to receive a basic health check.
In both Minnesota and Ontario, all cats and dogs over 3 months of age are required to be vaccinated against rabies, with a booster a year later and additional boosters every one to three years afterward, depending on the vaccine type. Other vaccinations are recommended to prevent your pet from contracting serious diseases such as feline and canine distemper. Your vet can also prescribe preventative medication to fight fleas and ticks and make dietary recommendations based on your particular pet’s needs.
Just like seeing your own care practitioner, regular veterinary checkups for your pet can offer early detection of diseases or other conditions. Unlike people, our pets can’t communicate as easily when they’re not feeling well, but veterinarians have the knowledge and tools to give our pets the best chance at living a long, healthy life.
Obtaining veterinary care in rural areas of the Northland can be more difficult in some ways and easier in others. Rural vets often have shorter wait times for appointments—sometimes weeks sooner than vet clinics in Duluth—though some pets may need to travel longer distances to receive care, which can be stressful for animals uncomfortable with car rides. Leaving your pet’s travel carrier in their living space a few days before the trip and enticing them with treats, a cozy bed, and familiar scents can help.
Difficult cats can also be wrapped in a blanket or towel before being placed in a top-loading cat carrier, which provides easier access than carriers with smaller front doors. Your vet may be able to prescribe anti-anxiety medication ahead of time for especially nervous pets.
If you’re seeking rural veterinary care, consider Cedar Grove Veterinary Clinic and Sawtooth Mountain Mobile Vet in Grand Marais, Ely Veterinary Clinic in Ely, and both Two Harbors Veterinary Clinic and Lake County Veterinary Clinic in the Two Harbors area. For equines and farm animals, Medicine Woman Veterinary Clinic is based on the Iron Range.
Animal Chiropractic Care
Pet health and wellness starts with veterinary care, but it doesn’t end there. Our fuzzy family members can benefit greatly from additional treatments, just like when we receive a doctor’s recommendation to see a specialist.
Animal chiropractic practices have been around since the early 1900s, though healers have been performing adjustments on animals for as long as they have on humans. In 1987, Options for Animals Foundation began as a school for both veterinarians and chiropractors to learn the art and science of the practice.
“The concept of chiropractic is the same for humans and animals,” says Dr. Mindy Bichel, DC, CVSMT at Solstice Animal Chiropractic. “We use our hands to assess the joints in the spine, extremities, and associated soft tissue.”
Bichel’s love for animals originally led her to veterinary school at the University of Minnesota, but after a while she decided it was the wrong path. Later, she earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, but it wasn’t until she merged the two practices that she found her perfect niche. “Now, I couldn’t be happier with the work I get to do and am incredibly grateful for the winding road of varied experience that led me here,” she says.
Though there are many different techniques, Bichel mainly uses chiropractic adjustment. “This is a fast but gentle impulse at a very specific location and in a very specific direction,” she explains. “The goal is to restore mobility in restricted joints and to positively influence the nervous system, helping the body shift to a more optimal place to encourage self-healing.”
“I have found that the adjusting techniques used in animal chiropractic are gentler and more subtle, but the impact and improvements are often quicker and more profound,” she says.
By law, the State of Minnesota requires Bichel to receive a veterinarian’s signature to perform chiropractic adjustments on your pet, but your pet does not have to show signs of discomfort to benefit from care.
“Animals are excellent at hiding when something is wrong, as masking pain or vulnerability was crucial for survival before domestication,” Bichel says. “Often, there are underlying areas of vulnerability that lead to injury or accelerated degeneration. These could be prevented, or at least slowed down, if addressed before we see the signs.”
Many of the new patients Bichel sees are referred because of behavioral differences, such as a reluctance to jump onto or off furniture or vehicles, flinching when being petted, or difficulty squatting. She also works with canine and equine athletes to keep them in top shape for competitions, and she readies hunting dogs for days in the field.
“Most of the animals I see are dogs, but cats love chiropractic too,” Bichel shares. “They respond really well to being adjusted, which is often a big surprise to their guardians.”
Unlike some veterinary offices that seem cold and uninviting, Solstice Animal Chiropractic has cultivated a calming, peaceful space for animals and their people to relax and heal. “Many guardians have shared how surprised they are by how comfortable and relaxed their normally anxious pets feel in our space,” Bichel says.
If your pet has never received chiropractic care before, you can expect your first appointment to take a little longer to discuss your animal’s history and determine treatment, but the adjustments only take a few minutes to perform.
In addition to practicing in a shared office space “with two other brilliant animal healers”—Karina Roth and Dr. Mari LaMoore, DVM, CVA, CVTP—at Celestial Pathways Animal Healing Center in Grand Marais, Bichel offers mobile appointments all along the North Shore, monthly trips to the Iron Range, and practices in the Twin Cities as part of Chiropractic for Everybody. She also provides practice relief for Animal Kingdom Chiropractic in Duluth.
“I am so passionate about our animals and all that we can do to help them live long and happy lives with as much vitality as we can,” Bichel says. “Sometimes the improvements are drastic, and sometimes they are more subtle, but the thank yous I get from the animals are consistent and so rewarding.”
To get in touch with Solstice Animal Chiropractic, visit: solsticeanimalchiropractic.com.
Grooming and Spa Treatments
After getting healthy at the clinic and adjusted at the chiropractor, your pet is ready for a relaxing spa day. Many pets enjoy being pampered just like we do—with a warm bath, nail trim, and fresh hair cut—though these professional treatments play a bigger role than just simply making your pet look and smell nice.
Mobile pet groomer Jess Sarracco, based in Two Harbors, knows exactly what kind of transformative power a session can have.
“I was grooming a 14-year-old dog who hadn’t been groomed in at least two years,” she shares. “I spent three hours shaving him down and removing every single mat. When we finished, I brought him outside and set him on the ground, and this old dog got the zoomies and was running laps around me. You could see just how good he felt in that moment, and it definitely made me feel like I made a difference for him.”
Regular grooming is important for many pets, both for health and hygiene reasons and for general comfort. “Many breeds of dogs and cats grow hair that gets matted, and this often causes health issues such as skin irritation and infection, and it harbors parasites,” Sarracco explains. “The mats and compacted hair constantly pull on the skin underneath and make everyday living very uncomfortable.” In some cases, a thorough grooming session may be all that is needed to increase a pet’s mobility and quality of life.
Sarracco grew up loving animals and always desired a career that helps them. After grooming dogs for friends and family for many years, she officially opened for business in March 2024 by grooming in a spare room in her home. Her hobby grew into a passion, and she chose to go mobile.
Mobile grooming allows Sarracco to offer her services along the North Shore and surrounding areas. “I can go wherever I’m needed,” she says. “Right now I regularly haul my trailer all around Two Harbors, Knife River, Silver Bay, and Brimson. I am excited for the opportunity to expand my services into the Grand Marais area and get to know the community.”
Sarracco says her most memorable grooms are those that make her feel like she’s made a difference. Services include haircuts, baths, nail trims, blowouts, ear cleaning, and teeth brushing. She provides a judgment-free zone for pet keepers who want to help their animals feel their best.
Currently, Sarracco doesn’t keep a specific schedule, so if you’re interested in booking services for your dog or cat, text 218-491-0806 or visit Peer Pampering Pet Grooming on Facebook.
