When it comes to getting care for your family pet, you may simply think about booking one checkup per year at your local animal hospital. If the pet's health is satisfactory, the veterinarian will let you know — and, if there's an issue, antibiotics can often clear it up. What you might not know, however, is that many animal hospitals offer a selection of care methods that you probably wouldn't traditionally associate with pets. Specialized staff at the animal hospitals can talk to you about how these specific services can benefit your pet, and when you'll want to turn to them. Here are three non-traditional care methods that your pet can get at the local animal hospital.

Chiropractic

While you might immediately associate acupuncture as a service that many adults use to correct back pain, this is a service that your pet can likely benefit from, too. The availability of chiropractic care is increasingly more available at animal hospitals, given its benefits in reducing a pet's pain and improving its mobility. For example, if you have a dog that took a fall while chasing a ball, it may walk gingerly for a while afterward. You might dismiss the injury as being minor stiffness, but the reality is that the pet's back or other joints could be out of alignment. A chiropractic session can quickly clear up the issue for the pet.

Acupuncture

Similarly to chiropractic care, acupuncture is something that most people associate with being used to treat humans. However, pet acupuncture is something that you can arrange at your local animal hospital. Don't worry about this type of treatment hurting your pet — the acupuncturist is extremely gentle, and the pet may barely know that tiny pins are sticking into its body. Acupuncture can be beneficial to help treat a wide range of pet-related issues.

Tooth Care

Pets' teeth can be a source of trouble, especially as they age. For example, a buildup of plaque can cause a dog's gums to bleed frequently, leaving the animal in pain and also dealing with constant bad breath. Many animal hospitals offer a wide range of tooth care for several types of animals that are designed to improve your pet's quality of life and even extend its life. Some tooth care procedures can be performed while the pet is awake, while others that are more major will require the pet to be put under general anesthetic.