Options for Animals Speaks Out as Diplomate Dispute Escalates

Originally published: 2025-06-08

Diplomate Rollout Sparks Alarm Across Animal Chiropractic

The last few weeks have seen a surge of confusion and concern ripple through the animal chiropractic community. A diplomate program—touted by some as a next-level credential and by others as a monopolistic maneuver—was abruptly announced through promotional materials linked to ACES and the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) Council on Animal Chiropractic. This sparked an immediate backlash from practitioners, educators, and certifying bodies.

In response, Options for Animals College of Animal Chiropractic, one of the most respected institutions in the field, released a thoughtful and pointed statement. Far from dismissing the diplomate concept itself, Options focused its fire on the lack of transparency, selective exclusion, and conflict of interest concerns raised by the way the program has been introduced.

“Way More to the Story”

“Don’t worry and stay calm, there’s way more to the story than what was represented.”
— Options for Animals, Facebook statement

In its statement, Options did not pull punches. It questioned why the ICA website showed no mention of the new Council on Animal Chiropractic, even though promotional emails had announced the diplomate program as a done deal.

Options pointed out:

No formal approval had been posted by either the ICA or AVCA at the time of the announcement.
The diplomate was being advertised as AVCA-exclusive, sidelining IVCA-certified doctors.
The course was being promoted by individuals with deep ties to ACES—raising red flags about whether this was a genuine educational initiative or an exclusive commercial arrangement.

The school’s bottom line: “Who benefits from this?” And perhaps more importantly: “Who decides?”

Diplomate or Divide?

The backlash wasn’t just about technical qualifications or program hours. At its core, it was about whether this new diplomate represented advancement—or another mechanism of control.

Commenter Bek Jarzombek highlighted the deeper problem:

“True division… is at the legislative or regulatory code level. DVMs have no restriction… DCs currently do in most states… The diplomate idea has come about to help strengthen chiropractors’ argument that they are educated enough to work without the direct supervision or referral of a veterinarian.”

Jarzombek pointed out what many others have echoed: the diplomate idea may be noble, but the rollout has been anything but. And the choice to exclude IVCA certification from the outset doesn’t foster unity—it entrenches division.

“More Hoops” or Meaningful Progress?

Veteran chiropractor Dr. Kristy Francavilla cut through the confusion with candor:

“Just sounds like more hoops to get pets the care they need… Is there one institute that both chiros and vets can get certified? It’s the same material—it doesn’t matter who presents for it.”

This sentiment was echoed repeatedly: practitioners aren’t opposed to more education or standards. But they are tired of bureaucratic opacity and credentialing games that seem more focused on power than patient outcomes.

Unity or Monopoly? The Larger Issue

“This has always been about working together… this is also part of the foundation set by Dr. Sharon Willoughby.”
— Options for Animals

Options for Animals isn’t just raising questions about one diplomate program—they’re spotlighting a dangerous pattern. When exclusive pathways are created without consensus or transparency, it threatens to fracture a field already under political and regulatory pressure.

This controversy is the latest example of a broader issue in chiropractic: monopolistic tendencies by a small group of credentialing organizations and educational-political alliances. The same dynamic is seen in other arenas of chiropractic—where certain groups attempt to control licensure, education, and certification through exclusionary policies.

A Better Way Forward

In its statement, Options urges the community not to panic, and affirms that existing AVCA or IVCA certification remains valid and valuable.

“Rest assured that you don’t need to worry about your certification… As for the diplomate, that’s yet to be seen.”

This measured conclusion echoes a common hope: that any new diplomate should enhance—not restrict—opportunities. It should raise standards without excluding entire categories of competent practitioners based on affiliation.

As Paige Mott put it bluntly:

“Diplomates [are] unnecessary for gifted animal chiropractors. More degrees do not create better animal adjusters.”

What Comes Next?

With the ICA now acknowledging that no diplomate program has been officially launched and that no one is authorized to promote it, the narrative has shifted once again.

But the damage to trust may be harder to undo. As Erin Moran commented:

“Attached is also an email from ACES stating that the curriculum has been approved by ICA and they already have chiropractors enrolled. I asked ICA to comment… They haven’t. It’s definitely an odd rollout.”

The profession deserves better than mixed signals and exclusivity masked as progress. Whether the diplomate program ultimately proves beneficial or not, its legitimacy will depend on whether it is governed transparently, recognizes all qualified paths (AVCA and IVCA), and refrains from making access dependent on organizational loyalty or membership dues.

Conclusion: Standing for Integrity in a Time of Uncertainty

Options for Animals has done the profession a great service. Not by picking sides—but by asking the right questions, and doing so with integrity. The animal chiropractic community is made up of both chiropractors and veterinarians, and its foundation was built on unity.

It’s time to return to that foundation.

“We need to come together in unity… Having a diplomate governed by a chiropractic association is a disservice to the veterinary profession—as it would be for the opposite.”
— Options for Animals

Now is the moment for reflection, transparency, and inclusive leadership. Because if the field of animal chiropractic is to thrive, it must be guided not by territorial control—but by the collective wisdom of its practitioners and the needs of the animals they serve.

FULL Text of Options Statement:

Options for Animals College of Animal Chiropractic

June 4 2025

Attention All Animal Chiropractors:

We would like to take a moment to address a couple of concerns many of you have upon hearing about a Diplomate course in animal chiropractic given by ACES. It took a few days of research and talking with various animal chiropractors to find out the actual facts. First and foremost, some have expressed panic because many are IVCA certified, and this is only for AVCA certified in animal chiropractic. Don’t worry and stay calm, there’s way more to the story than what was represented. The main thing to keep in mind is that the spirit of animal chiropractic was created by Dr. Sharon Willoughby to bring both the chiropractic and veterinarian professions together to serve the animal population. We need to come together in unity and to have a diplomate be governed by a chiropractic association is a disservice to the veterinary profession, as it would be for the opposite. Here are the facts from our research and please feel free to do your own research as well.

1. The Diplomate course for animal chiropractic was posted by Dr. Bill Ormston from ACES and also by Dr. Carolyn Longacre DC who is also the President of the International Chiropractic Association’s Council of Animal Chiropractic. It was stated “The ICA created this council with the intention to host the first animal chiropractic diplomate program, which was finally available to start in May”. We looked on the ICA website for anything relating to or announcing this new Council of Animal Chiropractic. There is nothing on their website. We were also told that the course for the Diplomate will be approved by the AVCA. There is nothing on their website posted on any course approved or future announcement. Finally, I reached out to Bharon Hoag who is the Executive Director of One Chiropractic. According to Bharon, “The board has approved creating a diplomate program but has not yet formally launched the diplomate program”. The question we ask is why then did both Dr. Ormston and Dr. Longacre who is the president of the ICA allude to the diplomate course being available in May? Why would they already have a course ready to go without the parameters being set for a diplomate?

2. We realize that the ICA is a very legitimate organization but if there is a council for animal chiropractic, why is it not stated on their website but is only found on the ACES website? Why is the president of this council who is also an ACES grad promoting a course that is not even recognized? Is this a conflict of interest for all of this pertaining to one school- ACES? Who decided that the ICA which is for human chiropractors to get involved with animal chiropractic? Also why is this only being offered supposedly for those who are AVCA certified and why was the IVCA excluded?

3. The fact is that if the diplomate was actually established then this is not required to practice for all of you currently trained animal chiropractors who are AVCA or IVCA certified. This would be for additional education.

4. Who benefits from offering this course? I encourage all of you to check out the ACES website and see just what it cost.

5. Also, we can’t speak for any of the other schools but here at Options we just found out about the ICA council for animal chiropractic, and it would have been nice to reach out to us about the formation of this council. We wonder if the other schools were notified. Again, who decided to form this organization?

6. This diplomate is offered to the DC’s only because the ICA is just for chiropractors. Having said that, it was stated that “ACES is trying to get a similar program up for veterinarians that are AVCA certified to finally get a board certification program that is actually recognized by the veterinary boards. Again, who benefits from this? Why is the IVCA certified doctors excluded or forced to get AVCA certification? Also why do we want division in our animal chiropractic profession when we have both the veterinarians and chiropractors come together to learn animal chiropractic. This has always been about working together, and this is also part of the foundation that was set by Dr. Sharon Willoughby.

This is a lot of information and questions to think about. Rest assured that you don’t need to worry about your certification whether your AVCA or IVCA. As for the diplomate, that’s yet to be seen.