Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog stepping and coordination recovery after spinal disc surgery
By Rousse, C A et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2016·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Recovery of stepping and coordination in dogs following acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniations.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with severe back problems caused by herniated discs underwent surgery to relieve pressure on their spinal cords. After the surgery, 63 dogs were evaluated over six weeks to see how well they could walk and coordinate their movements. Most dogs that were able to walk before surgery showed significant improvement within two weeks, with many regaining nearly normal stepping ability by six weeks. However, dogs that had lost pain sensation did not recover as well, with some unable to walk independently even after six weeks. This study highlights that while many dogs can regain their ability to walk, coordination may still be an issue for some.
People also search for: dog back surgery recovery · herniated disc treatment in dogs · dog coordination problems after surgery
Abstract
Prospective data on the recovery of coordination in dogs suffering acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniations (TL-IVDH) are limited. The purpose of this study was to use treadmill based and open field scores (OFS) to quantify recovery of stepping ability and forelimb, hindlimb coordination in the 6 weeks following surgical decompression of dogs with TL-IVDH. Sixty-three dogs were grouped at presentation as grades 3 (non-ambulatory paraparetic), 4 (paraplegic) or 5 (paraplegic without pain sensation) and were evaluated 2, 4, and 6 weeks post-operatively. Stepping scores and Regularity Index (RI), a measure of coordination, were calculated from treadmill walking, and an OFS incorporating supported and unsupported walking was assigned. Outcomes for the three measures were compared between groups and correlation between scoring methods was assessed. Grade 3 and 4 dogs recovered ambulation by 2 weeks, reaching median stepping scores of 96 and 90% by 6 weeks, respectively. Recovery of coordination differed between groups 3 and 4 with median RI scores of 93.9% and 63%, respectively, by 6 weeks. Eight grade 5 dogs failed to recover independent ambulation by 6 weeks. Nine dogs recovered with scores that were significantly worse than the grade 3 and 4 dogs at 6 weeks for stepping score (P < 0.001) and RI (P < 0.001). OFS correlated closely with stepping and RI scores and each group was significantly different using this ordinal scale. In conclusion, recovery of coordination was incomplete in dogs that showed good recovery of stepping. The data generated could be used for clinical trial design.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27240917/