Nienke

Nienke, a 5 year-old Dachshund, had been suffereing from back pain for a short time and then one day she lost function in her back legs. Fortunately she was referred to us early (within 24 hours of her becoming paraplegic). When she was presented at Anderson Moores Nienke had deteriorated even further -as well as having paralysed back legs she had lost all pain sensation in her hind paws -indicating severe spinal cord injury.

Nienke had an emergency CT scan soon after admission, which confirmed a ruptured disc (disc extrusion) in the lumbar spine. This was compressing the spinal cord, hence the paralysis. CT was followed by emergency spinal surgery. Nienke had a left hemilaminectomy and a right pediculectomy -these procedures involve burring away some of the bone of the vertebrae to make a window into the spinal canal, thus allowing the disc material to be removed and the cord to be decompressed.

CT:  disc material is putting pressure on the spinal cord

Nienke recovered very well from the surgery and made great progress. Pain sensation returned to her hind paws within a few days of surgery. This was followed by a gradual improvement in hindlimb strength and with in-house physiotherapy Nienke was able to walk, although in a very wobbly manner, by around 8 days after surgery. She was discharged from the hospital and continued to improve at home. When she was re-examined a month after surgery she was walking well although she still had some mild weakness in the hindlimbs.

Four months after surgery Nienke's owners updated us: "You will be pleased to here that Nienke has made a full recovery. Over the past few months she has gained strength in her hindlegs and she is now as good as new. We are very grateful for the crucial role you and your colleagues have played in her rescue".

Disc disease is common in Dachshunds. As they get older their discs degenerate and become stiffer, making them more likely to rupture and for disc material to burst into the spinal canal. It is common for  affected dogs to become wobbly/weak on their back legs or to go off them completely. These dogs have a great prognosis with surgical decompression of the spinal cord (>90% return to normal function). They can also do well without surgery as long as they are very strictly rested in a cage for a minimum of 3 weeks, although the success rates are not as good as with surgery and recovery takes longer. Without surgery there is also a risk of further deterioration, which can result in irreversible paralysis. Hence we advise surgery for these cases. More severe cases, like Nienke, may lose the ability to urinate and even lose all pain sensation (we call this being 'deep pain negative'). Deep pain negative dogs have a much more guarded prognosis, with only 50-70% of dogs recovering after surgery. Deep pain negative dogs are surgical emergencies -if surgery is delayed the prognosis deteriorates further. Nienke was one of the lucky ones and did fantastically well considering the extent of her spinal cord injury, thanks in part to a prompt emergency referral from her local vet and an immediate CT scan and surgery at Anderson Moores.