Intervertebral Disk Disease (Continued)

July 13, 2011

The degree of injury is determined by the force of the disk material hitting the cord. If there is an acute explosion of disk material, the injury can be severe. If the disk material oozes out over a period of time, there can be much more protruded disk causing less damage than a smaller amount of disk material with a more forceful explosion into the cord. A concussive disk is mainly liquid with only a small amount of calcified disk material in it that is under pressure. When it protrudes, it causes bruising of the cord but not much compression because the volume of disk material dissipates after it hits the cord. The "bullet" disk is a small amount of disk material that explodes into the cord and causes damage to a small area in the cord but lacks a compressive component. The injury can be significant depending on which level of the cord the injury occurs.

Diagnosis is made by neurological examination, radiographs, a myeolgram [injecting a dye around the spinal cord to see where there is a deviation in the dye column allowing localization of the protruded disk], or an MRI.

This is a very time sensitive problem. The longer the disk is putting pressure on the spinal cord, the less likely the pet is to recover. Think about putting a rubber band tightly around your finger. The longer it is there, the more damage that will be done because of loss of circulation to the finger. The same is true with pressure on the cord. If surgery is an option, the sooner it is done the better.

Treatment is either conservative using anti-inflammatory medication, muscle relaxants and cage rest for a period of time [days to weeks] or surgical removal of the offending disk material. This is done by making a window in the bone at the level of the disk protrusion and scooping the herniated disk material out of the spinal canal. If surgery is done to remove the disk, one must remember that the spinal cord is already bruised, and the surgery is only going to remove the cause of the concussion and compression to the cord. It is similar to slamming your finger in a car door, opening the door removes the cause of the injury, but the finger is still hurt. Surgery "opens the door", but the cord is still bruised and will require weeks to months to recover.

The average time from paralysis to recovery is 6-12 weeks. There will be physical therapy that has to be done at home on a daily basis. The bladder must be kept empty by manual expression several times daily. Medication will be sent home to be given for the first few weeks. Rechecks will be part of the follow up to check the progress of the recovery.

Continue: "Back Pain in Your Dog May be Disk Disease"

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Intervertebral Disk Disease (Continued)

July 13, 2011

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