Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a devastating condition in dogs that can cause pain, sensation loss, and lifelong paralysis. Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center is proud to offer laser disc ablation, a prophylactic procedure that can prevent IVDD development. If your dog is at risk of IVDD, consider laser disc ablation to prevent its devastating effects, costly emergency treatment, and a traumatic experience for you and your beloved pet.
Intervertebral discs are made up of a flexible, fibrous outer layer surrounding a thick, gel-like center, and are located between the individual vertebrae that compose your dog’s spinal column. IVDD occurs when an intervertebral disc ruptures, the inner material extrudes into the spinal canal, and your dog’s sensitive spinal cord is compressed. Intervertebral discs typically degenerate over time and may acutely rupture when a dog’s sudden movement, such as jumping from an elevated surface, compresses a disc. The resulting spinal cord compression causes a spectrum of clinical signs, including:
Back pain, which may cause your dog to walk with a hunched posture and avoid being touched or picked up
Incoordination
Partial to complete paralysis
Sensation loss (loss of feeling)
IVDD clinical signs are related to the disc-damage location, which is typically the neck or lower back area.
Treatment depends on the severity of your dog’s clinical signs—mild cases may be treated with strict activity restriction and medications to reduce spinal cord inflammation, while severe IVDD may require immediate surgery to decompress the spinal cord, extensive hospitalization, and physical rehabilitation therapy for possible recovery. Some dogs never regain function and remain paralyzed, or are euthanized.
Laser disc ablation, which is performed to prevent IVDD, is not an option for pets who currently have IVDD and are experiencing paralysis or neurologic signs related to disc rupture. If your dog currently has IVDD-related pain, he or she may require medical management for several weeks and must be pain- and medication-free for a minimum of two weeks before laser disc ablation can be performed.
Although any dog can develop IVDD, chondrodystrophic breeds, such as dachshunds, who have long backs and short legs, are the most likely affected. IVDD incidence in cats is rare but possible. Any pet who has had IVDD in the past, or is a high-risk breed, is a laser disc ablation candidate (size can be a limiting factor for the procedure).
Percutaneous Laser Disc Ablation (PLDA) is a minimally invasive preventative procedure for thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease in dogs. This procedure was developed by Dr. Kenneth E. Bartels at Oklahoma State University. Hundreds of dogs have undergone percutaneous disc ablation since the procedure was clinically introduced in 1993. PLDA is recommended as a preventative procedure to reduce the risk of disc extrusion into the spinal canal in dogs with a prior history of disc disease, or for dogs that are at a high risk of disc rupture like dachshunds (chondrodystrophic breeds). The procedure has been found to be over 97% effective with only 9 dogs (2.6%) over a 10-year period having a recurrence of signs that required surgical intervention. All nine dogs recovered uneventfully.
After your dog is anesthetized, his or her back will be shaved, and the skin overlying the vertebral column will be aseptically prepared. Eight needles will be inserted through the skin into the center of the intervertebral discs. Imaging techniques are used to ensure proper needle placement. A laser fiber will be placed through each needle, and the laser is used to vaporize and coagulate the inner disc material, which removes and stabilizes the disc’s center so it is unlikely to rupture in the future.
