Research on Potential NEW Treatment for Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD)

by Dr. Nick Jeffery Texas A&M CVM, Neurology

Acute disc herniation is a common problem in the middle of the back of many types of dog, but especially in dachshunds. This herniation causes an impact injury to the spinal cord and often also causes some persistent compression of the spinal cord.

The current recommended treatment for affected dogs that cannot walk on their own is to undergo scanning (usually MRI) and the surgery to remove the disc from the spinal canal. The outcome following this treatment is usually very good for dogs that retain the ability to feel pain in their hind legs, although quite a bit worse for those that cannot still feel pain.

However, there are drawbacks to this current standard of care. First, it is expensive, meaning that it is not a realistic option for many dog owners. Second, there is considerable evidence, some of it going back decades that not all dogs require surgery. Unfortunately, at the moment it is difficult to be sure which dogs really do benefit from surgery from those that don’t.

We have started a clinical trial to determine whether an alternative low-cost and much less invasive treatment might have comparable outcomes to this more complicated standard-of-

The DCA Health and Welfare Trust (H&WT) held a fundraiser during DCA 2023 to support new research on IVDD being conducted at Texas A&M. This article is about this research, but the basics are that this may offer an alternative non-surgical treatment for dogs with IVDD that may not be surgical candidates due to cost. Due to the generous donations from many people we raised over $6000. The DCA H&WT is adding additional funds and contributing a total of $10,000 to support this research.

For further information please see the Texas A&M research website: StudyPages - Ahttps://studypages.com/s/a-potential-newtreatment-for-acute-disc-herniation-in-small-breed-dogs833176/?ref=gallery potential new treatment for acute disc herniation in small breed dogs care therapy. In this alternative we locate the site of the problem by careful physical examination (testing for reflexes and painful areas) and then use an x-ray technique to place needles into spinal discs in the affected area with the dogs under anesthesia. When we have positioned the needles in the correct place we inject an enzyme (a protein that digests other material) into the discs. The aim is to digest the material that remains in place in the discs and also to digest material that is in the spinal canal. We know that the enzyme is safe to use in this place because of our – and other peoples’ - previous experience with it. We inject several discs to ensure that we treat the correct space and this may also have the benefit of reducing the risk of future further disc herniations.

After the procedure we check that the dogs are OK (in terms of pain etc.) and then send them home to undergo about 5-7 days’ of further rest and then gradual return to normal activities. We follow up by determining when dogs are able to walk a 50-step distance (measured for each individual dog) without falling.

At the moment we are restricting this trial to owners that cannot afford the current standard of care treatment – because we know that its success rate is high and so should be recommended as the first choice. The new therapy is unlikely to be damaging to treated dogs and may have similar outcomes to surgery – but we don’t know that yet. The aim of the trial is to find that out! !

A new genetic test can identify dogs at risk of a potentially deadly disorder resulting in excessive bleeding and bruising in the hours and days following surgical procedures.

A team led by Washington State University researchers developed the DEPOHGEN (TM) test following a study in which they examined Scottish deerhounds and identified a gene associated with the condition known as delayed postoperative hemorrhage or DEPOH. Animals with a mutation in the DEPOH gene are significantly more likely to experience the condition. The study was published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. “Dogs with the DEPOH mutation have a much higher risk than other dogs of developing this after undergoing surgery,” said Dr. Michael Court, the study's corresponding author. “The DEPOHGEN test will allow us to prevent delayed postoperative hemorrhage by administering antifibrinolytic drugs to dogs that test positive for the gene before any surgery.”

Delayed postoperative hemorrhage was first recorded in greyhounds, but it has also been noted in other sighthound breeds, like Scottish deerhounds and Irish wolfhounds. Following the identification of the DEPOH gene, the team examined samples from WSU's pet DNA bank and discovered the mutation in additional sighthounds, like Italian greyhounds and salukis, as well as in some other popular breeds, such as golden retrievers and border collies.