A little Chihuahua is living life to the fullest after treatment for three protruding discs in her spine.
Lola was referred to Linnaeus-owned Eastcott Veterinary Referrals, in Swindon, Wiltshire due to incoordination of her hind limbs, which had worsened over several weeks. She was seen by head of neurology Tom Shaw.
Following a consultation, Tom carried out an MRI using the hospital’s AI-enabled MR5300 machine. The high-resolution images revealed three protruding discs in the middle of Lola’s back, which were causing significant compression on her spinal cord.
With minimal improvement after a period of strict rest, Lola’s owner made the decision for her to undergo surgery following a transparent conversation about her condition.
Tom, an RCVS-recognised specialist in neurology, said: “The recommended procedure is a corpectomy to remove the protruding part of the disc, however, this is only usually carried out in one disc. In Lola’s case, three needed to be operated on.
“Due to her tiny size, the procedure was carefully planned with our anaesthesia and imaging teams to ensure it went smoothly, and Lola required an MRI scan during the procedure to ensure it was completed effectively.”
After a successful operation, Lola spent two days recovering at Eastcott before being discharged with a home physiotherapy plan provided by the hospital’s in-house team.
Six weeks later the tiny chihuahua returned for a recheck, and Tom was delighted to see she had improved so much that her hind limb incoordination had nearly completely resolved. Six months on, her owner says Lola is thriving and back to her energetic self.
Tom said: “A triple corpectomy on such a tiny patient is a considerable challenge but it was wonderful to be able to perform this successfully and restore Lola's quality of life.
“A procedure of this kind would not have been possible without the skilled staff and advanced equipment we have at our disposal.”
Eastcott, one of the UK’s leading small animal hospitals, has recently expanded its neurology service to four specialists, treating out-of-hours neurological and neurosurgical emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information on the award-winning services at Eastcott Veterinary Referrals in Swindon, visit: www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk or www.eastcottvets.co.uk.
