Long-term functional outcome of dogs with severe injuries of the thoracolumbar spinal cord: 87 cases (1996–2001)

Abstract

Results suggested that the prognosis for paraplegic dogs without DPP because of trauma was guarded, while dogs with disk herniation had a better chance of recovering motor function. A third of the dogs that recovered motor function had intermittent incontinence. Persistent loss of DPP did not preclude recovery of motor function, but such dogs remained incontinent.

Prognostic Factors Associated with Recovery of Ambulation and Urinary Continence in Dogs with Acute Lumbosacral Spinal Cord Injury

“…Secondly, noncompressive lesions that cause ischemia and laceration may cause selective and irreversible S2‐S3 gray matter damage in L4‐S3 dogs. This finding contradicts previous studies, which have not found an association between low lumbar SCI and the probability of functional recovery6 or regaining ambulation 4, 5. However, these studies have deficiencies rendering their power low.…”

“…Our results show that dogs with loss of CPP have a low rate of recovery compared to 3 previous studies regarding dogs with T3‐L3 SCI and intervertebral disk herniation (58%,4 62%,11 and 58%16). In our study, of 13 dogs with loss of CPP and a L4‐S3 SCI lesion, only 1 dog had a complete functional recovery within 3 weeks (i.e, only 7.7% regained ambulation and continence) and only 3/11 (27%) dogs had a successful long‐term outcome.…”

“…However, no diagnostic test or clinical data can differentiate spinal shock (which is shown to resolve within 60 days in dogs21) from LMN signs that resolve with resolution of the SCI, and our study was affected by the same limitation, albeit to a potentially lesser degree. The second problem is that these studies rely on a comparatively small number of dogs (11 dogs4 and 17 dogs5), that were part of larger studies of prognostic factors for dogs with intervertebral disk extrusions. The largest study had only 21 dogs with pelvic limb LMN signs 6.…”

“…Where possible, clinical records were used to establish whether functional recovery occurred within 21 days of presentation. We chose 21 days based on previous studies showing that recovery of pain sensation in dogs with severe spinal cord injury occurred within 3 weeks in most dogs that later made a good recovery 4, 11. Functional recovery of ambulation was defined as being able to walk without assistance (as we judged that owners would easily be able to answer this question), and functional recovery for urinary continence was defined as having voluntary control of urination (posturing to urinate) without having incidents of accidental urination.…”

Acquisition of Involuntary Spinal Locomotion (Spinal Walking) in Dogs with Irreversible Thoracolumbar Spinal Cord Lesion: 81 Dogs

“…Recovery rate from ASCI is variable and depends on the severity of the spinal cord damage, rate of onset of clinical signs, and type of treatment 1, 3, 4. Considering the difficulty of objectively establishing the extent of the spinal cord damage, it is generally accepted to use the absence of pain perception as the most important indirect sign to asses complete functional spinal cord transection 1, 5. Absence of pain perception is classically associated with a severe to poor prognosis for functional recovery of voluntary locomotion 2, 6, 7, 8, 9.…”