3D imaging showing the planned screw positions for spinal surgery on Teebo the Finnish Lapphund at North Downs Specialist Referrals.
NDSR's Pioneering Spinal Care 'transformational'
2 months ago 
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Pioneering surgery at one of the UK’s leading animal hospitals is transforming the lives of dogs suffering with serious spinal problems.
Dr Guillaume Leblond, a neurology specialist at Linnaeus-owned North Downs Specialist Referrals (NDSR) in Surrey, says the ground-breaking Neuromed invetra spinal stabilisation system is delivering remarkable results.
Dr Leblond has highlighted a recent NDSR case as an example of the success of the innovative treatment, which he believes will one day become commonplace.
Teebo, a 12-year-old Finnish Lapphund, was referred to NDSR with acute spinal conditions and has since made a full recovery after treatment for lumbosacral disease with discospondylitis.
Dr Leblond performed a long but successful surgery on Teebo by placing pedicle screws and rods to stabilise his lumbosacral spine as well as antibiotic sponges to help fight infection.
Dr Leblond said: “In the most serious spinal infections the new system really comes to the fore.
“This type of spinal stabilisation can quickly improve the comfort of patients in extreme pain, who are unable to stand and are not responding to antibiotics.
“The levels of discomfort are night and day when compared to the pain they were in before.
“I would also recommend this approach in cases where there is great movement in between the infected vertebrae. This creates a high risk of inflammation and plays a huge role in causing real discomfort and distress.
“Such instability also creates the space for bacteria to thrive in the discs, which is a good place to hide from the body’s immune system, and this can lead to a chronic bone infection, which is then difficult to combat.
“This new system can quickly create stability without providing a site for bacteria to hide again, which can be a problem with more traditional stabilisation techniques using bone cement.
“In some patients, we have even been able to follow-up the viability of the implants using CT images for several months and demonstrate that the infected bone was growing back filling up the previously infected gap.”
Teebo’s grateful owner Julie Kosla, from Worthing, is delighted with the transformation in her much-loved family pet.
She said: “We first realised Teebo was unwell in May 2023 when he became lame on his right hind leg.
“He was whining and limping on his right hind leg and would yelp when his lumbar spine area or right hind leg was touched which concerned us.
“He deteriorated very quickly so we had him checked by our local vets Arun Veterinary Group and he was admitted for strong pain relief infusions overnight.
“He was transferred to NDSR as an emergency. We couldn’t believe how poorly he was but were so happy when he was discharged back to us a couple of days after his surgery at NDSR. He was already looking a lot better and happier.
“Teebo is now back to his normal silly self, full of energy and thinking he’s a puppy again!
“We had amazing care from North Downs both to Teebo and us as a family. Everything was explained in detail and the care Teebo received was incredible.”
NDSR offers specialist-led services in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery and spinal surgery.
For more information, visit https://www.ndsr.co.uk/home or search for North Downs Specialist Referrals on social media.
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