At the beginning of March, Revel, a four-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer, ran head first into the back tire of a moving car and was non-ambulatory immediately afterwards. After a whole-body CT Scan, it was discovered she had vertebral subluxation, which is the partial dislocation of a spinal vertebra from its normal position, with disc extrusion at C2-C3 and marked spinal cord contusion. A ventral corpectomy and stabilization was performed at C2-C3. A corpectomy is a procedure that removes damaged vertebrae and intervertebral discs that are compressing the spinal cord and spinal nerves.
After surgery, Revel had proprioceptive deficits, weakness and ataxia of all four limbs, with the left side being much worse than the right. Revel was brought to BARC with the goals of improving functional mobility, balance, coordination and strength. She began acupuncture and physical therapy about a month following surgery, focusing on pain management, proprioception, standing stability, gait training, neural re-education and strengthening of her limbs and core. Revel improved quickly and progressed to the underwater treadmill about two weeks after starting her rehabilitation program.
It has now been about 4 months since Revel started her rehabilitation program and we are so thrilled with her progress. She now demonstrates improved stability, functional mobility, proprioception and strength. While she still demonstrates mild ataxia and lameness of the left hind limb, she has come a long way from the young lady who could not even walk in a straight line without assistance! Way to go Revel, you’re a fighter!
