When Lottie arrived at VSA’s Sylvia Park clinic for spinal surgery, nobody could have predicted that the hardest part of the day would be convincing her to go home again.
Lottie, a dog with a rare spinal cyst causing progressive loss of function, had been referred to VSA specialist surgeon Dr Richard Jerram after her owner Alice Gasnier noticed something wasn’t right. Alice, a veterinary nurse at Companion Vets in Hamilton, knew enough about neurology to understand the road ahead wouldn’t be simple.
“Lottie is a bit of an unusual case,” Alice said. “Richard noted she was a classic nurse’s dog, with a very unusual condition.”
Cystic conditions of the tail end of the spinal cord are very uncommon in dogs but the more frequent use of advanced imaging studies with CT or MRI has improved our ability to diagnose this and to provide more focused treatment options” said Dr Jerram.
The journey began with a consultation at the regional clinic service offered in Hamilton, a service that Alice said made an immediate difference for a dog who doesn’t travel well.
“Lottie is not a big fan of travelling, so having the ability to get Richard’s expert opinion without the big car trip was a big plus,” she said.
Dr Jerram walked Alice through the diagnosis and gave her an honest picture of what surgery could and couldn’t achieve.
“Any spinal surgery is a big deal for both the dog and the owner. There are some considerable risks associated with the delicate nature of nerves and spinal cord tissue. These procedures require specialised surgical instrumentation, advanced lighting and intra-operative magnification. While these challenges and risks are present, VSA has a strong reputation and high success rate with these patients. Alice was able to much a thoroughly informed decision on whether she wanted to proceed with the surgery,” explained Dr Jerram.
When the decision was made to go ahead, Alice and Lottie made the trip north to Sylvia Park. Alice said the clinic’s calm environment helped ease what could have been a stressful day, and that the team made both of them feel welcome from the moment they arrived.
Updates came through that evening once Lottie was in recovery, and nurse Akiko called daily in the days that followed.
“I looked forward to my daily updates on how Lottie was getting on,” Alice said. “I know she had been well cared for.”
The proof came at discharge. When Lottie was brought into the room to go home, she turned around and walked straight back to the nurses!
A few weeks later, she was back to see surgeon Dr Jerram for her six-week post-operative check. Richard was very pleased to see the impressive degree of progress in Lottie. Her neurologic function had improved dramatically and she was a very happy dog wagging her tail far better than before the procedure.
From here, recovery is a team effort. Lottie is now working through an ongoing rehabilitation program with the VSA physiotherapy team, who have tailored a plan to rebuild her strength, balance, and confidence.
For Alice, the experience was shaped as much by the communication as the clinical care, with updates shared between VSA and Lottie’s referring clinic throughout.
“We are grateful to have access to such a skillful, caring team,” she said. “To be able to give our own pets — and our clients’ pets — the best possible outcomes.”
About our regional service
If you would like more information on this service, or to enquire on Dr Jerram’s visit schedule in your region, please get in touch with our team on info@vsnz.co.nz or call on 09 320 5645.