Garden State Veterinary Specialists is now proud to offer Percutaneous Laser Disc ablation as an adjunctive treatment for intervertebral disc disease.

This procedure is a minimally invasive way to treat at risk dog breeds who have experienced an intervertebral disc herniation, treated either medically or surgically. The aim of the procedure is to ablate (or remove) the central part of the intervertebral disc (nucleus pulposus) to decrease the risk of it herniating into the vertebral column causing pain, spinal cord compression, inability to walk, or in severe cases inability to feel the limbs.

Dogs who are at risk for developing an intervertebral disc herniation based on genetic factors may also be considered candidates for the procedure.

Chrondrodystrophy is a term used to describe dogs with short legs and a long body, and is associated with a genetic variation within the functional fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) gene. Mutations not only lead to the phenotype (appearance) of these dogs, but also causes premature degeneration of the intervertebral disc, causing calcification of the nucleus pulpsosus, thus predisposing such dogs to a Hansen’s type I intervertebral disc extrusion. Breeds identified with this variant include Dachshund, Beagle, Basset Hound, French Bulldog, Bichon Frise, Miniature and toy poodle, Corgi, Shih Tzu and several others.

The procedure is performed by both of our board certified veterinary neurologists/neurosurgeons. If you are interested in learning more about the procedure please schedule a consultation with one of our neurologists.

We have recently upgraded our MRI machine to a Siemens 1.5 Tesla Magnet. This allows for rapid high resolution diagnostic imaging of all areas of the body with emphasis on the brain and spinal cord.