Case Studies and Pet Success Stories
Cooper M.
"Thank you for giving me my life back, Doc! With much affection and respect, Cooper M."
Cooper is a 9 year old Airedale terrier who was brought to BVNS for inability to walk and severe neck pain over the previous 2 days. We performed an MRI of Cooper’s neck and found some severe changes that were consistent with an abscess within the neck muscles extending down into the spinal canal – seen as the bright white areas on the MRI.
Cooper’s owners wanted to give him the best chance and so Dr. Jarboe and Dr. Cuff performed surgery to remove as much of the abscess as possible and over the following week Cooper was cared for by the BVNS staff. By the time he went home he was able to walk with minimal support and was able to move his head and neck with improved range of motion and comfort. He went on to show continued improvement and made a full recovery over the following weeks.
And the cause? Likely a migrating grass awn. Samples taken at the time of surgery showed evidence of plant material. Cases like this are very uncommon and we hardly ever have direct evidence for the cause; they are notoriously difficult to treat. In this case the surgeons’ skill in conjunction with a tenacious patient and some loving owners led to the successful outcome we were all rooting for.
See our Facebook page for more on Cooper's story.
Allie's Story
Allie came to BVNS on the first Sunday in June for an emergency neurology consultation. Allie woke up in the morning unable to get up in the pelvic limbs. Dr. Cuff and Dr. Hague examined Allie and found that she had excellent movement in the back legs, but was unable to get up on her own. She was also painful in her back. She was given some pain relieving medications and came back the following morning for advanced imaging of the spine. BVNS has Sunday emergency hours, but since Allie was so stable neurologically, it was recommended that she come back the following day when the full staff was in hospital.
Allie’s MRI of the spine showed that she had a disc herniation between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebrae causing severe compression of the spinal cord. In the two MRI pictures, you can see the difference between the normal area of Allie’s spine and the T12-13 area where there is disc in the spinal canal causing severe compression of the spinal cord. Allie was taken to surgery and Dr. Bush and Dr. Hague were able to remove a large amount of disc material by performing a hemilaminectomy procedure on the left. After surgery, since Allie had a large amount of disc material, a CT scan was performed before waking her up from anesthesia to ensure complete removal of the disc material. The CT scan showed removal of the disc material from the spinal canal and relief of the compression. You can see from the picture, the region of bone we removed during surgery in order to remove the disc material and no evidence of compression of the spinal cord.
Allie was discharged three days after surgery. Upon discharge from the hospital, Allie was still not able to walk on her own, but continued to have good movement. We recommended that the owners continue physical therapy with passive range of motion and massage of the back legs. We also recommended standing exercises. Controlled water therapy can be excellent therapy for patients after back surgery. Allie’s owners got her a small kid pool and she has enjoyed spending time in the warm days in the pool doing her physical therapy. Currently, Allie is about 4 weeks from her surgery and is continuing to show daily improvement and is walking on her own!
Boo's Story
BVNS would like to introduce everyone to Boo, The Wonder Kitty. He is one of our super star patients! Boo is a 14 year old castrate male domestic shorthair. He was taken to Animal Emergency and Critical Care in Leesburg, VA on Thursday (4/22) for evaluation of circling to the right and being very mentally dull and depressed. He was seen by Drs. Bush and Dr. Hague at the Bush Veterinary Neurology Service on Friday (4/23). They performed an examination and were concerned about a problem in the right front part of the brain. They performed an MRI and diagnosed him with a brain tumor in the right temporal-parietal lobe (MRI picture). The following day (Saturday, 4/24) Boo was taken to surgery for removal of the mass. The results of the biopsy show that Boo has a meningioma, which is a slow growing type of tumor. Post-surgery Boo is doing great! According to the owner, Boo wants to run, jump and play with his toys! Here is a picture of Boo at home 5 weeks after his surgery.
Ruby’s Story
Ruby came to BVNS for episodes of poor balance and neck pain. Her MRI showed that the bone at the back of the skull was pushing into the brain and disrupting the normal fluid flow through the brain and cervical spinal cord. The condition is common in King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and is now known as the chiari-like malformation with syringomyelia. Ruby is pictured here after her brain surgery to correct her malformation.
Sheena's Story
Sheena first came to BVNS 25 months ago with the complaint of being unable to get up without screaming in pain, stiff, slow to move, dull, persistent flexion of the neck, lameness on the right pelvic limb, and a longer history of being fearful and aggressive.
Dr. Bush was a third opinion as Sheena had seen other neurologists already. After a series of tests and playing a hunch, Sheena became miraculously better on some of the newer treatments for GME. GME is a disease that traditionally carries a very poor prognosis, however the disease is now thought treatable or curable with the newer treatments. Sheena was one of the first dogs we had tried on these medications, which are now a standard of therapy.
Sheena was also quite fearful and this too has resolved with medication. Today she is happy, healthy, relaxed and has beaten the odds.
From Sheena's mom:
"Thank you all a million for my little happy and healthy girl. She is a mighty dog and Dr. Bush is a genius."
Lucky’s Story
Dear Doctors Bush, Young, and Christine,
Your team is really amazing - we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for the excellent care, thoroughness, compassion, and honesty you delivered to us and Lucky on Tuesday. It was an exhausting day for everyone but your group was so professional and kind that we felt such great relief driving home with Lucky-boy having some answers and a plan.
Lucky is comfortable with his pain meds, our family will be together over the weekend and we will enjoy our time together.
With our appreciation,
The Shreve family
Norman’s Story
Norman is owned by a veterinarian and came to BVNS for weakness on one side. His MRI showed a cancer was growing into the spinal cord. He was getting weaker despite medicine and surgery to remove the tumor was his only chance for a walking well and a good quality of life. The tumor was removed and the biopsy showed it to be an aggressive form of a common tumor called a meningioma. Norman started a safe form of chemotherapy and was given a pill at home three days a week. Although Norman died from another health problem a little more than a year and a half later, he was a great dog. We are sad he is gone but happy that we gave him an extra 18 months with his devoted owner.
Rascal’s Story
Rascal presented for weakness of the back legs that was progressing to the thoracic limbs and dullness. The MRI did not show a cause for the problem but a spinal tap revealed there was inflammation of the spinal cord and spinal cord lining also called a meningomyelitis. Rascal was then treated with antibiotics and has made a complete recovery.
Butterscotch’s Story
Butterscotch originally came to BVNS for episodes of poor balance that progressed to dullness and an inability to walk. An MRI showed the back of the brain was severely compressed by a large mass. It was suspected that the tumor was benign but removing it from over the brainstem was thought to be somewhat risky. The owners agreed to the surgery, the tumor was completely and safely removed and the biopsy was benign. Butterscotch quickly returned to normal and still enjoys a great quality of life two years after surgery.
Pavla D., Arlington, VA
Hi BVNS, this is Scout's mom. Scout recently underwent a hemilaminectomy at your facility. It's been a month since his surgery and he's doing very well. He wanted to send you a holiday picture of him, especially to his surgeon, Dr. Jarboe and to Sarah who took care of him after his surgery. Thanks for the great care you provided to Scout!
Scooby’s Story
Dear Dr. Bush ~
James & I wanted to thank you, Emily, and the whole team at BVNS for your expertise and empathy yesterday. Thank you for giving us the knowledge and confidence we needed in order to make the difficult decision to help Scooby. We are grateful Scooby had you to help him fight the good fight, even though in the end it was out of all of our hands.
We were looking forward to seeing Scooby live to be an old man, as we all knew he deserved. We are so grateful for the short time we got to share with him.
We really appreciate the friendliness and flexibility your clinic offered to us.
Andrea DeLeonardis & James Potter
Scooby "Poo Man Chew" DeLeo-Potter
February 22, 2007 (adoption date) - August 24, 2009
Jo Ann C., Harrisburg, PA
This clinic is absolutely wonderful. This is our second dog seen by this clinic in the past five months. I called before 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday and immediately spoke to Dr. Young. Drs. Young and Bush (and another resident) spent the entire day with us (early morning until after 5:00 p.m.) on a Saturday. This clinic is so responsive and caring. I cannot say enough wonderful things. Even though our little dog has a host of medical problems, Drs. Bush and Young were the ones to identify the problem. We are grateful.
Anissa S., Frederick, MD
Facility was state of the art and Dr's are experts!
Precious’ Story
Precious came to BVNS in a semi-comatose state, unable to walk and she had not eaten or drank any fluids for several days. She was treated with emergency drugs for brain swelling and her fluid and electrolyte balance stabilized. Her MRI showed a large brain tumor was causing the back of her brain to be pushed into the brainstem and cervical spinal cord. Removing the tumor was thought to be risky however the tumor was suspected to be benign. Without hesitation, Precious’ owner opted for the life-preserving, high risk surgery. Happily, after a few days in the hospital, Precious was able to walk and eat. The biopsy came back benign and two years later she is still well and with her devoted owner.
Tracey B., Bermuda
Service was first class from the time we walked in the door.
Lori F., Mechanicsburg, PA
Honestly I couldn't think of anything else to improve. The staff was amazing. My dog was brought in and had an MRI & CT Scan and surgery the same day. Dr. Bush explained everything thoroughly and Dr. Hague "held" our hand through the whole process. I was updating daily on my dogs progress. I would recommend your practice to everyone.