Comparing the clinical presentation and outcomes of dogs receiving medical or surgical treatment for osseous-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy

Background: This study aimed to compare the clinical presentation, short and long term outcomes of dogs treated surgically or medically for Osseous associated cervical spondylomyelopathy. Methods: Information collected retrospectively from medical records included signalment, neurological status and treatment type. Surgical treatment consisted of dorsal laminectomy. Medical treatment involved restricted exercise and medication. Improvement or deterioration in neurological status was determined at discharge, re-examination 4-8 weeks post-treatment and by telephone interview with the referring veterinary surgeon or owner at the time of the study, which ranged from 8-54 months following the discharge (median, 16 months). Results: Twenty-four dogs were treated surgically and 30 medically. Neurological grade at clinical presentation was significantly higher in surgically treated dogs (p = 0.004). Transient early postoperative neurological deterioration occurred in 73.1% of surgically treated dogs. For medical cases, long term improvement was seen in 15% of cases, remained static in 40% and deterioration in 45%. Surgical treatment resulted in long term improvement in 67% of cases, remained static in 29% and deterioration in 4% of cases. Conclusion: This study suggests that surgery is a favourable treatment option, however, requires intensive post-operative care. Medical treatment was associated with a guarded prognosis but could be a viable treatment option for selected dogs.