Episode 75: Not all spinal injuries require surgery

Ane Uriarte, DECVN, MRCVS, DVM, EBVS, RCVS, joined Dr Christman and discussed how the speed of onset of symptoms can affect the urgency with which a pet parent should seek care.

Uriarte said: "For example, you have a 10-year-old dog that has been slowing down for 6 months. He's just limping a little bit, and then, in 2 [or] 3 days, he is unable to walk. You may not need to rush that Friday night to see your neurologist, because it's likely to be something that is slow progressing."

She added that in the inverse is also true. Quicker onset of more severe symptoms should be greater cause for alarm. Uriate explained: "On the other hand, you have a 2-year old, super-bouncey, nice and healthy French bulldog or dachsund, that was running 10 miles with you and that night is unable to get up. That is definitely an emergency."

According to Uriarte, it comes down to a few factors in context. "So it would be a combination of how severe it is—if he's not able to walk and requires further assistance—and how fast it happened," she said.

Listen to the full podcast below for more.