Neuro Hock surgery

A young collie presented to us at West Midlands Referrals with severe deformities of both hind limbs. Both tibias (shin bones) were massively twisted so that her hocks (equivalent to our ankles) and her stifles (equivalent to our knees) worked at right angles to each other instead of working in parallel alignment as they should do.

Achilles tendon problems are referred to us at West Midlands Referrals relatively frequently. The Achilles tendon functions, along with the muscles that contribute to it, to extend the ankle. This keeps the “heel” off the ground and allows the dog or cat to walk on tip-toe.

Roxy, and enthusiastic 34kg 8-month-old Labrador bitch, presented to us at West Midlands Referrals with hind limb lameness associated with instability of the medial collateral tibiotalar ligament (the ligaments that run down the inside of the ankle). Ligaments exist to prevent the motion of joints in directions that is not desirable – in this case, preventing side-to-side motion of the hock.

An 8-year-old male border collie presented at West Midlands Referrals with ever-worsening use of his back legs. This had progressed over a few weeks. A needle was inserted into the fluid sac surrounding his spinal cord just before his pelvis.

Gizmo presented to us suffering from an acute paralysis of the hind limbs. He was completely off his back legs and the referring vet suspected that one of the intervertebral discs, the soft tissue spacers that sit between the bones of the spinal column, had ruptured. One of our nurses recognised this dog and its owners. She had actually been at his birth (by caesarean) five years before in a previous employment!

Rusty, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier presented to us “off his back legs”, with total loss of sensation of his hind feet. An intervertebral disc had ruptured in his spine.

A 15-week-old spaniel pup presented to us at West Midlands Referrals with progressive ataxia (wobbliness) affecting the hind limbs. The referring vets had spotted a transitional vertebra between the lumbar and the sacral vertebrae at the bottom of the back.

Fusion of the tarsal joints is often indicated when there is irrevocable traumatic damage to the joint(s) often involving ligament damage. Some breeds like Shelties are especially prone to spontaneous collapse of the tarsal (and carpal) joints under normal loading.

Flynn, a 5-year-old Doberman, was seen by us in Burton-Upon-Trent a year ago with modest ataxia (wobbliness) affecting his hind limbs. It was thought that given his breed, this was very likely to be “wobbler syndrome” relating to cervical (neck) vertebral canal issues.

A 10-year-old Dalmatian presented with mobility issues affecting the hind legs. These had progressed in the previous weeks and months, and at presentation to us the patient was knuckling on both back legs and looked “drunk”.

Disc disease occurs when pathology affects the intervertebral discs – the soft tissue spacers found between vertebrae of the spinal column. The intervertebral discs are a bit like doughnuts with a fibrous surround (the annulus fibrosus) and a gel centre (the nucleus pulposus).

A 9kg, Sealyham Terrier presented with acute paraplegia (paralysis of the hind limbs). The condition was painful, and there was still enough nerve connection between drain and feet to allow some response when the toes were pinched.