Often, pets with neurological diseases display troubling symptoms, including tremors, seizures, difficulty walking or maintaining balance, and even paralysis. Diagnosing the root cause of a patient’s neurological signs as accurately as possible enables expert care and more effective treatment and management of symptoms.
Our specialists at VSC begin with a complete physical and neurological examination as well as a thorough analysis of your pet’s medical history. Direct observations of your pet’s concerning behavior help us provide an accurate diagnosis and construct an effectual, individual treatment plan. In most cases, further diagnostic tests include imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT).

During examination our veterinarians may use the following:

• Computed tomography (CT): Computed Tomography (CT scanning) is an advanced diagnostic tool that allows veterinarians to create 2D and 3D images of the patient. During the scanning process a rotating x-ray tube creates cross-sectional images of the animal, which are then compiled in a computer to produce the images which the doctor sees.

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non-invasive, highly advanced diagnostic tool that creates a detailed cross-sectional image without using ionizing radiation like radiographs or CT scans. MRI is the standard of care for evaluating the nervous system.

• Digital Radiography: Radiography is one of the most common diagnostic tools used in veterinary medicine today. At VSC we offer digital radiography, allowing your pet’s images to be sent quickly and efficiently to any computer in our hospital. Digital radiographs can also be sent to a certified radiologists in seconds, and clients are sent home with an electronic copy for their records.

We perform these tests either under short-acting general anesthesia or mild sedation. In conjunction with observation and a thorough physical examination, these tests can quickly and accurately pinpoint diseases of the nervous system such as neuropathies, myasthenia gravis, polymyositis, paralyses, and more. Common diseases evaluated with MRI include intervertebral disc disease, brain and spinal tumors, inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, and soft tissue and bony abnormalities compressing the spinal cord.

After diagnosing the problem, our specialists will design a treatment plan tailored to your pet’s specific needs. Treatment plans often include a combination of physical rehabilitation, pain management, brain or spinal surgeries to remove tumors, internal medicine to eliminate infections, and other procedures to correct disc disease or congenital deformities.