Time to ambulation recovery in paraplegic dogs without deep pain perception following decompressive surgery and postoperative physiotherapy

ABSTRACT: This retrospective study evaluated the time required to regain ambulation in paraplegic dogs without deep pain perception (DPP) affected by intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) and treated with decompressive surgery with or without postoperative (PO) physiotherapy. Paraplegic dogs lacking DPP for up to 96 hours and diagnosed with thoracolumbar IVDE were included. Thirty-four animals were classified into two groups: Gphysio (n=22), consisting of dogs that underwent decompressive surgery and PO physiotherapy, and Ghemi (n=12), comprising dogs that did not undergo any form of PO physiotherapy. Physiotherapy consisted of cryotherapy, massage, passive stretching, passive range of motion, locomotor training, flexor reflex stimulation, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and therapeutic exercises. The rates of return to ambulation did not differ significantly between groups, with 31.8% (n=7) in the Gphysio group and 33.3% (n=4) in the Ghemi group. However, the time to regain ambulation was significantly shorter in the Gphysio group, with a mean of 83.4 ± 19.3 days, compared to 314 ± 109.2 days in the Ghemi group. These findings suggested that the shorter time to regain ambulation in dogs affected by IVDE with paraplegia and loss of DPP was possibly due to PO physiotherapy.