Spinal surgery on Chihuahua-cross Tyson proves ‘knockout result’

A Chihuahua-cross that was in constant pain after suffering serious spinal damage is back on its feet after vets carried out an intricate surgery on its vertebrae.

Two-year-old Tyson weighed just 1.7kg when he was brought into Northwest Veterinary Specialists in Sutton Weaver, near Runcorn, Cheshire.

Scans revealed Tyson had suffered a subluxation of his first two cervical vertebrae, which had compressed his spinal cord and left him in massive discomfort and barely able to walk.

Precision and patience

Luca Motta, head of neurology at the Linnaeus-owned practice, carried out the painstaking operation and said precision and patience were key to a successful outcome.

Mr Motta said: “Tyson is a tiny dog that was in huge discomfort when he came to see us. We carried out MRI and CT scans to see the extent of the problem and to accurately plan for surgery on his spine.

“Five screws were inserted into the vertebrae and held firm by bone cement to try to keep the two vertebrae aligned and stable.

“The difficulty of the surgery was that Tyson is really small and we had just 1cm to 2cm of space to place the screws into his tiny bones.”

Improvement

A postoperative CT scan showed good alignment and positioning of the screws, which has helped Tyson experience an excellent improvement in his movement and mobility.

Mr Motta added: “Tyson is doing very well and his owners are very pleased, so I guess you could say it was a knockout result for everyone involved.”