{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,14]],"date-time":"2026-04-14T14:11:49Z","timestamp":1776175909895,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]],"date-time":"2024-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733270400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Current literature warrants surgical decompression in paraplegic dogs with absent pain perception (APP), but the rate of ambulatory dogs with APP following thoracolumbar (TL) IVDE surgery in a clinical setting remains unknown. Furthermore, the outcome of paraplegic APP French Bulldogs (FBs) is anecdotally considered poor. The aims of this study were threefold within a large population of TL-IVDE paraplegic dogs with APP undergoing decompressive surgery: (1) to characterize early spontaneous pelvic limb movement and ambulation following surgery; (2) to identify risk factors for the recovery of ambulation; and (3) to compare the outcome of FBs and Dachshunds presenting with APP.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A single-center, retrospective case series of dogs with paraplegia and APP diagnosed with TL-IVDE based on CT or MRI, all undergoing surgical decompression (hemilaminectomy \u00b1 durotomy). Two main groups were defined: ambulatory and non-ambulatory. These were further characterized depending on the presence of pain perception and spontaneous movement. The outcome was obtained at 4\u20138\u202fweeks postoperatively. Statistical analysis was performed comparing ambulatory and non-ambulatory dogs and comparing rates of ambulation on FBs vs. Dachshunds.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 127 cases were included, with 77 out of 127 (60.6%) being ambulatory at recheck and 9 out of 127 (7.1%) being ambulatory despite APP. The remaining case distribution of non-ambulatory cases was: with APP (32 out of 127; 25.2%), with pain perception (5 out of 127; 3.9%), and with spontaneous movement (5 out of 127; 3.9%). Multivariate analysis revealed two negative factors for the recovery of ambulation: dogs undergoing hemilaminectomy alongside durotomy (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.003) and dogs presenting with spinal shock (lower motor neuron signs with a lesion higher than the L3\u2013L4 intervertebral disk) characterized by reduced\/absent withdrawal reflex (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.008). No difference was found between Dachshunds (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f41, 73.2% ambulatory) and FBs (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f33, 63.6% ambulatory) in terms of recovery of ambulation, with only 2 out of 33 (6.1%) FBs developing myelomalacia.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Early recovery of ambulation alone (60.6%) and ambulation alongside pain perception (53.5%) occurred in the majority of surgically managed TL-IVDE-affected dogs with APP. Negative prognostic factors for recovery of ambulation were durotomy performed alongside hemilaminectomy, and dogs presenting with spinal shock with reduced\/absent withdrawal reflexes, the latter translating to a reduced\/absent withdrawal reflexes with a lesion higher than L3\u2013L4 intervertebral disk. Finally, no indications of a worse prognosis for recovery of ambulation or a higher rate of development of myelomalacia in FBs when compared to Dachshunds were found.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2024.1487105","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]],"date-time":"2024-12-04T16:06:41Z","timestamp":1733328401000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Characterization of risk factors for early ambulation in paraplegic dogs with absent pain perception undergoing decompressive surgery for thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusions"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"S\u00e9rgio A.","family":"Gomes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Rui Dam\u00e1sio","family":"Alvites","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Bruna","family":"Lopes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Andr\u00e9","family":"Coelho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Mike","family":"Targett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Jorge","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"D\u00e9bora","family":"Gouveia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"\u00c2ngela","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Artur S. P.","family":"Varej\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Ana Colette","family":"Maur\u00edcio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Ana L\u00facia","family":"Lu\u00eds","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"579025","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2020.579025","article-title":"Classification of intervertebral disc disease","volume":"7","author":"Fenn","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"595796","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2020.595796","article-title":"Canine spinal cord injury consortium (CANSORT-SCI). 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