The University of California, San Francisco, has announced their work with an experimental drug which may benefit dogs with spinal cord injuries. The drug has already proven effective in mice, and the next tier of the study will look at its effectiveness in previously injured dogs:
Funded through a three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, the drug to mitigate damage has already proven effective in mice at UCSF. Now the Texas team will test how it works in previously injured short-legged, long torso breeds of dog like dachshunds, beagles and corgis, who often suffer injuries when a disk in their back spontaneously ruptures, damaging the underlying spinal cord.
About 120 dogs a year that develop sudden onset hind limb paralysis after such injuries are brought to the Small Animal Hospital of Texas A&M University, where they receive surgical and medical treatment similar to that for human spinal cord injury. Now, researchers will test whether the new treatment works on some of these dogs, with their owners’ consent.
Read all about the study at UCSF. It's great to see some therapies emerging for Dachshunds afflicted with IVDD.
Remember, if your Dachshund shows signs and symptoms of back issues, or goes completely down where they can't walk, there are options out there! Take your dog to your vet immediately, and listen to the good advice offered at Dodgerslist, your Dachshund disc disease/IVDD resource. There's always a link to them in the links column on your right. They have a very active discussion list, and are real pros when it comes to offering advice for IVDD Dachshunds and general Dachshund health.
Naturally Occurring Spinal Cord Injuries in Dogs
- 2.3% of dogs admitted to veterinary teaching hospitals have naturally injured spinal cords
- 48% to 72% of all affected dogs are Dachshunds
- 1 in 5 Dachshunds are affected over their lifetime
- Other common breeds: Beagles, Corgis, Pekingese, and Shih Tzus
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