Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of disc associated Wobbler syndrome in dogs

S. De Decker, S. Bhatti,I. Gielen, L. Van Ham

Disc associated wobbler syndrome (DAWS) is the most prevalent and most typical wobbler syndrome in dogs. It is typically seen in the middle-aged Dobermann Pinscher. Caudal cervical spinal cord compression is caused by protrusion of the annulus fi brosus of the intervertebral disc into the spinal canal, sometimes in combination with ligamentum fl avum hypertrophy and malformed vertebrae. Clinical signs vary from neck pain to tetraplegia. The diagnosis is generally made using myelography. There is a lot of controversy concerning the treatment of this disease. Many surgical techniques have been developed for it, but little is known about the results of conservative treatment. Objective data about the prognosis of this disease is scarce.