Avril Arendse, clinical instructor of neurology and neurosurgery at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and her neurosurgery team combine high-tech technology and surgical teamwork to help a paralyzed dog walk again.
After an accident, Lily, a 2-year-old dachshund was paralyzed. After searching for ways to help Lily, she wasn’t expected to walk again, and though the surgery was an option, it had many risks.
Lily’s owners were determined to find a solution. They connected with Arendse, who happened to have the proper resources to help, including a skilled team to support her.
The surgery Arendse performed on Lily has a mortality rate of 25 percent, with a 50/50 chance she would walk pain-free again.
“Because of fractures like this, you need staffing and other kinds of specialized equipment like MRI and CT,” Arendse said. “We needed at least two to three people during the surgery, scrubbing in to help physically. You need multiple sets of hands that can be physically involved in the surgery.”
“It’s one of the things that, honestly, I’ve gotten to do here at the veterinary teaching hospital that I didn’t get to do in private practice because of the resources and other experts that we have available.”
A 3D printer is a tool that was crucial for success. Using the printer to create a model of Lily’s spine, Arendse and the team practiced the surgery they would perform to help Lily walk again.
Arendse was pleased with the results. “Postoperatively, Lily was doing just as well as preoperatively, and that’s what we want to see. Sometimes it can be worse after the surgery, but she was already a little bit better and much more comfortable after.”
A few follow-up visits to check on progress as Lily healed and some rehab at the veterinary teaching hospital or with a local veterinarian. But Lily’s owners had other ideas. They were so grateful for the life-changing successful outcome they made a TikTok sharing Lily’s remarkable journey.
Arendse and the team’s success with Lily is a testament to the importance of veterinarians using cutting-edge technology to give animals better care. With 3D printers and other technology becoming more common and available, veterinary medicine will adapt and advance.
One look at the TikTok video shows how much Lily’s owners appreciate Arendse and the team’s work. Amid clips of Lily progressing from paralysis to play, her owners expressed their thanks and appreciation.
“Lily can run pain-free, and she can play, and she can jump and race in the wind; all because one courageous veterinary surgeon believed in herself and her team,” Allison Smith, one of Lily’s owners, said.
