Dorsal Decompressive Laminectomy for Treatment of Thoracolumbar Disc Disease in Dogs: A Retrospective Study of 98 Cases

This study reviews the records of all dogs that underwent dorsal decompressive laminectomy for thoracolumbar disc disease at the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital during a 2‐year period. Findings as to age, breed, sex, and site of disc protrusion did not differ from those published by others. All dogs were operated on within 36 hours of the onset of inability to walk. The overall recovery rate was 80.6%. The recovery rate of dogs that had preoperative sensory perception was 89.5%, but was only 50.0% for those without sensory perception. The most important factor determining recovery rate was the presence or absence of preoperative sensory perception.