NEST Veterinary Neurology

10/26/2023

Meet Pudge the wonder cat!!! Pudge was seen at NEST recently with a presenting complaint of difficulty walking, falling over, and episodes of rigidity. An MRI showed a large tumor on the surface of his brain with severe swelling in the surrounding brain tissue. His intracranial pressure was markedly elevated, causing the contents of his brain to herniate into other compartments of the skull and through the foramen magnum (push out through the opening in the back of the skull). Pudge was treated with diuretics and steroids to decrease the swelling. He then returned for a craniotomy (removal of a window of bone in the skull) and a majority of the tumor was removed. The MRI shows the extent of the tumor. At Pudge's recheck last week he was able to perform all of his "commands"!!! Sit, paw, high-5, roll over, sit pretty, jump over, and bang/play dead! He literally put on a "clinic"! We are BEYOND happy with his recovery and think he is one amazing (and handsome) kitty 💙.

10/15/2023

Happy National Pug Day from the NEST!!! 💙

09/10/2023

how lucky are we to walk into the office and see this face? best job EVER!!!💙

07/18/2023

It’s been a LONG time since our last post… We have had a run on geriatric patients lately. Making a decision to take a patient to surgery is always difficult, especially when they are older and have concurrent medical issues. A few months back we saw Frank, this ADORABLE little old man. He was painful and unable to walk in the hind end. We did an MRI of his spine which showed multiple disc protrusions in his back (see MRI images), 3 of which were severe enough to need surgical decompression. His owner decided to proceed with surgery ( a hemilaminectomy at 3 sites) and he did FANTASTIC! At his first recheck he was cruising around!!! What a tough cookie… and that face… irresistable 💙

03/25/2023

This cute little lady came in for a recheck yesterday! Lacey first came to us about 4 months ago, suddenly unable to use her back legs. She had an MRI which showed a disc herniation at T13/L1. She had emergency surgery (a hemilaminectomy) to remove the herniated disc material. She is now doing walks everyday with her owner and living large! At 12 1/2 years old she is one tough cookie! Age is just a number!!!l

01/12/2023

It’s been forever since our last post! Here are a few of our MANY super cute patients from 2022! Wishing our patients and families a happy, healthy 2023!

09/22/2022

Thank you to ShoutOut SoCal for featuring NEST in your most recent issue :)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Murray and we've shared our conversation below. Hi Michelle, we'd love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business? Well, I love what I do professionally, but I love my family more. Prior to starting NEST, I had alway

08/27/2022

It’s been a little busy at the NEST so we haven’t had time for social media, but can’t miss International Dog Day! Dogs bring so much joy and unconditional love to our lives… amazing creatures!!! 💙

05/30/2022

thank you to all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom 🇺🇸…

05/09/2022

Mabel was seen at NEST with a presenting complaint of incoordination, stumbling, and acting painful. Based on her neuro exam, we suspected a problem affecting her cervical spinal cord. An MRI of her neck was performed, which showed that she has abnormalities consistent with caudal occipital malformation syndrome (COMS). COMS is a congenital condition of the craniocervical junction in dogs consisting of the several abnormalities including: abnormal occipital bone anatomy causing crowding of the cerebellum, herniation of the cerebellum through the foramen magnum, dilation of the 4th ventricle, and “kinking” of the brainstem. Over time, many dogs develop a secondary syringohydromyelia (accumulation of fluid in the spinal cord and central canal) due to the abnormal flow of spinal fluid created by these anomalies. This condition is similar to Chiari 1 malformation in humans. In most dogs, the symptoms can be managed medically, with drugs that decrease the production of spinal fluid. In dogs that are poorly responsive to medical management, surgical decompression or enlargement of the foramen magnum can be performed, as well as removing any scar tissue in that area. Thankfully Mabel is doing much better on her medications!!! She is tiny but tough… we LOVE her!!!! 💙

04/23/2022

Pretty Naomi likes to ride in style!!! She literally rolled into NEST in her designer bag, had an MRI, then rolled back out… She had perfect hair and looked like a movie star the entire time!

04/15/2022

when your patient sends a picture from their birthday party 💗🥰💙🎂💥

03/18/2022

This sweet handsome boy has been a regular at NEST over the past few months. Riley presented with severe cervical pain, muscle spasms, and was losing coordination in all four limbs. On MRI, he had a cervical disc herniation, compressing his spinal cord and nerve roots. Post surgery, Riley has had a bumpy recovery, but many sleepless nights later, we are happy to report that he is doing fantastic! He is the BEST boy and we love him!!! 💗

03/13/2022

Here is a long overdue video tour of NEST! Our footprint is small but efficient... and was thoughtfully planned based on literally years of practice. We have a quiet, spacious treatment area, extra large comfortable dog runs, and smaller suites for our "littles". We have in-house mobile digital radiology, in house MRI, and of course, our surgery suite.

03/03/2022

Seeing sick patients and worried owners can be stressful and sometimes overwhelming… but at the end of the day our snuggly patients are worth every minute! 💙 … This little cutie is actually named “Cupcake”… She’s too sweet for words!

02/16/2022

Myles was the BEST dog ever today… He was perfectly well behaved.. and that face!!! Is he smiling at us? 💕💕💕

12/09/2021

when your favorite father-in-law stops by the office for a visit 😂….

12/03/2021

We were SOOOO excited to see this little fraggle at NEST this week! Darla is a Miniature Schnauzer mix who presented with a several day of severe neck pain and muscle spasms, which was poorly responsive to medications. An MRI showed a disc herniation in her neck. She had a ventral slot surgery and the herniated disc was removed. She had immediate relief of her symptoms and is recovering like a champ!!!

11/19/2021

Nothing to see here… just our new patient Pepper in her deep dish cuddler bed. What a sweetie 💙

10/13/2021

sweet baby Shelby was seen at NEST back in August for severe cluster seizures. Her owners are AMAZING and were instantly in love and fully committed to helping her… With their permission, Shelby had a full neurological workup including a neurological exam, bloodwork, radiographs, a brain MRI, spinal tap, and infectious disease PCR panel, all of which were frustratingly normal. Shelby was started on several anti-seizure medications which have helped with her seizure control. Fast forward… we saw her again this week (2 months after this picture was taken). She looks FANTASTIC, is playing, was a WILD puppy for her neuro exam, and has doubled in size!!!! … and that face !!! 💕

10/07/2021

We’ve had a run of super cute patients and REALLY interesting cases at NEST this month! This beautiful, sweet old man, “Bleu” came into the office in lateral recumbency, unable to move from the neck down. An MRI of his cervical spinal cord showed an abnormal structure immediately above the C3/4 disc space, but with a cystic (fluid-filled) appearance. He was diagnosed with a “discal cyst”, a neurological condition seen in humans, which has also been described in dogs. There are fewer than 50 reported cases in the veterinary literature! Bleu was treated surgically with a ventral slot procedure, and a large amount of thick, clear fluid drained from the spinal canal. Here is Bleu 24 hours after surgery, sitting up on his own, and is now walking! We are beyond happy for this sweet boy and his family!

09/22/2021

Good morning Pepino!!! This adorable little mouse/chihuahua came into NEST after having a seizure… the AMAZING New Beginnings for Animals rescue group scooped him out of a local shelter and after his seizure, brought him in for care. This little guy is small but fierce!!! … and those EARS!!!! What a cutie!

06/27/2021

Did you know that over the past 2 years, the #1 dog breed we have seen at NEST for intervertebral disc disease is the French Bulldog? This cute little guy is Eddie Van Halen, a young frenchie who's owner originally thought he might have a brain problem because he was having episodes of being "glazed over" and staring into space. On his exam, we determined that he had severe cervical pain. Some dogs have such severe pain that they stand in one spot and stare into space. In these pictures, you can see Eddie holding his head down with his back slightly hunched, a common posture for dogs with cervical pain. And the glazed over look... on close up we can see exactly what his owners were describing. Since this was Eddie's first offense with spinal pain we tried treating him with a low dose of steroids, gabapentin (for nerve root pain), and rest. We are thrilled to report that Eddie responded amazingly well to his treatment and seems normal! Rock on little Eddie!!!

06/23/2021

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06/23/2021

when your own pets are the naughtiest patients at the office…😩

06/14/2021

Well hello to this big beautiful boy!!! Walter came into NEST after his mom noticed his pupils were two different sizes… His right pupil was dilated with no response to light. Shining light into his right eye caused the left pupil to constrict. Also his vision was normal in both eyes. An exam done by Dr. Esson at Veterinary Ophthalmic Consulting showed no ocular disease to explain the symptoms. Based on his neuro exam findings we determined that Walter had internal ophthalmoplegia (paralysis of the pupil), likely due to an oculomotor nerve lesion. An MRI of Walter’s brain showed a VERY subtle lesion (contrast enhancement) of the right oculomotor nerve compared to the left side, and no masses or tumors, most consistent with oculomotor neuritis. This is GREAT news for Walter, as it carries a good prognosis (see attached paper on oculomotor neuritis in dogs).💙

06/12/2021

Meet Winnie!!! She is our super mini patient who literally fills the room with cuteness and charisma!!! Winnie was referred for a neurological consult for a persistent fontanelle, or “soft spot”, meaning the bones of her skull had not fully fused. In small breed dogs this can sometimes be associated with hydrocephalus, or larger than normal ventricles (ie, less brain tissue and more fluid). Winnie had no symptoms of a developmental brain issue, but her owners want to be 100% sure, so she came for an evaluation. Winnie passed her neuro exam with flying colors, and we were even able to take a peek at her brain with a ultrasound probe, right through the fontanelle (very cool!!!). Although the gold standard for imaging the brain in our patients is MRI, we were able to see a relatively normal volume of brain tissue, and assess that the ventricles were not dilated or significantly enlarged. This is all FANTASTIC news for Winnie, who is off to enjoy life with her new family!!! 💗

05/28/2021

Meet Paddy, our NEST patient of the day, and SWEETEST dog ever!!! She came in with a stiff hindlimb gait, yelping, difficulty getting up, and pain over the lumbosacral area. We tried treating her with medications and rehabilitation therapy, which helped some, but not as much as we would like. This week she had an MRI which showed a VERY large disc protrusion causing severe compression of her nerve roots. Yesterday she had surgery (a dorsal laminectomy) to decompress the nerve roots. A very large amount of bulging disc material was also removed from the spinal canal, hopefully making lots of room for those nerve roots! Her family loves her VERY much, and even packed an overnight bag for her stay... with meds, her daily supplements, food, some fresh fruit, her favorite blanket, and even remembered her toothbrush!!! 💗💗💗 # nestneuro

05/11/2021

This girl is such a beauty!!! Nava, a 9 month old Aussie mix, was seen at NEST last week with a several month progressive history of pain, stiffness and yelping. Spinal xrays were done at the emergency hospital which showed a collapsed disc space at T12/13, consistent with a disc herniation. However, disc herniations are uncommon in very young dogs 🤔. An MRI was done which showed a very abnormal disc at that site, (but NO herniation) as well as changes in the surrounding bone, most consistent with discospondylitis (inflammation/infection of the disc). The source of the infection is usually hematogenous (from the bloodstream) and can start with a skin infection, urinary tract infection, or even a wound or migrating foreign body (like a foxtail). Treatment is usually pain management, anti-inflammatories, and a LONG course of antibiotics. Some dogs require surgery if spinal cord compression is occurring. Over time, with successful treatment the infected area “fuses” as the body heals and remodels. Looking forward to seeing this girl running, playing, and pain free again!!!

05/07/2021

COOL VIDEO ALERT! 💥💥💥. This big handsome boy was seen at NEST with a presenting complaint of drooling on the right side, and looking a little “droopy”. He was seen at his regular vet and diagnosed with facial nerve paralysis. In this video you can see him blink relatively normally in his left eye, but is unable to actively close his eyelids on the right. Instead, watch Buck retract his eyeball into the socket, allowing the third eyelid to passively elevate and protect the cornea. SO AMAZING! Facial nerve paralysis can be caused by middle/inner ear disease, peripheral neuropathies, brainstem lesions, or idiopathic (meaning we have ruled out all the other causes and don’t know the cause). Dogs with idiopathic facial nerve paralysis sometimes also develop “dry eye” if the parasympathetic innervation to the lacrimal gland is affected. With idiopathic facial nerve paralysis, the other side sometimes becomes affected, but the dogs typically show some improvement over time and do not progress. Veterinarians typically perform a neurologic exam, an otoscopic exam (look at the ears), and labwork including a thyroid panel. Sometimes an MRI of the brain/ middle ear canals is also recommended, along with collecting spinal fluid.