This 6-year-old Cocker Spaniel faced incredible challenges with a cerebellar cyst causing neurological issues, but thanks to the expertise of our Neurology team and the love of his devoted family, Kai has made an inspiring recovery. His story is a testament to perseverance, hope, and the power of advanced veterinary care.
Kai, a 6 year old Cocker Spaniel, came to VRCCO in July 2024 to meet with board-certified, veterinary Neurologist Dr. Annie Chen-Allen after experiencing months of vestibular symptoms (head tilt and balance issues). His symptoms originally seemed to improve with medication provided by his family veterinarian, however, Kai eventually regressed into a more severe head tilt along with balance issues and mentation changes that worried his pet-parents.
With the advent of high-quality brain imaging, we had the opportunity and knowledge to give Kai a more accurate diagnosis and provide the best treatment options available to him. CT imaging revealed that Kai had a large cerebellar cyst causing compression of the back of his brain along with spinal fluid build up. Kai quickly responded to an initial medication regimen that gave hope to an eventual recovery. However, there were two possible options for Kai’s treatment, to continue long term medication or brain surgery to decompress the cyst. Surgery for Kai would potentially be curative although brain surgery also comes with substantial risk. After significant consideration and given Kai’s young age, his pet-parents decided to pursue their hope for a cure through surgery and avoid the side effects of long term medication use.
Dr. Chen-Allen alongside VRCCO’s surgeons performed a suboccipital craniectomy on Kai on July 30. Dr. Chen-Allen was able to successfully decompress the cyst and allow the release of spinal fluid. Kai has recovered smoothly, with noticeable positive changes within days of returning home. Kai presented as neurologically normal during his two week checkup, and has since weaned off of medication without the return of vestibular signs.
This surgery has given Kai the chance to live a normal, healthy life. Because of his pet-parent’s perseverance and trust in VRCCO Neurology, they can be reassured that they did everything to help Kai and give him the life he deserves. For Dr. Chen-Allen, Kai’s story is just the beginning. She is confident that this is only a start to the impact her department can make at VRCCO.
We believe that pets and pet-parents deserve the best, more advanced care. VRCCO Neurology service is up for this challenge and is quickly becoming the trusted center for pets with complicated neurologic diseases.
