09/11/2025
CAMBRIDGE VETS OFFER NEW INJECTION TREATMENT FOR DOGS WITH IVDD
A new enzyme injection treatment for dogs with severe intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is now available at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital (QVSH), offering a safe, less invasive, and more affordable alternative to surgery for some patients.
The treatment, called percutaneous intra-discal chondroitinase injection, involves delivering an enzyme directly into the damaged intervertebral discs. This enzyme dissolves the central part of the disc, potentially relieving pressure on the spinal cord.
The QVSH in Cambridge recently worked with colleagues from Texas A&M University in the United States, to run a clinical trial involving 54 dogs who had lost the ability to walk due to IVDD. The trial, now published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, showed that dogs receiving chondroitinase injections recovered the ability to walk at a similar rate to those who undergo other forms of treatment for IVDD.
The procedure is now available at the QVSH as part of a low-cost IVDD treatment package including a full neurological consultation, MRI scan, and injections into multiple discs for a total cost of £1,750. We are still accepting dogs for the original trial, where pet owners who are unable to afford traditional treatment may be offered the injections at a significantly reduced fee of £400, but with no MRI or CT scan.
What Dogs would meet the criteria for treatment?
A : The treatment is aimed at dogs who are severely enough affected that they are unable to walk ie would otherwise normally be recommended for surgery. For the specific trial we have been running we have to see them within 48 hours of becoming unable to walk; for the new protocol where we offer MRI as well the time limit is not as strict.
For further information about chondroitinase injections for IVDD or about the ongoing trial, contact the QVSH on 01223 337621, or alternatively email Professor Freeman at [email protected] or the neurology service at [email protected].
And see the links below.
IVDE Chondroitinase trial | The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital https://share.google/UDZoQQItpxesbiZHF
Published Trial Results
https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/263/6/javma.24.12.0790.xml?tab_body=fulltext&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMQh41leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHpWvYwUsUddJIbBt4tuOJLsE4hE5Qj2HRVVlu8yCGeighD0tEELP61kr6ie4_aem_ZtV-82cHTjaDWYOKt2xIyg
https://www.dachshund-ivdd.uk/symptoms-treatment/chondroitinase-injection/
