Disc-associated caudal cervical spondylomyelopathy (CCSM) is a common disease in dogs. It is especially prevalent among large dogs such as the Doberman, Rottweiler, Dalmatian, Greyhound, and Labrador breeds. The hallmark of the illness is degeneration of one or multiple cervical (neck) discs, with the associated thickening of the ligaments that hold the vertebrae together. The bulging from the degenerated disc and the thickened ligaments may cause significant spinal cord compression and vertebral instability, which may be exacerbated by neck movements. This condition is best known as “wobbler syndrome” or “disc-associated wobbler syndrome”, causing the dogs to literally wobble and lose balance. If left untreated, the illness eventually causes paralysis.
The current standard of care for animals with the CCSM syndrome is to surgically remove the bulging disc and the thickened ligaments by a surgical procedure called “ventral slot”, and thus eliminate the source of compression in the spine. However, this method does not improve the instability, and often the newly created space between the vertebrae further collapses. Another known surgical treatment is the ventral slot technique associated with “distraction and fusion”. In addition to spinal decompression, this technique maintains the intervertebral space distant, providing immobility of the two affected vertebrae. However, both surgical techniques change drastically the spinal biomechanics and up to one-third of dogs treated in this manner experience symptoms again in another area of the spine; this is called “domino effect”, “domino lesion”, or “adjacent segment disease”. Recurrence can be caused by compression at the original site, by a domino lesion at an adjacent site, or a combination of both. Recurrence frequently occurs between 6 months and 4 years after the original surgery, and usually around 2 years after surgery. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a device for alleviating the pain and for the treatment of disc-associated diseases in dogs and other mammals.