Efficacy of Medical Ozone as an Adjuvant Treatment in Dogs with Intervertebral Disc Protusions—A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Ozone-therapy is used in humans as a coadjutant treatment in intervertebral disc diseases due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. References in dogs are scarce and limited to clinical cases (intradiscal/paravertebral infiltrations). The aim of this study was to assess the use of medical ozone (MO) as an adjunctive treatment in dogs with intervertebral disc protrusions (Hansen Type II/Chronic). A retrospective study was conducted in dogs diagnosed with intervertebral disc protrusions by MRI/CT in which MO was used as an adjuvant therapy to conventional medical treatment. Neurological examination and quality of life (QL) at the beginning and end of study were recorded, as well as posology and possible side effects. A total of 21 patients of different breeds and sex with a mean age of 12 years were included in this study. Results showed pain relief (7 ± 3 days) and improvement of neurologic signs (11 ± 9 days) with a consequent increasement in QL (13 ± 9 days). Thirteen out of the twenty-one patients (62%) showed a complete remission of the clinical signs. No serious adverse effects were observed. Medical ozone could be a potential complementary therapy to medical treatment in dogs with intervertebral disc protrusions. Prospective studies are necessary.

Common Neurologic Diseases in Geriatric Dogs

“…Despite the limited available data, medical treatment tends to have a lower success ratio and worse long-term outcome than surgery. New therapeutic strategies, such as medical ozone or perineural glucocorticoid injection, could be considered as an adjuvant treatment in dogs that do not show an adequate response to conventional medical treatment [ 77 , 82 ].…”

“…Another limitation is that the affected disc cannot be removed with conventional surgical techniques used in extruded discs, and the recommended surgeries (lateral corpectomy or hemilaminectomy with annulectomy) are technically more demanding [ 69 , 72 , 75 , 76 , 79 ]. Moreover, affected dogs are also often susceptible to other diseases, notably degenerative myelopathy [ 83 ], and some patients have other comorbidities that can increase the surgical and anaesthetic risks [ 79 , 82 ]. Finally, chronic spinal cord compression may result in cord atrophy with significant irreversible axonal supporting tissue and vascular injury, and a worsening of neurological dysfunction following decompressive surgery is not uncommon [ 69 , 72 , 75 , 76 , 79 ].…”