Treatment of spinal cord injuries in dogs with oral Gabapentin and Methylcobalamin: a comparison of functional recovery in ambulatory and non-ambulatory cases

Spinal cord injury may cause a range of neurological deficits ranging from minor ataxia to complete paralysis. In the present study Gabapentin and Methylcobalamin were compared for treatment of spinal cord injury in 26 dogs. The dogs were grouped as ambulatory (n=5) and non-ambulatory (n=21) cases on the basis of diagnosis based on history, physical and haematological examination, complete neurological examination and radiographic evaluation. The results showed that the treatment with oral Gabapentin and Methylcobalmin helped in functional recovery of spinal cord injury in dogs; however ambulatory dogs had faster and complete recovery while non-ambulatory dogs showed only slight recovery. It was concluded that the combination of grbapentin and methylcobalamin may be helpful in management of spinal cord injuries in dogs.