Elemental Pet Vets

09/10/2026

This is Gravy and he has spina bifida. He has no problems getting around, but he is incontinent (f***l and urinary). He wears a diaper, as do his fellow bulldogs, Meatloaf and Spice. He likes playing with the other dogs, hanging out with his humans, taking long naps (often with his good friend Mr. Poole, a Maine C**n cat), and posing for photos with various monsters. What is spina bifida? This is a failure of the left and right vertebral arches (the top part of the vertebra) to fuse during embryological development. Sometimes it is just the bones that are not fusing entirely at the top, in which case there may be no clinical signs (seen as incidental finding when getting radiographs for something else). In other cases, either the meninges (covering of the cord) or the meninges with the end of the spinal cord will traverse through the opening and end up stuck to the underside of the skin, rather than traveling backwards towards the tail. Sometimes, fat from around the cord and nerve roots will accompany the meninges or spinal cord along this abnormal route. Historically, it was thought that this was a finite condition. In other words, whatever neurologic deficits are present around the time of birth are what the puppy is stuck with, and there will be no progression of disease. In recent years, this has been shown to be untrue in some cases. Neurologic deficits often include incontinence and weakness of the back legs. Some puppies have been shown to worsen neurologically as they grow. This happens in children with the same disorder. The spinal cord is tethered to soft tissues (often the underside of the skin) and the bones grow faster than the spinal cord/nerve roots. As the patient grows, this tethering pulls on the spinal cord, making the condition worse. Neurologic improvement following untethering the cord surgically has been documented in multiple cases. One of the figures below is from an article I coauthored with Patrick Roynard (a fellow neurologist and friend). It shows CT images of spina bifida at the end of the vertebral column. The other figure is a sagittal (side view) MRI image of a bulldog puppy with spina bifida. The abnormal tissue (circled on the left-hand image) traversing towards the skin is bright. On this sequence, this could be spinal fluid, fat, or a combination. On the middle image, the fat signal is suppressed. Since it is still bright, it is consistent with spinal fluid. On the right-hand image, a sequence is used to suppress free fluid (like spinal fluid). The material is dark, further supporting a diagnosis of a meningocele (a diverted sac of the meninges containing spinal fluid).

09/08/2026

What is inflammatory brain disease in dogs? Although dogs occasionally get infectious brain disorders, most cases are non-infectious, suspected autoimmune diseases. There are a variety of terms for these disorders, with some overlapping of these terms (which often causes confusion). The medical term for brain inflammation is encephalitis, and for meningeal (the covering of the brain and spinal cord) inflammation the term is meningitis. Usually, there is concurrent meningitis and encephalitis, and the term meningoencephalitis is used. The specific names for some of these disorders include GME (granulomatous meningoencephalitis), NE (necrotizing encephalitis), NLE (necrotizing leukoencephalitis), and MUE/MUO (meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology/origin). MUE/MUO is considered somewhat of an “umbrella” term that refers to all subtypes of non-infectious, inflammatory brain disease.
These disorders are most encountered in young to middle-aged small breed dogs with a female predominance, although they can occur in older dogs of any breed or size. Onset of clinical signs is usually rapid, and patients often worsen quickly once signs appear. Most dogs have multifocal brain lesions, rather than one area of the brain being affected. Balance problems are very common (head tilt, falling over, wobbly gait); other signs may include behavior change, loss of vision, seizure activity, and acting painful (particularly around the head/neck).
Diagnosis of these various disorders is based on clinical features combined with MRI and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF results). On MRI, bright areas in the brain tissue on certain sequences are commonly seen and they often enhance with a contrast agent. The first image is a normal brain; the second image depicts multiple bright spots in the diencephalon, consistent with inflammatory brain disease. The CSF usually reveals high white blood cell (WBC-inflammatory cells) and increased protein levels.
There are different opinions among veterinary neurologists on the “best” way to treat these dogs. What is universally accepted as standard therapy is administration of glucocorticoids (e.g., prednisone) as soon as possible. Of all the immunosuppressive drugs available to treat these patients, glucocorticoids have the fastest onset of action. They also have the most obvious side effects (drinking and urinating excessively, increased appetite and weight gain, panting). There are several other drugs that have little to no obvious side effects that can eventually allow significant reduction of the glucocorticoid dose (with resulting decrease in steroid-related side effects). These drugs include cyclosporine, azathioprine, procarbazine, mycophenolate, leflunomide, and cytosine arabinoside (injectable).
These are generally considered very serious conditions. Many affected dogs will do well for years with appropriate medication. However, the mortality in the first 1-2 weeks of diagnosis is quite high (over 20%). This may reflect more seriously affected patients, a delay in institution of therapy, or some combination of these factors. It is important for pet owners and veterinary professionals to maintain a high index of suspicion for these disorders, especially if the dog breed (small breed dogs mainly), age (young to middle-aged) and clinical features (rapid onset and progression of brain dysfunction) are consistent with inflammatory brain disease.

08/31/2026

Today we want to thank all of our veterinary collaborators local and far. The list is not all inclusive, that would take days to put together! We are so very grateful for all of the resources we have available that allow us to care for your furry, feathered and scaled family members!

06/25/2026

Does your dog have a CCL tear? Elemental Pet Vets is currently booking TPLO consultations and surgeries with a short 1–2 week turnaround.

We welcome both referrals from veterinarians and direct scheduling from pet owners.
Our team provides thorough orthopedic evaluations and timely surgical care to get your pet back on their feet.

Call or message us to schedule your visit.

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

Elemental Pet Vets is now offering outpatient abdominal ultrasounds Monday-Friday beginning June 19th.

These are imaging-only studies for referring veterinarians, with all scans interpreted by a board-certified radiologist. Final reports are sent directly to the requesting clinic.

Veterinary teams can find our referral form at elementalpetvets.com and submit it by emailing [email protected].

Once received, our client care representatives will contact the client directly to arrange scheduling.

We are excited to offer this service for our community and support our local veterinary partners! 🐾

06/11/2026

https://www.dvm360.com/view/dvm360-to-honor-the-veterinary-heroes-during-awards-ceremony-at-fetch-kansas-city

Meet the winners of dvm360's 6th Annual Veterinary Heroes Awards.

06/01/2026

Is p**p good for the brain? It might be. This paper will be available online soon in JAVMA. It is becoming increasingly evident that disturbances in the microbiome (the gut organisms and their metabolites) are linked to various disorders in our pets. In addition to cognitive decline, dysbiosis (abnormal gut microbiome) has been associated with allergic skin disease, arthritis and seizure activity. At Elemental Pet Vets, we are always looking for new ways to help our patients and their parents.

06/01/2026

What is Arthramid? This is a joint injection for canine arthritis that acts as a cushion, alleviating the pain of osteoarthritis and improving function. In a recent study (Barnhard JA, et al, 2025), over 80% of dogs with osteoarthritis improved after injection, and over 40% were able to discontinue anti-inflammatory medications. At Elemental Pet Vets, we regularly treat arthritic dogs with Arthramid and have had great results. This is a sterile gel that is also compatible with other joint injections (that is, can be used in combination) such as PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and HA (hyaluronic acid-a joint lubricant). These injections require sedation and are done on an outpatient basis. This is a particularly good option for senior dogs with osteoarthritis on long-term non-steroidal drugs.