Veterinary Brain Surgery at the Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon Delivers Exceptional Results

Complex veterinary procedure restores health and qualify of life, offering new hope to pet-parents facing complicated neurological disorders

BEND, OREGON / ACCESSWIRE / January 14, 2025 / The Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon is known for advanced veterinary care including emergency and specialty medical services. Their hospital and highly trained staff give difficult cases the technology and expertise needed to achieve results that may otherwise not be possible. One recent example is a case that arrived at VRCCO in July of 2024.

Kai, a 6-year-old Cocker Spaniel, came to VRCCO to meet with board-certified, veterinary Neurologist Dr. Annie Chen-Allen, DVM, MS, Dip ACVIM after experiencing months of vestibular symptoms including a head tilt and balance issues. His symptoms originally seemed to improve with medication provided by his family veterinarian; however, Kai eventually regressed into a more severe head tilt along with balance issues and mentation changes that worried his pet-parents.

With the advent of high-quality brain imaging, VRCCO had the opportunity and knowledge to give Kai a more accurate diagnosis and provide the best treatment options available to him. CT imaging revealed that Kai had a large cerebellar cyst causing compression of the back of his brain along with spinal fluid buildup. There were two possible options for Kai’s treatment, to continue long-term medication use or brain surgery to decompress the cyst. Surgery for Kai would potentially be curative although brain surgery also comes with substantial risk. After significant consideration and given Kai’s young age, his pet-parents decided to pursue their hope for a cure through surgery and avoid the side effects of long-term medication use.

Dr. Chen-Allen alongside VRCCO’s surgeons performed a suboccipital craniectomy on Kai on July 30. Dr. Chen-Allen was able to successfully decompress the cyst and allow the release of spinal fluid. Kai recovered smoothly, with noticeable positive changes within days of returning home. Kai has since presented as neurologically normal and has been weaned off of medication.

This surgery has allowed Kai the chance to live a healthy, fulfilling life. Because of his pet-parent’s perseverance and trust in VRCCO Neurology, they can be reassured that they did everything to help Kai and give him the life he deserves. For Dr. Chen-Allen, Kai’s story is just the beginning. She is confident that this is only a start to the impact her department can make at VRCCO.

Starting this year, the Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon will be one of the few centers in the country to offer pituitary surgery for pituitary tumor resection. This specialized procedure will allow Dr. Chen-Allen to continue pushing the envelope for veterinary neurology in order to provide pets with a chance at attaining the highest quality of life possible.

VRCCO believes that pets and pet-parents deserve the best, most advanced care. Their Neurology service is up for this challenge and is quickly becoming the trusted center for pets with complicated neurologic diseases. Learn more about Kai’s personalized experience with VRCCO, click to watch his video story on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram.

Contact Information

Katie Sedivec
Marketing Director
marketing@vrcvet.com
541-209-6960

SOURCE: Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon

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