Dog on Brink of Paralyzation Walks After Neurosurgery at UC Davis

“Case of the Month” – November 2025

Newborn puppies will often wrestle and roughhouse with each other. More often than not, it all results in good fun. But one such incident with 6-week-old Kailana indicated to her owners John Hartmire and spouse Christine Pobanz-Stelter that there could be something seriously wrong with their golden retriever. 

Immediately following being pulled down by a littermate while trying to climb out of their enclosure, Kailana could not move for about 30 seconds. It cleared up quickly with her owners thinking it was just a stinger. However, as Kailana continued growing over the following weeks, they noticed abnormalities in her gait.

“We started noticing her back leg splaying outward, and she would drift as she was running,” said Pobanz-Stelter.

An x-ray by their veterinarian showed a malformation in her spine. A follow-up with a neurologist could not confirm if her condition was from the fall or if it was congenital, but he did not feel it was a hereditary abnormality in her spine. None of Kailana’s littermates experienced any such complications. For further consultation, Kailana was referred to the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis.

On examination by the Neurosurgery Specialty Service, 4-month-old Kailana was able to walk independently but demonstrated an uncoordinated hind end gait and reduced awareness of where her hind limbs were positioned in relation to her body.

To further evaluate her condition, the team coordinated with Anesthesia and Diagnostic Imaging Services to perform a CT scan. The scan revealed multiple vertebral anomalies from her 4th thoracic vertebrae (T4) to her 9th thoracic vertebrae (T9) (most severe from T5 to T8) resulting in marked spinal curvature and spinal cord compression at T6 to T7, and in narrowing of the spinal canal. All this led the neurologists to believe that her condition was more likely congenital rather than traumatic.

The imaging findings were reviewed in detail with Hartmire and Pobanz-Stelter.

“Every fear or insecurity that we had, they validated it,” Pobanz-Stelter said. “Our breeder, who is a veterinarian, showed the images to her colleagues, and they all thought, ‘Eventually, that dog is never going to walk again.’”

However, the UC Davis neurosurgical team of Drs. Ji-Hey Lim, Adrien Dupanloup, and Vishal Murthy were confident they could help her.

“Given the progressive nature of Kailana’s condition, she would likely lose the ability to walk within a few months,” said Assistant Professor Lim, “However, surgical intervention could prevent further neurologic decline and provide long-term improvement in her mobility.”

Dr. Lim proceeded with Kailana’s surgery when she reached 6 months of age. The delicate 7-hour operation involved a partial removal of the T6 to T7 vertebrae (a procedure called corpectomy) at the site of the most severe spinal cord compression, followed by stabilization of the spine using pedicle screws and rod.

Corpectomy for congenital vertebral malformations is an especially demanding procedure. At the stenotic site, the spinal cord is extremely thin, and the bone requiring removal lies very close to this fragile tissue. Even a small error can cause severe spinal cord damage and permanent paralysis. Kailana’s surgery was successful; although she was slightly weaker immediately afterward, she steadily improved and was discharged for home care three days later.

Following surgery, Kailana was required to be on crate rest with restricted activity for a month.

“She’s a 6-month-old puppy so, of course, she wanted to ‘go!’ from the very beginning of her recovery,” said Pobanz-Stelter, explaining the difficulty in keeping her on inactivity and rest. “Keeping her down was near impossible. As soon as we got the go ahead for her to resume activity, she never hesitated.”

Kailana’s recovery also involved physical therapy (not at UC Davis).

“When the physical therapist first saw her file, he thought, ‘How am I going to help this dog?,’” Pobanz-Stelter explained. “But when he saw Kailana in person, he was shocked at how well she was doing since the surgery.”

“Part of her recovery has been developing her core strength and muscle development because all of that was impeded,” Pobanz-Stelter said. “She’s been doing very well with that development, but we still have to work on that more. Compared to her littermates, you can tell that the muscle development is not nearly the same yet, but she’s well on her way.”

“Nothing stops her from romping through the back yard now,” said Hartmire, elated at her progress. “She’s always chasing the other dogs, wrestling, and playing fetch.”

Kailana and her littermates were bred to extend their mother’s line with the family’s breeder. Hartmire and Pobanz-Stelter always intended on keeping one of the puppies, and they originally thought it might be Kailana. Once her condition was discovered, they knew for certain that Kailana would be the one they kept. There was no doubt in their minds that they would do everything possible to make sure she got whatever help she needed.

“All you have to do is meet her once and you’ll know why,” said Pobanz-Stelter, explaining part of the reason they went to such lengths to save Kailana. “We gave her a middle name, Joy, because she is pure joy. Even when she came out of anesthesia after surgery, we were told she popped up with a smile on her face.”

“We previously lost a dog named Kalea at a young age, and it eviscerated us,” Hartmire said. “Our dogs are part of our family. We knew immediately that we would do everything we could to avoid that situation with Kailana. As soon as we saw her after the surgery, and she was so excited, we knew we did the right thing.”

“The team at UC Davis has just been amazing,” said Pobanz-Stelter. “Between their expertise and the donations we received, this was a community coming together to heal Kailana.”

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Partial funding for Kailana’s care was provided by the hospital’s Compassionate Care Fund. Established by donors more than three decades ago, this fund helps defray costs for families to treat their sick or injured animals, and also to assist with the costs of treating shelter, stray, and wild animals brought to UC Davis. These funds not only help the patients and their families but also allow for the cases necessary for faculty to teach the next generation of veterinarians and specialists.