Powys dog's rare disease only previously reported in humans

As well as once again enjoying walks in the hills near Builth Wells, 13-year-old Deazel, a Hungarian Vizsla, is also sleeping more comfortably and no longer looks like he has a headache following treatment at a County Durham animal hospital.

The rare cause of Deazel’s discomfort is called neck tongue syndrome and has only previously been described in humans.

Good boi: Deazel the dog. (Image: Supplied)

Deazel had been incredibly fit and active throughout his life but first started having problems a couple of years ago, which culminated more recently in a major medical incident that left him with a tendency for deviated tongue, along with severe neck and head pain.

A referring vet noticed a trigger point near Deazel’s first cervical vertebrae, a ring-shaped bone that begins at the base of the skull, along with peculiar tongue behaviour.

It was when Deazel was referred to the renowned Linnaeus-owned Wear Referrals in County Durham that Clare Rusbridge, senior neurologist and professor in veterinary neurology, considered the unusual syndrome.

The pain is due to dysfunction or disease of nerve roots in the upper neck.

Deazel underwent advanced imaging at Wear, including MRI and CT scans, to rule out structural causes and it was decided to block the C1 and C2 nerve root to see if this improved the clinical signs.

Five months later and the outcome for Deazel is excellent, with walks and comfortable sleeping now back in his daily routine.

“I had seen several specialists in multiple locations before travelling to the northeast,” said Deazel’s owner Kate Adams, from Llanafan Fawr, near Builth, reflecting on her decision to make the long trip to the northeast of England from Mid Wales.

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“I set out on the 560-mile round trip from Powys to see Clare at Wear Referrals and it was worth every single mile of the journey.

“Clare was exceptional, not only her considerable expertise in diagnosing Deazel and her treatment plan but also her empathy. She is clearly a huge animal lover.

“Deazel underwent detailed diagnostics under Clare’s expert care and head of anaesthesia Felipe performed some extremely skilful work injecting Deazel at C1 and C2 nerve roots.”  

Clare said: “It was a true team effort to treat Deazel.

“From the keen observations of his referring vet to the precise needle placement by our skilled anaesthetist Felipe Grados, it was a truly multidisciplinary collaboration.”

Kate added: “I took Deazel back to Wear Referrals for a check-up four months after the injections and he greeted Clare very enthusiastically, he clearly remembered her which was lovely to see.

“His quality of life is now much improved. He is a much happier, more comfortable dog.”

As well as check-ups at Wear, Deazel also has regular acupuncture and physio treatment at Ddole Road Veterinary Clinic in Llandrindod Wells and at Animal Acupuncture Wales with Liz Curtis in Aberystwyth.  

Wear specialises in providing expert multidisciplinary care, including anaesthesia, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, intensive care, internal medicine, neurology, out-of-hours emergency and critical care, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue.

For more information, visit www.wear-referrals.co.uk.