The April 2026 ANC Newsletter: IVDD Crate Rest, Spinal Cord Recovery, and Veterinary Neurology Education

This edition opens with a provocation. Dr. Wininger makes the case that neurology is the “sexiest specialty” in veterinary medicine — not because of the technology, but because of what it asks of the clinician. Careful observation. Thoughtful interpretation. The almost magical ability to watch a dog walk and know, from the pattern alone, exactly where in the nervous system something has gone wrong. And then he asks why so many veterinarians are afraid of it — and what it would take to change that.

Then there is Vinny. A rescued Pit Bull who arrived at The ANC unable to move, crying out in pain, with a spinal cord compressed to a quarter of its normal diameter by a rare bony mass. His story moves from distressing presentation to complex surgery to a recheck visit that made the whole team smile. His family’s note at the end is worth the read alone.

This edition also challenges a dogma that has persisted in veterinary neurology for decades — six weeks of strict crate rest for IVDD. When you look at the actual evidence, the picture is more complicated than tradition suggests.

Plus: highlights from our March CE event with St. Louis Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Michael Warshaw, a team spotlight on Ashley Stahlschmidt (anesthetist, animal lover, aspiring backup singer), and a packed events calendar! Want this in your inbox every month? Sign up for our emails!