Archive for the Neurology Category

Dr. Clarisa Robles is a board-certified neurologist and neurosurgeon who works at our Los Angeles hospital. She’s seen here performing a hemilaminectomy, a surgery in which a portion of the vertebra is removed.

Each vertebra contains two pedicles and lamina, which are bony sections that form the sides of the vertebral arch and function as a base for the vertebra. The purpose of a hemilaminectomy is to remove a portion of the pedicle and lamina while still maintaining the stability of the spine.

The removal of bone allows access into the spinal canal to remove any material compressing the spinal cord, such as herniated disc material or cancerous masses. This helps to release nerve tissue from pressure.

Did you know that veterinary specialists go through four years of undergrad, four years of veterinary school, a one-year internship and a three-to-five-year residency before taking their board exams? After all of that, they then need to acquire continuing education credits to maintain their licenses!

Dr. Clarisa Robles (pictured) is Los Angeles native and a board-certified neurology specialist. Along with her great technical training, she brings with her wonderful communication skills and a fondness for building close relationships with referring veterinarians and her patients’ families. She finds such collaboration allows for the best possible patient and client care.

Her interests include inflammatory brain disease, down dogs, and encephalitis, as well as spinal and intracranial surgery.

Joel is the MRI Technician in the Neurology & Neurosurgery Department for ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals, Los Angeles.

He’s always looking for ways to help the hospital and his coworkers, and he decided to do a deep cleaning of the kennel drain.

We were honored to be a part of Jamie’s birthday celebrations and so happy to see him turn 16! Jamie belongs to Dr. Clarisa Robles, our talented neurologist at ACCESS LA, and loves spending time with her and his brother Oreo.

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Simba, a male Chihuahua, came in to ACCESS LA for suddenly not being able to walk. This can be very unnerving for many owners, as there are several reasons for how this may have happened. Luckily, Simba was in the care of Dr. Clarisa Robles in our Neurology Department. After some diagnostics, Dr. Robles concluded that Simba had a condition called atlanto-axial subluxation, or AA Lux for short.

This means the first two bones in Simba’s neck were unstable in relation to each other. This can be very dangerous, as an AA Lux causes compression of the spinal cord, resulting in signs as mild as neck pain to complete paralysis of all limbs.

After speaking with Simba’s owner and discussing all of the options and possible outcomes, it was decided that Simba would go through surgery to correct this scary issue. Along with technicians and assistants to monitor anesthesia and assist with the procedure, Dr. Robles was able to stabilize these two bones with screws and bone cement. After some time for careful recovery, we are pleased to say that Simba is walking well these days and back to creating mischief!

If you suspect your pet has a back, neck, spinal, or brain injury, please contact your veterinarian right away.