Neurology

About Neurology at AMC

Pets can suffer from most of the same spinal cord, brain, muscle, and nerve diseases as humans. These illnesses fall under the specialty of veterinary neurology and neurosurgery. AMC’s Neurology team is led by three board-certified Neurologists with more than 30 years of combined experience. Our Neurologists are available for appointments seven days a week and have access to all specialties and services within the hospital, ensuring comprehensive, collaborative care.

Currently, we are one of only two veterinary centers in the country that perform surgery of the pituitary area, and our Neurology team is leading the field in developing techniques to perform true skull-based surgery. We are also pioneering the use of neuroendoscopy in the management of intracranial disease and exploring new methods of treating hydrocephalus caused by obstructive pathology using specialized endoscopes and frameless neuronavigation technology for surgical guidance. These pioneering methods have not been reported anywhere else in the field of veterinary medicine.

Neurological conditions treated at AMC:

  • Complex/refractory seizures
  • Immune-mediated diseases, such as:
    • Myasthenia Gravis
    • Polymyositis/polyneuropathy
    • Optic neuritis
  • Inflammatory and infectious diseases of the brain, spine, and spinal cord, such as:
    • Granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME)
    • Meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE)
    • Diskospondylitis
  • Stroke
  • Metabolic disease
  • Disc disease

Common signs of neurological disease:

  • Limb weakness, paresis (partial paralysis), or plegia (full paralysis)
  • Balance disorders, such as vertigo and vestibular dysfunction
  • Vision disturbance
  • Seizures
  • Behavioral changes, including cognitive decline/dementia
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Lameness/limping
  • Pain

Our Technology

AMC employs the most state-of-the-art medical equipment to make a
definitive diagnosis of neurological problems, including:

  • Advanced neuroendoscopic equipment for surgical visualization via minimally invasive approaches
  • Neuronavigation technology for surgical guidance in cranial and spinal surgery, as well as minimally invasive brain biopsy
  • Cutting-edge neurosurgical equipment for safe and effective ablation of tumors
  • 1.5 Tesla Philips MRI (the exclusive high field MRI for small animals in NYC)
  • Electroencephalography (EEG)
  • In-house laboratory for cerebrospinal fluid analysis
  • Muscle and nerve biopsy

Our Team

Dr. Chad West of the Animal Medical Center in New York City

DVM, MBA, DACVIM (Neurology)

Chief Clinical Officer
Service Head of Neurology and Neurosurgery
Neurology and Neurosurgery Residency Program Director

DVM

Resident Veterinarian

DVM, DACVIM

Senior Veterinarian

DVM

Resident Veterinarian

DVM, DACVIM

Senior Veterinarian

DVM

Resident Veterinarian

BVetMed

Resident Veterinarian