Can You Dissolve Bad Spinal Discs?

Hello, Summarians!

Here are a couple of studies from the human side of medicine. This is generally good information, but fortunately, it also applies to our animal friends.

The supplement world can best be described as the Wild West in terms of regulation. Look for independent studies whenever possible.

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Health Claims On Supplement Labels

This survey study investigated whether statements on dietary supplement labels influence consumer perceptions of health benefits. Researchers conducted two randomized online surveys among 4403 U.S. adults, showing them either real fish oil labels or a fictional supplement label for “Viadin H.” Each participant saw one of four label types, some with statements such as “supports heart health” or “supports cognitive function,” and others with no claims. Participants were then asked whether they believed the supplement could prevent or treat specific diseases. 

The study found that participants who viewed labels with health-related claims were significantly more likely to believe that the supplements prevented or treated corresponding diseases. For instance, those who saw a fish oil label with “supports heart health” were more likely to think it prevented heart attacks and heart failure than those who saw a label without such a statement. Similarly, participants shown “supports cognitive function” were more likely to believe that the supplement prevented or improved dementia. The same pattern held true for the hypothetical supplement, where a “heart health” label nearly doubled the proportion of respondents who believed it could prevent heart attacks. 

These results suggest that consumers commonly interpret structure/function claims—phrases like “supports heart health” or “brain health”—as implying disease prevention or treatment, even though such claims are not legally intended to make those assertions. The effect was most pronounced for unfamiliar products, suggesting that labeling regulations may be especially important for new supplements. The study concluded that current labeling rules allow for widespread consumer misunderstanding, as many structure/function claims appear to exceed their intended scope. The authors recommend revisiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations so that such statements are reviewed with the same rigor as formal health claims, ensuring that supplement labels do not mislead consumers into believing in unproven disease-related benefits. 

Assadourian JN, Peterson ED, Navar AM. Label Statements and Perceived Health Benefits of Dietary Supplements. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(9):e2533118. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.33118 

Bottom line — Current labeling rules lead to confusion

New Therapy For Disc Dogs

For decades, decompressive surgery has been considered the standard treatment for dogs that lose the ability to walk after an acute thoracolumbar disc herniation. This view, however, is based mainly on long-term observational data rather than high-quality randomized clinical trials. Dogs that retain pain sensation generally recover well after surgery, and those without pain sensation have a moderate chance of recovery. Yet, many dogs that still feel pain can also recover with conservative treatment alone, and recent prospective evidence suggests that even some dogs without pain perception can regain function without surgery. Fenestration, a simpler nondecompressive surgery, has also shown outcomes similar to decompression, raising the question of whether decompression is necessary. Cost, stress, and surgical risks further support exploring noninvasive alternatives. 

This phase 1 clinical trial evaluated the safety and potential effectiveness of intradiscal chondroitinase ABC injections (chemonucleolysis) as a nonsurgical treatment for acute paraparesis and paraplegia caused by suspected disc extrusion. Chondroitinase ABC breaks down chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in the intervertebral disc nucleus and has been studied as a therapy for herniated discs in humans, even approved in Japan as condoliase. The study included dogs in the early stages of paresis to mirror those typically referred for surgery. Results showed that recovery rates in pain-positive dogs were comparable to those reported for decompressive surgery, while outcomes in pain-negative dogs were less consistent but still overlapped with surgical recovery ranges. These findings suggest that intradiscal injection can yield satisfactory outcomes similar to decompression when performed early after injury, though conclusions are limited by small sample size and lack of randomization. 

The study challenges the long-held assumption that surgical decompression is essential, noting that imaging evidence of spinal cord compression does not always align with functional outcomes. Historical data from the 1980s and 1990s demonstrated excellent recovery following fenestration alone, supporting the idea that recovery mechanisms other than decompression may exist, such as neural reorganization or compensatory signaling. The injection procedure, guided by fluoroscopy, was safe, and no adverse events suggested worsening herniation. Potentially, chondroitinase injection could mimic fenestration’s benefit by removing the dynamic herniation component and might even lower the risk of future disc herniations, though this would require long-term confirmation. 

While the study’s results are promising, the dogs were not definitively diagnosed with Hansen type I disc herniation, limiting direct comparison with surgical outcomes. Nevertheless, the findings are clinically relevant because they reflect a real-world population of dogs likely to have the condition. Some dogs treated conservatively or with injections may still later require surgery, but using chondroitinase injections could reduce the need for immediate invasive treatment. Overall, the study supports the feasibility, safety, and potential effectiveness of chemonucleolysis as a less invasive alternative to decompressive surgery for acute thoracolumbar disc herniation in dogs, warranting further evaluation in a randomized controlled trial. 

Freeman, P., Atiee, G., Donoghue, E. M., & Jeffery, N. D. (2025). Percutaneous enzymatic chemonucleolysis of intervertebral disks appears safe and effective in the treatment of acute-onset paraparesis and paraplegia in small dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 263(6), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.24.12.0790 

Bottom line — Early results support this as a beneficial protocol

Food-Derived UTI’s

This study investigated the role of food-animal–derived Escherichia coli in human urinary tract infections (UTIs) across eight counties in Southern California between 2017 and 2021. Researchers collected more than 12,000 E. coli isolates from retail meat and over 23,000 from UTI patients treated in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health network. A representative subset of 5,728 isolates was sequenced, and a Bayesian latent class model incorporating 17 host-associated genetic markers was used to infer whether each bacterial strain originated from humans or food animals. 

Overall, zoonotic E. coli strains were estimated to cause about 18% of UTIs in the region, rising to 21.5% in high-poverty neighborhoods. Most UTI patients were female and middle-aged, and women had nearly twice the zoonotic infection rate of men. Among men, zoonotic infections were more common in older individuals. The study revealed that socioeconomic inequities strongly influenced infection risk, possibly due to factors such as poorer retail meat handling, differences in food preparation practices, or greater occupational exposure to meat products in low-income areas. 

Zoonotic isolates showed antimicrobial resistance patterns resembling those of meat isolates, especially for drugs like ampicillin and tetracycline. However, resistance to these antibiotics was lower than in an earlier study from Arizona, suggesting that California’s stricter agricultural antibiotic regulations—such as Senate Bill 27—may have helped reduce resistance in food-animal E. coli populations. The findings also indicated that certain E. coli sequence types, particularly those from poultry, had an enhanced capacity to cause human infection independent of their prevalence in the food supply. 

Poultry meat, especially turkey, appeared to be the most significant source of zoonotic E. coli, with contamination rates higher than for pork or beef. Zoonotic strains tended to be less resistant to key UTI antibiotics like trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than human-origin strains, which may also reflect the effects of regulatory restrictions on antimicrobial use in livestock. 

The study’s strengths included a large, contemporaneous sample set and an innovative statistical-genomic approach integrating genomic markers and phylogenetic data. Limitations included the model’s inability to precisely attribute infections to specific meat types, the exclusion of cattle genomes, and the focus on outpatient community-acquired infections rather than hospital or invasive cases. 

In conclusion, approximately one in five UTIs in Southern California may result from zoonotic E. coli strains originating from food animals, highlighting an underrecognized foodborne pathway for these infections. The authors call for stronger regulatory oversight of meat production, enhanced surveillance of E. coli in the food supply, and public education on safe food handling and cooking. Addressing this zoonotic route of infection, they suggest, could meaningfully reduce UTI burden and help mitigate health disparities associated with socioeconomic disadvantage. 

Aziz M, Park DE, Quinlivan V, Dimopoulos EA, Wang Y, Sung EH, Roberts ALS, Nyaboe A, Davis MF, Casey JA, Caballero JD, Nachman KE, Takhar HS, Aanensen DM, Parkhill J, Tartof SY, Liu CM, Price LB, . 0. Zoonotic Escherichia coli and urinary tract infections in Southern California. mBio 0:e01428-25. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01428-25 

Bottom line — Another reason to discuss safe food handling.

Just putting things in perspective …