Neurology & Neurosurgery Services

The neurology & neurosurgery service at Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerve diseases, such as disc herniation, spinal fractures, and brain tumors, and more. In addition to conventional therapies, we have access to many state-of-the-art treatments, some of which are being discovered here at Purdue.

If you are seeking clinical care for a pet with a neurological problem, please call the Purdue University Small Animal Hospitall at (765) 494-1107. In case of after-hours emergencies, please call the closest veterinary emergency center or call us at (765) 496-1107. The neurology service sees routine appointments on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays and performs surgery and other procedures on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Emergency cases are also evaluated daily.

Patient Spotlight

Neurology patient, Griffen, zooming around outside in his cart. He herniated a disc in his back causing severe spinal cord injury for which he had surgery at Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. While he has not recovered function in his back legs, he and his owner, Dr. Amy Wozniack, have many adventures with his cart.

Urinary Bladder Expression How-To-Videos

Bladder Expression for Female Dogs

This is a video demonstrating urinary bladder expression in a female dog laying on her side

Bladder Expression for Male Dogs

This is a video demonstrating urinary bladder expression in a male dog while standing up.

Conditions Treated and Procedures Offered

Common procedures in dogs and cats include MRI and CT of the brain and spine, brain and spinal surgery, spinal fluid taps, seizure therapy and in-patient care of neurological patients. Additional capabilities include electrodiagnostics including hearing tests (BAER), brain wave assessment (EEG) and evaluation of peripheral nerve and muscle function (EMG, nerve conduction studies, repetitive stimulation, etc.). The neurology & neurosurgery service deals with emergencies including paralysis and severe seizures every day of the week. Patients recovering from spinal surgery are co-managed with the Physical Rehabilitation Service.

Surgical Conditions
Brain Tumors
Disc Herniation
Spinal Fractures
Special Equipment/Technology

Access to both 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla MRI Units
EEG
EMG
NCV
Image Guided Brain Biopsy

Research Interests and Clinical Trials

Dr. Bentley has established a canine brain tumor research program involving clinical trials for dogs with brain tumors, improved MRI diagnosis, and collaboration with brain tumor researches from across the Purdue Campus and at the IU School of Medicine.

Dr. Lewis’s main research interests include neurotrauma and neuroimaging with a focus on acute and chronic spinal cord injury in dogs. Her research involves developing novel clinical and imaging techniques to improve diagnosis and recovery from severe spinal cord injury. Click here for more information about clinical trials

Dr. Thomovsky’s research interests include post-operative neurologic patients, novel anti-convulsant therapies, and movement disorders.

Clinical trials are used to determine the safety and/or effectiveness of the new healthcare options. A clinical trial is research which tries to answer specific questions about drugs or new therapies in patients. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to investigate new ideas and find treatments that work. Learn more about Current clinical trials at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.

Anchor's Story

The MRI images across the top of this page are from Anchor, a special patient who came to the Purdue University Small Animal Hospital in 2016 with a tumor growing deep inside her spinal cord. This challenging tumor was successfully removed with no tumor present on MRIs immediately after surgery (image 1), or later at three months following the surgery (images 2-4). Learn more about Anchor’s amazing story, her intense training as a water rescue dog, and her incredible journey to Purdue.

Our Team

Clinicians

R. Timothy Bentley, BVSc (Dist), MRCVS, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Bentley is an Associate Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, and is board certified in neurology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He joined the neurology service in October 2009. Dr. Bentley's research interests include novel therapies for the treatment of brain tumors, molecular markers of brain tumors, and epilepsy.

Melissa Lewis, VMD, PhD, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, and is board certified in Neurology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She completed her neurology/neurosurgery training followed by a PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina State University. She joined the Neurology Service in September 2017. Dr. Lewis's research program focuses on acute and chronic spinal cord injury with dogs with clinical research trials investigating various aspects of treatment and recovery.

Stephanie Thomovsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Neurology), CCRP

Dr. Thomovsky is a Clinical Associate Professor of Veterinary Neurology at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, and is board certified in neurology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She is also a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner. Dr. Thomovsky joined the neurology service in October 2014. Her research interests include post-operative neurologic patients, novel anti-convulsant therapies, and movement disorders. She is also the Director of the Purdue University Small Animal Hospital’s Physical Rehabilitation department.

Residents

Dillon Devathasan, DVM

2021 – Master of Science | Purdue University
2021 – Neurology Residency | Purdue University
2018 – Small Animal Surgery Internship | Centre for Animal Referral & Emergency
2016 – Small Animal Rotating Internship | Queensland Veterinary Specialists
2015 – DVM | University of Adelaide

Jaya Mehra, DVM

2021 – Master of Science | Purdue University
2021 – Neurology Residency | Purdue University
2018 – Neurology Specialty Internship | Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego
2017 – Small Animal Rotating Internship | VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists
2016 – DVM | University for California, Davis

Arielle Ostrager, VMD

2023 – Neurology Residency | Purdue University & MedVet Commerce
2017 – Neurology Specialty Internship | VCA Animal Specialty Center, Yonkers
2016 – Small Animal Rotating Internship | Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners, New York
2015 – VMD | University of Pennsylvania

Neurology Nurses

Brittany Laflen, RVT, VTS (Neurology)

Neurology and Rehabilitation Nurse
2020 - President Elect - Academy of Internal Medicine Veterinary Technicians (AIMVT)
2019 - Veterinary Technician Specialist, Neurology
2011 - Registered Veterinary Technician | State of Indiana
2010 - Associate of Science | Purdue University

Rachel Yoquelet, BS, RVT

Neurology and Rehabilitation Nurse
2017 - Bachelor's of Science | Purdue University
2017 - Registered Veterinary Technician | State of Indiana
2015 - Associate of Veterinary Technology | Purdue University

Former Graduate Students and Residents

Kelly Crawford, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Sissy (Hsuan-Ping) Hong, DVM, MVM, MS

Jason (Chun Sheng) Lee, BVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Melissa A. Logan, PhD, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Talisha M. Moore, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Trevor W. Moore, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Lindsey Peterson, DVM, MS and Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Michael J. Reese, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Andrea Sangster, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Stephanie A. Thomovsky, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Amy Yanke, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

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Neurology and Neurosurgery Services