Cancer cells which have been shed from the original tumour and have settled in a distant site, for example, the lungs or the bone marrow. They enter a state of ‘suspended animation’ where they do not multiply and so are often unaffected by chemotherapy. At some point in the future, by mechanisms not fully understood, they leave this state and …

Situated away from the centre of the body or from the point of attachment.

Progressive degenerative spinal cord disease in dogs, previously known as chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy (CDRM).

Cytology involves the microscopic study of cells for medical and scientific purposes. Cytology is a branch of pathology, which makes diagnoses of diseases and conditions from examing tissue samples.

Commercially available joint replacements are not available for some of the joints we are presented with in end-stage disease. Commercial joint replacements are also unavailable for very large or very small patients. This means we need to manufacture custom made implants for the patient to exactly meet their anatomical and surgical requirements.

The cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) in dogs is the same as the “anterior” cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans. It is a band of tough fibrous tissue that attaches the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone), preventing the tibia from shifting forward relative to the femur. It also helps to prevent the stifle (knee) joint from over-extending or rotating.

Cold Compression is a combination of cryotherapy and static compression, commonly used for the treatment of pain and inflammation after acute injury or surgical procedures.

Breeds of dogs who characteristically have disproportionately short and curved limbs e.g. Dachshund and Basset Hounds.

Cholangiohepatitis is a condition affecting the liver, which can be infectious or inflammatory.

Chiari-like malformation alters the flow of cerebrospinal fluid between the skull and spinal column resulting in a collection of fluid pockets (singular: syrinx, plural: syringes) within the spinal cord descriptively known as syringomyelia.

Anti-cancer drugs. These are usually similar to the drugs used in people, but at a lower dose to try and minimise side-effects. Chemotherapy can be given orally, into a vein, or even directly into a tumour or body cavity, depending on the situation. Most chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells.

Aseptic insertion of a needle between the vertebrae of the spine either in the neck or lumbar region accessing the subarachnoid space to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. The procedure must be performed under general anaesthesia.