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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Rottweiler with missing dens bone and mild stable nerve signs

By Patton, Kristin M et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2010·Department of Biomedical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Absence of the dens in a 9.5-year-old rottweiler with non-progressive clinical signs.

Species:
dog
Movement & jointsDogs

Plain-English summary

A 9.5-year-old Rottweiler showed mild neurological issues, like coordination problems, since he was 6 months old, but these symptoms did not get worse over the years. Interestingly, the dog had a rare condition called absence of the dens, which is a bone structure in the neck. Despite not having surgery, the dog lived a long life without significant progression of his symptoms. This case highlights how large breed dogs can sometimes cope with certain conditions differently than smaller breeds.

People also search for: Rottweiler neurological problems · dog coordination issues · absence of dens in dogs

Abstract

Absence of the dens is rarely described in large breed dogs. In this rottweiler, mild neurological deficits seen at 6 mo of age did not progress for the 9.5 y of the dog's life despite lack of surgical intervention. This finding underscores the marked differences between small and large breeds.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21119869/