Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with neck pain and fever from grass awn abscess near spine
By Linon, E et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2014·University of Bern·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Atlantoaxial epidural abscess secondary to grass awn migration in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old female Lucerne Hound was brought to the vet with a week of worsening neck pain, loss of appetite, lethargy, and a fever. An MRI showed that a grass awn (a type of plant seed) had migrated into her spinal canal, causing an abscess at the top of her neck. The vet performed surgery to remove the abscess, and within three days, the dog was feeling much better and made a full recovery. This case highlights how grass awns can cause serious issues in dogs.
People also search for: dog neck pain treatment · Lucerne Hound fever · grass awn abscess in dogs
Abstract
A two-year-old female Lucerne Hound was presented with a one-week history of signs of progressive neck pain, inappetence, apathy, and an elevated rectal temperature. Findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were consistent with a foreign body abscess in the epidural space at the level of the first and second cervical vertebrae. A left-sided dorso-lateral atlantoaxial approach was performed, revealing an epidural abscess containing a grass awn. The clinical signs resolved within three days of surgery and the dog made a full recovery. This case report shows that grass awns can migrate to the atlantoaxial region in dogs and MRI findings lead to a suspicion of caudo-cranial migration within the spinal canal.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24493255/