Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog and cat bite wounds to the spine - symptoms and treatment
By Chai, Orit et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2008·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Bite wounds involving the spine: characteristics, therapy and outcome in seven cases.
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Labrador and a 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat were brought in with serious bite wounds to their spines, leading to weakness in their legs. Both pets had fractures in their vertebrae and required antibiotics and pain relief. The dog underwent surgery to clean the wound, while the cat was treated with rest and monitoring. After a month, both pets showed significant improvement, with the dog regaining good movement and the cat recovering well enough to walk again.
People also search for: dog bite wound spine treatment · cat spine injury recovery · dog quadriparesis after bite · pet spinal fracture care
Abstract
Medical records of five dogs and two cats with bite wounds to the spine were reviewed. All dogs were bitten in the cervical spine and presented as quadriparetic. Both cats were bitten at the lumbar spine; one was paraparetic and the other paraplegic. Concomitant injuries to structures other than the spine were seen in two cases. Radiographic findings included vertebral fractures in all cases. Medical therapy included antibiotics (7/7), methylprednisolone sodium succinate (4/7) and analgesia (7/7). Five cases underwent minor (4/5) or extensive (1/5) surgical debridement. All cervical fractures were stabilized with fiberglass casts and animals with lumbar injury were cage rested for a month. Six of the cases survived, five of which regained good to excellent ambulatory ability within the first month. Although, the numbers of reported cases are limited, this study shows that adequate surgical debridement and wound drainage combined with external coaptation can be sufficient to manage bite wounds that involve the spine.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17560149/