Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with back pain and leg weakness from disc material near spinal
By Sakamoto, Karin et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Dural infiltration of intervertebral disc material mimicking spinal cord meningioma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A six-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought to the vet with severe back pain and weakness in the right back leg that had lasted for two months. After a thorough examination and an MRI, the vet found a mass near the spinal cord that was pressing on it. The vet performed surgery to remove the mass, which turned out to be intervertebral disc material that had invaded the protective covering of the spinal cord. After surgery, the dog had some temporary lameness in the right leg, but this improved within a day. Over three years later, the dog was walking normally and showed no signs of pain or neurological issues.
People also search for: dog back pain · dog hind leg weakness · intervertebral disc disease treatment · dog spinal surgery recovery
Abstract
A six-year-old mixed-breed dog presented with a two-month history of peracute back pain and right hindlimb monoparesis. Neurological examination revealed reduced proprioceptive positioning of the right hindlimb, and palpation of the L2-L4 area elicited a pain response. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a contrast-enhanced mass extending to the dura mater, located on the right ventral side of the spinal cord at the level of the L2-L3 vertebral bodies. A hemilaminectomy was performed to remove the mass. Histopathological examination revealed that the removed dura mater comprised intervertebral disc material that had infiltrated the dura mater. Postoperatively, the dog experienced temporary right hindlimb lameness, which resolved within 24 h. At three years and five months postoperatively, the dog was ambulatory without any neurological deficits or pain. This is the first report of dural infiltration of intervertebral disc material mimicking a spinal cord meningioma in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40666731/