Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with leg lameness improved after nerve tumor surgery
By Smith, Jeffery et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case report: Resolution of lameness via compartmental resection of a malignant nerve sheath neoplasm of the median nerve in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old golden retriever was brought in for lameness in the right front leg that had been getting worse over six months. The vet found a painful mass near the elbow, which was confirmed to be a malignant nerve sheath tumor affecting the median nerve. The dog underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and just one week later, the lameness improved significantly. Three months after the surgery, the dog was walking normally, and a year later, there were no signs of lameness at all.
People also search for: dog lameness treatment · golden retriever leg pain · malignant nerve sheath tumor in dogs · dog surgery recovery time
Abstract
A 7-year-old golden retriever was evaluated for a 6-month history of progressive right thoracic limb lameness. A lameness (grade 3 out of 5 on visual gait analysis) and pain with palpation of the medial aspect of the brachium proximal to the elbow were identified on exam. Magnetic resonance imaging of the right thoracic limb revealed a well-delineated, ovoid mass arising from the median nerve just proximal to the elbow. Compartmental resection of the mass with limb preservation was performed. Microscopically, the mass was a malignant nerve sheath neoplasm. One week postoperatively, the lameness was mild (grade 1). Three months postoperatively, the lameness had resolved (grade 0). One year postoperatively, the dog's gait remains normal. Malignant nerve sheath neoplasms commonly arise in the brachial plexus or cervical spinal nerves, often affecting the innervation provided by the radial nerve. Given its role in providing weight support, dysfunction of the radial nerve significantly impacts the gait. Conversely, dysfunction of the median nerve should not impair the gait. In the present case, compartmental resection of the neoplasm affecting the median nerve resolved the dog's lameness. The return of normal limb function supports the contention that the lameness was consequent to general somatic afferent dysfunction, neuropathic pain, rather than general somatic efferent function (paresis).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40018703/