Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rabbit with neck disc problem causing sudden walking trouble
By Porcarelli, Laura et al.·Published in Veterinary Sciences·2024·Centro Veterinario Gregorio VII, 00165 Rome, Italy, Italy·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Cervical Disc Extrusion with Dorsal Migration in a Pet Rabbit
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old rabbit was brought in because it had trouble walking for five days. A vet found that the rabbit had weakness in all four legs and issues with its reflexes. Imaging tests showed that a disc in the neck was pressing on the spinal cord, causing these problems. After initial treatments didn't help, the vet performed surgery to remove the disc material causing the compression. The rabbit's condition was confirmed to be due to a herniated disc, and after surgery, it was able to recover.
People also search for: rabbit walking problems · rabbit neck disc herniation · rabbit surgery recovery
Abstract
An 8-year-old rabbit presented with a 5-day history of acute difficulty in walking. Neurological examination revealed tetraparesis, proprioceptive deficits in both pelvic limbs and the right thoracic limb, decreased withdrawal reflex on the right thoracic limb and hyperreflexia in the pelvic limbs. A cervico-thoracic (C6-T2) localization was suspected. Computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed, revealing a right dorsolateral extradural lesion at the C6-C7 intervertebral disc space. Additionally, meningeal and paravertebral contrast enhancement was observed on MRI, while periosteal reaction was evident at the right C6-C7 facet joint on CT. The findings were primarily consistent with spinal cord compression due to the presence of extruded disc material. Following conservative treatment failure, a right-sided C6-C7 hemilaminectomy was performed to remove the compression and sample the extradural material. Histological examination confirmed the presence of degenerated and partially mineralized disc material mixed with granulation tissue. This is the first reported case of cervical disc extrusion in a rabbit, confirmed by histological examination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11070328