Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with neck disc extrusion causing limb weakness and pain
By Santifort, Koen Maurits et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2025·Evidensia Small Animal Hospital "Hart van Brabant", Netherlands·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Cervical Intradural/Extramedullary Intervertebral Disc Extrusion in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male neutered Jack Russell Terrier was brought to the emergency vet because he was having trouble using his legs and was sensitive around his neck. An MRI revealed that a disc in his neck was pushing against his spinal cord, causing significant compression. The vet performed surgery to remove the extruded disc material, which was confirmed to be causing the problem. After the surgery, the dog showed improvement in his mobility and comfort.
People also search for: dog neck pain · Jack Russell Terrier leg weakness · intervertebral disc surgery for dogs
Abstract
A 6-year-old male neutered Jack Russell Terrier presented via the emergency department for subacute progressive asymmetrical tetraparesis and cervical hyperesthesia. MRI showed T2-weighted (T2W) and T1-weighted (T1W) hypointense material, positioned dorsocaudally to the C3-4 intervertebral disc on the right ventrolateral aspect of the spinal cord, causing moderate-to-severe compression of the spinal cord. The material was sharply marginated with a pointed/sharp beak-like appearance (beak sign). On parasagittal images, two hyperintense lines appearing as a "Y" were appreciated (Y-sign). Surgical findings confirmed an intradural/extramedullary intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE). This is the first report of a cervical intradural/extramedullary IVDE in a dog.
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/41310938/