German Shepherd dogs with T2-T3 disc protrusions causing paraparesis

Abstract

Although intervertebral disc degeneration can occur at any level of the spine, cervical and thoraco-lumbar discs are more commonly affected. The presence of the inter-capital ligament between the rib heads results in an extremely low incidence of cranial thoracic intervertebral disc herniation. In this case series, the clinical, radiological, and surgical findings, as well as the post-operative outcome, in three German Shepherd dogs with T2-T3 disc protrusions is reported. These dogs had chronic progressive paraparesis and lumbar myelography and post-myelographic computerised tomography revealed ventrolateral, extra-dural spinal cord compressions over the T2-T3 intervertebral disc. All animals exhibited transient deterioration in their clinical signs and one developed unilateral Horner's syndrome following T2-T3 hemi-dorsal laminectomy. Subsequently two of the dogs improved progressively and neurological dysfunction had completely resolved by 2 months. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case series describing T2-T3 disc protrusions in the dog.