Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with sudden paralysis and joint swelling diagnosed by MRI
By Parry, Andrew T et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2009·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Imaging diagnosis--necrotizing meningomyelitis and polyarthritis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old female neutered Weimaraner was brought in after developing trouble walking in her back legs, which got worse over 12 hours. She showed signs of pain in her lower back and had swelling in multiple joints. Tests, including an MRI and spinal fluid analysis, suggested she had a serious spinal cord condition and joint inflammation. Unfortunately, her condition progressed to paralysis, and she was euthanized. A postmortem exam confirmed the diagnosis of myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord) and polyarthritis (joint inflammation).
People also search for: Weimaraner back leg problems · dog joint swelling treatment · dog spinal cord inflammation symptoms
Abstract
A vaccinated 2-year-old female neutered Weimaraner had bilateral pelvic limb ataxia that progressed over 12 h. The dog became nonambulatory, with signs of pain on palpation of the lumbar spine. The dog also developed multiple joint effusions. On magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, there was a diffuse, asymmetric T2-hyperintensity in the thoracolumbar spinal cord which was characterized by contrast enhancement. Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis had an elevated white blood cell count and protein. On the basis of MR images and CSF analysis, a presumptive diagnosis of diffuse myelitis was made. The dog became paraplegic and was euthanized. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of myelitis with vasculitis and nonerosive polyarthritis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19697607/