Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Most common causes of sudden paralysis in dogs and cats at emergency
By G. Rossi et al.·Published in The Veterinary Record·2020·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Intervertebral disc disease and aortic thromboembolism are the most common causes of acute paralysis in dogs and cats presenting to an emergency clinic
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Dachshund was brought to the emergency clinic after suddenly becoming unable to walk. The vet found that the most common cause of this type of paralysis in dogs is intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which affects the spine. In this case, IVDD was confirmed, and the dog received treatment that likely included pain management and possibly surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. Many dogs with IVDD can recover with appropriate care, but the outcome can vary based on the severity of the condition.
People also search for: dog sudden paralysis · Dachshund IVDD treatment · dog unable to walk原因
Abstract
Background Acute paralysis is a common presentation in small animal emergency clinics, but the aetiological prevalence has not been reported. Knowledge of diagnosis frequency aids prioritisation of differential diagnoses, facilitates resource planning and clinical trial design. Methods Medical records from NC State Veterinary Hospital Emergency Room were searched over a five-year period to identify cases presenting with acute non-ambulatory paraparesis or paralysis. Signalment and diagnosis category were extracted. Results Acute paralysis was the presenting problem in 845 of 21,535 (3.9 per cent) dogs and 66 of 4589 (1.4 per cent) cats admitted over this period. Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) was the most common cause (608 of 845; 72 per cent) in dogs, followed by vascular disease (34 of 845; 4.0 per cent). Other diagnostic categories accounted for the remaining 20 per cent. Dachshunds were the most common breed (263 of 845; 31.1 per cent), then Labrador retrievers (57 of 845; 6.7 per cent). In cats, aortic thromboembolism (ATE) was the most common diagnosis, occurring in 40 of 66 (60.6 per cent), followed by IVDD (7 of 66; 10.6 per cent). Other diagnostic categories accounted for 30.3 per cent. Six of 845 (0.7 per cent) dogs and two of 66 (3 per cent) cats were categorised as pseudoparalysis with a non-neurological diagnosis. Conclusions IVDD and ATE are the overwhelming causes of acute paralysis in dogs and cats, respectively, with approximately 28 per cent of dogs and 40 per cent of cats having a different diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/32471959