Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kitten with neck bone malformations causing sudden weakness in all
By Dean, Barnaby Luke et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital AssociationĀ·2019Ā·and Langford Small Animal Hospital, United KingdomĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Multiple Cervical Vertebral Malformations in a 21-Week-Old Kitten.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 21-week-old male domestic shorthair kitten was brought to the vet after suddenly becoming unable to walk. The kitten had severe weakness in all four legs, and tests showed problems with the bones in his neck. After four weeks of treatment that didn't involve surgery, the kitten was able to walk again, although he was still hesitant to jump. This case highlights the importance of checking for neck bone issues in cats that suddenly can't move their legs.
People also search for: kitten unable to walk Ā· cat neck problems Ā· treatment for cat tetraparesis
Abstract
A 21 wk old, 2 kg neutered male domestic shorthair presented with a 24 hr history of acute-onset severe nonambulatory tetraparesis with no known inciting cause. Neurologic examination revealed a C1-C5 myelopathy. Computed tomography of the vertebral column and thorax revealed incomplete ossification of the C2 and C3 vertebrae and lung bullae. After 4 wk of conservative management, the client reported a return to normal ambulation with reluctance to jump up. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a feline case of incomplete ossification of cervical vertebrae. The cervical malformations outlined in this report are differentials to consider in cases of acute-onset tetraparesis in cats.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31433220/