Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Right front leg lameness from extra neck rib in poodle mix
By McDermott, Madeline et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome secondary to an unilateral cervical rib in a poodle mix.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old spayed female poodle mix was brought to the vet for ongoing lameness and pain in her right front leg that didn't improve with pain medications. After thorough examinations and X-rays showed no issues, an MRI revealed an unusual bone structure compressing nerves in her shoulder area. The vet performed surgery to remove this extra rib, which was causing her symptoms. Following the surgery, the dog showed improvement, and her pain and lameness were resolved.
People also search for: dog front leg lameness · poodle mix neck pain treatment · dog surgery for rib removal
Abstract
A 2-year-old spayed female poodle mix was evaluated for persistent intermittent right thoracic limb lameness and pain refractory to oral analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications. Orthopedic and neurologic physical examinations localized discomfort to the right shoulder and cervical region. Orthogonal right shoulder radiographs did not detect any abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging of the right brachial plexus revealed an anomalous bone structure at the level of the right thoracic inlet. Orthogonal cervical radiographs confirmed this finding. Surgical exploration of the right thoracic inlet identified a vestigial rib, extending from the right first rib and compressing adjacent axillary nerves, which was surgically excised via partial costectomy. This unilateral anomaly, analogous to cervical ribs described in human medicine, remains rarely documented in dogs. While rare, neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome secondary to cervical ribs should be considered in dogs with neck pain and refractory thoracic limb lameness.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42023676/