Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery to fix spinal birth defect causing incontinence in puppy
By Song, Rachel B et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2014·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical correction of a sacral meningomyelocele in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 15-week-old male German Shepherd was brought in for a nonhealing sore on his back, urinary incontinence, and a tail that was not straight. An MRI showed he had a condition called spina bifida with a meningomyelocele, which is a defect where the spinal cord and nerves protrude through the skin. The veterinarians performed surgery to close the defect and remove the abnormal nerves, and the dog had a good recovery afterward.
People also search for: German Shepherd urinary incontinence · dog tail deviation treatment · spina bifida in dogs · meningomyelocele surgery for dogs
Abstract
A 15 wk old male unilateral cryptorchid German shepherd dog weighing 18 kg was referred for a nonhealing cutaneous lesion dorsally at the level of the sacrum, urinary incontinence, and a deviated tail. MRI revealed spina bifida and meningomyelocele continuous with the skin surface. Surgical correction of the meningomyelocele involved closure of the open meningeal defect, transection of the abnormal spinal nerves to the skin surface, and closure of the skin defect with a good outcome. Histopathology confirmed a meningomyelocele. This case report describes the MRI findings, surgical procedure, and proposed pathogenesis of spina bifida and meningomyelocele in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25251428/