Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with spinal microchip removed after paralysis from chip
By Smith, T J & Fitzpatrick, N·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2009·Fitzpatrick Referrals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical removal of a microchip from a puppy's spinal canal.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-week-old Tibetan Terrier puppy was brought to the vet after suddenly having trouble moving all four legs, which started 12 hours after getting a microchip implanted in its neck. X-rays showed that the microchip had moved into the spinal canal, causing damage. The vet performed surgery to remove the microchip, which was challenging due to bleeding. Fortunately, the puppy was able to walk again by the seventh day after surgery and, 18 months later, was reported to have mostly recovered, though it still had a slight tilt of the head.
People also search for: puppy microchip problems · Tibetan Terrier spinal injury · microchip removal surgery recovery
Abstract
A 1.6 kg, six-week-old Tibetan Terrier was admitted with a 12-hours history of acute onset of progressive tetraparesis following insertion of a microchip to the dorsal cervical region. Neurological examination indicated a lesion to the Ce(1) to Ce(5) spinal cord segments. Radiographic examination confirmed the intra-spinal location of a microchip foreign body at the level of the second cervical vertebra. Microchip removal was achieved following dorsal hemi-laminectomy; significant intra-operative haemorrhage was encountered. The puppy was ambulatory at day seven. Follow-up telephone interview 18 months postoperatively confirmed that the patient had made a good recovery although it had a mild residual right- sided torticollis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19151873/