Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thoracic spinal calcinosis causing hindlimb ataxia in German shepherds
By McEwan, J D et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·1992·Department of Veterinary Surgery, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Thoracic spinal calcinosis circumscripta causing cord compression in two German shepherd dog littermates.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two young German shepherd littermates were brought in because they were having trouble with their back legs and were unsteady while walking. X-rays showed a mineralized growth on their spine that was pressing on the spinal cord. Sadly, one dog passed away shortly after the tests, but the second dog had surgery to remove the growth, which helped improve its movement. A closer examination of the tissue confirmed that the growth was calcinosis circumscripta, a condition where calcium builds up in a specific area.
People also search for: German shepherd hind leg problems · dog spinal surgery recovery · calcinosis circumscripta in dogs
Abstract
Two young German shepherd dog littermates had progressive, painless, hindlimb ataxia. In both dogs plain radiography of the vertebral column revealed a solitary mineralised lesion on the dorsal laminae between the dorsal spines of the second and third thoracic vertebrae, and myelography with iopamidol demonstrated cord compression at the level of the lesions. The first dog died 18 hours after the myelography. A dorsal laminectomy performed in the second dog resulted in neurological improvement. A histopathological examination confirmed that both lesions were calcinosis circumscripta. The cause of the death of the first dog was meningitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1496770/