Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with tail weakness and poop leaking treated for disc problem
By Franklin, C D H & House, A K·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2023·Peninsula Vetcare Emergency and Referral Hospital, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treatment of sacro-coccygeal intervertebral disc extrusion causing tail paresis and faecal incontinence in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old beagle was brought in because it had a lowered tail and was unable to control its bowel movements for two weeks. After tests, the vet found a large disc problem in the dog's spine that was pressing on nerves. The dog underwent surgery to remove the damaged disc material, and within three days of going home, it regained control over its bowel movements. This case is notable as it is the first reported instance of this type of disc issue causing such symptoms, and the surgery was successful.
People also search for: dog tail problems · beagle faecal incontinence treatment · dog spine surgery recovery
Abstract
A 4-year 9-month-old beagle was presented for a 2-week history of acute onset of lowered tail carriage and faecal incontinence. Neurological examination was unremarkable except for an absent perineal reflex, there was no history of trauma. Blood work was unremarkable. Lumbosacral and coccygeal CT pre- and post-intravenous contrast revealed a large sacrococcygeal disc extrusion with mineralised material extending from the level of S2 and to midbody of Cd1. A dorsal laminectomy was performed from the cranial margin of S2 to the caudal margin of Cd1. A large volume of mineralised disc material was removed. The material was confirmed on histopathology to be consistent with extruded nucleus pulposus. The patient regained faecal continence within 3 days of hospital discharge. Based on a literature search this is the first report of a sacrococcygeal disc extrusion resulting in faecal incontinence, with successful surgical management.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36100058/