Page 229 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

236 Section III: Spinal Procedures

A dog with intervertebral disc disease aged less than 2 years and cer-
tainly older than 6 is also common. Young and middle‐aged cats can
have disc disease as well, but far less commonly.

Physical and Neurological Examinations
A complete general physical examination is very important in addi-
tion to the neurological examination. Differentiating orthopedic
from neurological abnormalities is important and often challeng-
ing. Discovering coexisting medical or surgical disorders may affect
prognosis or change the client’s resolve to pursue additional diag-
nostics. The neurological component also has to be separated from
other conditions into those localized to the spinal cord. Ruling out
intracranial disease as well as peripheral nerve disease will better
help focus on what proper testing to perform. Perhaps the most
challenging finding in older or even in more active patients is pre-
existing orthopedic diseases, including elbow dysplasia, stifle dis-
B
ease, and hip diseases.
Terms often used in describing the spinal patient are paresis, paral-
ysis (plegia), ataxia, and proprioception [3]. Paresis is defined as a
deficit of voluntary movements. Paresis can be further differentiated
into monoparesis, hemiparesis, and quadraparesis or tetraparesis.
Plegia or paralysis means complete loss of voluntary motor function
and, unlike in bipedals, does not imply both motor and sensory loss.
A paraplegic quadruped must be further defined with regard to pres-
ence or absence of nociception. Ataxia is defined as the lack of coor-
dination without spasticity, paresis or involuntary movements.
However, each of these conditions can be seen in association with
ataxia. Proprioception (“position sense”; Figure 27.4) is the ability of
the body to recognize where the limbs are in relation to the body [3].
The complete neurological examination and associated differentials
are well documented and can be found in several other resources.
Based on the level of suspicion for each case, various testing
should be considered prior to the more definitive radiological
Figure 27.1 Extramedullary tumor at C4 (arrows in A, B): (A) sagittal T1‐ studies. Diagnostic testing is oftentimes normal in cases of primary
weighted MRI; (B) transverse T1‐weighted MRI with contrast. spinal tumors. Often, metastatic spinal neoplasia (Figure 27.5) or

A B C

Figure 27.2 Intradural/extramedullary meningioma at C3 (arrows in A, B, C): (A) sagittal T2‐weighted MRI; (B) dorsal T2‐weighted MRI; (C) transverse
T1‐weighted MRI plus contrast. Note the typical “golf tee” appearance in (A) and (B).