Cauda equina syndrome is the set of signs produced when the nerve roots at the end of the vertebral canal are compressed at the lumbosacral junction. In dogs the usual cause is degenerative lumbosacral stenosis (DLSS), a slow narrowing of the L7-S1 canal and foramina in medium and large breeds, with the German Shepherd Dog most at risk. The key clinical message is that these dogs are painful long before they are weak, so the disease is easy to mistake for hip disease or "old age".
Key facts
Cauda equina syndrome at a glance- Species and system: dog (rare in cats); nervous system, lumbosacral spine and the L7, sacral and caudal nerve roots.
- Main cause: degenerative lumbosacral stenosis: L7-S1 disc protrusion, ligament thickening, facet joint arthrosis and foraminal narrowing. Other causes are discospondylitis, neoplasia and trauma.
- Typical patient: middle-aged, medium to large dog, especially the German Shepherd; males over-represented; working dogs badly affected.
- Classic presentation: lumbosacral pain, reluctance to jump or climb stairs, and pelvic limb lameness that is worse with activity, with few or no neurological deficits.
- Diagnosis: pain on lumbosacral manipulation, confirmed by MRI or CT; radiographs mainly rule out other diseases.
- Not zoonotic and not reportable (but test for Brucella canis, which is zoonotic, if discospondylitis is found).
What's inside
11 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 7 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 14 references, available to NAVLE members.
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