Spinal cord injury resulting from incorrect microchip placement in a cat

Abstract

A 2-year-old, male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented for investigation of an acute onset of tetraparesis immediately following the implantation of a pet identification microchip. A left-sided C6–T2 spinal segment localisation was suspected from the neurological examination, with spinal cord trauma being the primary differential diagnosis. Myelography demonstrated obliteration of the contrast columns by the microchip at the C5–C6 intervertebral disc space. A dorsal laminectomy was undertaken and the microchip was successfully removed. Eleven months after the surgery, the cat was able to weight bear in all limbs but with mild residual paresis in the left thoracic limb.