Prevalence, clinical presentation, and etiology of myelopathies in 224 juvenile dogs

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundIntervertebral disc herniation is widely recognized as the most common cause of myelopathy in dogs older than 2 years; however, the prevalence of various causes of myelopathy in younger dogs has not been reported.Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo describe the prevalence, clinical presentation, and etiology of myelopathy in dogs aged 18 months or less. Secondarily, to investigate which clinical features were associated with each of the most common etiologies.AnimalsTwo hundred twenty‐four dogs aged 18 months or less with myelopathy were included in the study.MethodsRetrospective review of clinical records from 4 referral institutions. Multivariable logistic regression analyses assessed which clinical features were associated with each diagnosis.ResultsFrench bulldogs (n = 51, 22.8%), pugs (n = 18, 8.0%), crossbreeds (n = 12, 5.4%), and English bulldogs (n = 11, 4.9%) were the most frequently affected breeds. Overall, 31 diagnoses were reached. The 5 most frequent diagnoses were vertebral malformation (VM; n = 42, 18.8%), spinal arachnoid diverticulum (SAD; n = 28, 12.5%), traumatic fracture of the vertebral column (n = 22, 9.8%), atlantoaxial instability (n = 18, 8.0%), and osseous‐associated cervical spondylomyelopathy (n = 17, 7.6%). Intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) accounted for 4.5% of cases (n = 10). A final diagnosis of VM was associated with younger, screw‐tailed, and pug breeds with chronic signs of T3‐L3 myelopathy. SAD was associated with screw‐tailed and pug breeds with nonpainful clinical signs. Intervertebral disc extrusion was associated with older, screw‐tailed, and pug breeds with shorter duration of clinical signs.Conclusions and Clinical ImportancePrioritization of differential diagnoses for dogs presenting with signs of myelopathy when aged 18 months or less should differ to those for older dogs, with IVDE not the most common cause in the former.