This study identified important demographic factors associated with RTA in dogs, notably being young and male.

Objective Intervertebral disc extrusion is a common disease affecting chondrodystrophic dogs. It has been reported that fenestration of thoracolumbar intervertebral discs reduces recurrence of disc extrusion and is associated with a low complication rate. One complication reported is iatrogenic introduction of disc material into the canal directly following fenestration. This study aimed to ascertain if, and at what frequency, additional disc material may be introduced into the vertebral canal by fenestration of the affected disc following decompressive surgery. Study Design Twenty-one dogs that underwent hemilaminectomy and disc fenestration for the treatment of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion had intraoperative assessment of the vertebral canal before and after fenestration. The spinal cord was first decompressed by hemilaminectomy and removal of all visible extruded disc material within the vertebral canal. Once no further material was visible, manual fenestration of the affected disc was performed. The vertebral canal was re-inspected, and the presence or absence of additional material was noted and included in the surgery report. Results Seven dogs showed the presence of new disc material in the vertebral canal post fenestration.This preliminary study shows that additional disc material can be forced into the vertebral canal by fenestration following decompressive surgery, with a frequency of 7/21. Conclusion This illustrates the importance of checking the vertebral canal after fenestration of an extruded intervertebral disc.

Objectives Although a clear relationship has been demonstrated between the presence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae and the development of lumbosacral stenosis in dogs, this relationship has not been evaluated in cats. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the presence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae and lumbosacral stenosis in cats. Methods The medical records and diagnostic imaging studies of 13 cats diagnosed with lumbosacral stenosis were retrospectively reviewed for lumbosacral abnormalities and compared with findings of 405 cats that underwent CT for reasons unrelated to spinal disease. Results Clinical signs associated with lumbosacral stenosis included lumbosacral pain, low tail carriage, difficulty jumping, and urinary or faecal incontinence. Neurological signs included proprioceptive deficits, ambulatory paraparesis, pelvic limb ataxia, reduced spinal reflexes and reduced perianal reflex. Duration of clinical signs ranged from 1 day to 10 months (mean 3 months). Of the 13 cats with lumbosacral stenosis, seven (53.8%) were diagnosed with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae. In the control population of 405 cats, 24 (5.9%) were diagnosed with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae. Results indicated that lumbosacral transitional vertebrae were significantly (P <0.0001) more prevalent in cats with lumbosacral stenosis compared with the control feline population (odds ratio 18.52, 95% confidence interval 6.1–62.1). Development of clinical signs of lumbosacral stenosis in cats with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (mean 10.8 years) was not significantly different from that of cats without lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (mean 12.7 years). Likewise, there was no significant influence of breed (P >0.99) or sex (P = 0.29) on the occurrence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae. Conclusions and relevance Despite lumbosacral stenosis being a rare spinal condition in cats, lumbosacral transitional vertebrae can be considered a risk factor for its development.

Background Clinicians observe that cats and dogs referred to neurology services often do not have an underlying neurological disorder. There has been no analysis of the frequency or categorisation of these neurological mimics. Methods Retrospective study of 520 cases was carried out. Data on signalment, presenting clinical signs, neurological examination findings and final diagnosis were collected. Final diagnoses were classified as primary neurological, non‐neurological in origin but with neurological clinical manifestation, completely non‐neurological (neurological mimics) or undiagnosed. Presenting clinical signs and neurological examination results were compared between neurological mimics and primary neurological cases using Chi‐square or Fischer exact test. Relative risk (RR) was calculated for significant associations. Results A total of 74% were primary neurological conditions, 8% neurological mimics, 3% non‐neurological with neurological manifestation and 15% undiagnosed. An animal referred for lameness was approximately five times more likely to be diagnosed as a neurological mimic than as a primary neurological disorder (RR = 5.42, p < 0.001). Cases with a normal neurological examination were approximately 15 times more likely to be a neurological mimic (RR = 14.97, p < 0.001). Conclusion Thorough examination with consideration of alternative diagnoses is important when a neurological condition is suspected in an animal that presents with lameness or normal neurological examination.

Health and welfare issues surrounding purebred dogs have been highly controversial since the BBC's Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary in 2008, but several major reports have identified a deficiency of reliable disorder information within breeds. The limited data available mainly reflects referral or non-UK dog populations and is not necessarily representative of the wider population of UK dogs. This study aimed to use clinical data from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK to report and compare the prevalence of common disorders in Border Terriers and Pugs. Electronic patient records spanning 1st January to 31st December 2013 covering 1,327 Border Terriers and 1,015 Pugs within the VetCompass Programme were manually examined to extract data on all disorders diagnosed during this period. Border Terriers had a median age of 5.9 years (Interquartile range [IQR]: 3.1-9.2) and a median weight of 9.9kg (IQR: 8.6-11.5), compared with 3.0 years (IQR: 1.3-5.2) and 8.8kg (