A 9-year-old King Charles Spaniel presented with a history of progressive forelimb weakness and paroxysmal involuntary flank scratching over a 2-year period. Neurological examination suggested a myelopathy of C1 to C4 spinal cord segments. Advanced imaging studies revealed hydrocephalus, caudal herniation of part of the caudal lobe of the cerebellum through the foramen magnum and marked syrinx formation to the level of the caudal thoracic spine, resembling Arnold-Chiari malformation with secondary hydromyelia in humans. Mechanical obstruction at the craniocervical junction, altering CSF flow dynamics, may lead to syrinx formation. Response to diuretic therapy was moderate but surgical decompression may offer better long term prognosis.

Intraoperative measurements of [PTH] can be used clinically to determine cure of primary hyperparathyroidism. Parathyroid hormone increases significantly during parathyroid gland manipulation. Plasma iCa concentration returns to within the reference range on average 24 h after successful PTX. Not all dogs require vitamin D or calcium supplementation pre- or postoperatively.

Five cases of suspected immune-mediated neutropenia in dogs are described. Clinical signs varied depending on whether the animals had a systemic infection or concurrent immune-mediated disease. Patients were diagnosed by excluding other causes of neutropenia, supportive bone marrow aspirate findings, an initial favourable response to corticosteroid administration in four of the cases, and concurrent immune-mediated disease. Four of the dogs were receiving medications at the time of diagnosis, and immune-mediated neutropenia secondary to drug therapy cannot be excluded. This study shows that appropriate immunosuppressive treatment can lead to a favourable outcome, however, care is required to avoid adverse effects associated with corticosteroid use. It is also imperative that medications are not withdrawn abruptly as a second remission may not always be achievable.