BackgroundSpinal walking (SW) is described as the acquisition of an involuntary motor function in paraplegic dogs and cats without pain perception affected by a thoracolumbar lesion. Whereas spinal locomotion is well described in cats that underwent training trials after experimental spinal cord resection, less consistent information is available for dogs.HypothesisParaplegic dogs affected by a thoracolumbar complete spinal cord lesion undergoing intensive physical rehabilitation could acquire an autonomous SW gait under field conditions.AnimalsEighty‐one acute paraplegic thoracolumbar dogs without pelvic limb pain perception.MethodsRetrospective study of medical records of dogs selected for intensive rehabilitation treatment in paraplegic dogs with absence of pain perception on admission and during the whole treatment. Binary regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze potential associations with the development of SW.ResultsAutonomous SW was achieved in 48 dogs (59%). Median time to achieve SW was of 75.5 days (range: 16–350 days). On univariate analysis, SW gait was associated with younger age (P = .002) and early start of physiotherapy (P = .024). Multivariate logistic regression showed that younger age (≤60 months) and lightweight (≤7.8 kg) were positively associated with development of SW (P = .012 and P < .001, respectively). BCS, full‐time hospitalization, and type and site of the lesion were not significantly associated with development of SW.ConclusionsDogs with irreversible thoracolumbar lesion undergoing intensive physiotherapic treatment can acquire SW. Younger age and lightweight are positively associated with the development of SW gait.

There is a paucity of information on the clinical course and outcome of young cats with polyneuropathy. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical features, diagnostic investigations, and outcome of a large cohort of cats with inflammatory polyneuropathy from several European countries. Seventy cats with inflammatory infiltrates in intramuscular nerves and/or peripheral nerve biopsies were retrospectively included. Information from medical records and follow up were acquired via questionnaires filled by veterinary neurologists who had submitted muscle and nerve biopsies (2011–2019). Median age at onset was 10 months (range: 4–120 months). The most common breed was British short hair (25.7%), followed by Domestic short hair (24.3%), Bengal cat (11.4%), Maine Coon (8.6%) and Persian cat (5.7%), and 14 other breeds. Male cats were predominantly affected (64.3%). Clinical signs were weakness (98.6%) and tetraparesis (75.7%) in association with decreased withdrawal reflexes (83.6%) and, less commonly, cranial nerve signs (17.1%), spinal pain/hyperesthesia (12.9%), and micturition/defecation problems (14.3%). Onset was sudden (30.1%) or insidious (69.1%), and an initial progressive phase was reported in 74.3%. Characteristic findings on electrodiagnostic examination were presence of generalized spontaneous electric muscle activity (89.6%), decreased motor nerve conduction velocity (52.3%), abnormal F-wave studies (72.4%), pattern of temporal dispersion (26.1%) and unremarkable sensory tests. The clinical course was mainly described as remittent (49.2%) or remittent-relapsing (34.9%), while stagnation, progressive course or waxing and waning were less frequently reported. Relapses were common and occurred in 35.7% of the cats' population. An overall favorable outcome was reported in 79.4% of patients. In conclusion, young age at the time of diagnosis and sudden onset of clinical signs were significantly associated with recovery (p &lt; 0.05). Clinical and electrodiagnostic features and the remittent-relapsing clinical course resembles juvenile chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), as seen in human (children/adolescents), in many aspects.

Brachial plexus injury (BPI) represents a common consequence of road traffic accidents in humans and small animals. In humans, neuropathic pain is a common symptom after BPI. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical signs, the electrodiagnostic findings, the outcome and the quality of life (QoL) of a cohort of dogs and cats with BPI. Clinical records of 40 dogs and 26 cats with BPI were retrospectively reviewed. Specific attention was put on the evaluation of electrodiagnostic findings (35/40 dogs; 14/26 cats) and telephonic interview results (26/40 dogs; 18/26 cats). The most common neurological condition was the inability to bear weight and sensory deficits on the affected limb. Radial and ulnar motor nerve conduction studies (MNCSs) were absent respectively in 47% (radial) and 62% (ulnar) of dogs and 57% (radial) and 57% (ulnar) of cats. The absence of radial (p = 0.003) and ulnar (p = 0.007) MNCSs in dogs and ulnar MNCSs in cats (p = 0.02) was significantly associated to the amputation of the affected limb. The owners described signs of pain/discomfort in 73% of dogs and 56% of cats. This is the first report suggesting that neuropathic pain/discomfort should be adequately considered in order to improve the QoL.

Inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy (IMPN) is one of the causes of sudden onset of neuromuscular signs such as para-/tetraparesis in young cats. Even though most cases have a favorable outcome, persistent deficits, relapses, and progressive courses are occasionally seen. As clinical presentation does not always appear to predict outcome and risk of recurrence, this study was initiated to screen for prognostic biopsy findings in a large cohort of histologically confirmed IMPN cases with clinical follow-up. In total, nerve and muscle specimens of 107 cats with biopsy diagnosis of presumed autoreactive inflammatory polyneuropathy and 22 control cases were reviewed by two blinded raters for a set of 36 histological parameters. To identify patterns and subtypes of IMPN, hierarchical k-means clustering of 33 histologic variables was performed. Then, the impact of histological parameters on IMPN outcome was evaluated via an univariate analysis to identify variables for the final multivariate model. The data on immediate outcome and follow-up were collected from submitting neurologists using a purpose-designed questionnaire. Hierarchical k-means clustering sorted the tissues into 4 main categories: cluster 1 (44/129) represents a purely inflammatory IMPN picture, whereas cluster 2 (47/129) was accompanied by demyelinating features and cluster 3 (16/129) by Wallerian degeneration. Cluster 4 (22/129) reflects normal tissues from non-neuropathic control cats. Returned questionnaires provided detailed information on outcome in 63 animals. They were categorized into recovered and non-recovered. Thereby, fiber-invasive infiltrates by mononuclear cells and mild fiber loss in intramuscular nerve branches correlated with higher probabilities of recovery. Remyelination in semithin sections, on the other hand, is correlated with a less favorable outcome. Animals grouping in cluster 1 had a tendency to a higher probability of recovery compared to other clusters. In conclusion, diagnosis of feline IMPN from nerve and muscle biopsies allowed for the identification of histologic features that were positively or negatively correlated with outcome.

Background Muscle cramps (MCs) are prolonged, involuntary, painful muscle contractions characterized by an acute onset and short duration, caused by peripheral nerve hyperactivity. Objectives To provide a detailed description of the clinical features and diagnostic findings in dogs affected by MCs. Animals Fourteen dogs. Methods Multicenter retrospective case series. Cases were recruited by a call to veterinary neurologists working in referral practices. Medical records and videotapes were searched for dogs showing MCs. The follow‐up was obtained by telephone communication with the owner and the referring veterinarian. Results Three patterns of presentation were identified depending on the number of affected limbs and presence/absence of migration of MCs to other limbs. In 9/14 (64%) of dogs, MCs were triggered by prompting the dogs to move. 8/14 (58%) dogs were overtly painful with 6/14 (42%) showing mild discomfort. The cause of MCs was hypocalcemia in 11/14 (79%) dogs: 9 dogs were affected by primary hypoparathyrodism, 1 dog by intestinal lymphoma and 1 dog by protein losing enteropathy. In 3/14 cases (21%) the cause was not identified, and all 3 dogs were German Shepherds. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Muscle cramps can manifest in 1 of 3 clinical patterns. Muscle cramps are elicited when dogs are encouraged to move and do not always appear as painful events, showing in some cases only discomfort. The main cause of MCs in this study was hypocalcemia consequent to primary hypoparathyroidism. In dogs having MCs of unknown etiology, idiopathic disease or paroxysmal dyskinesia could not be ruled out.