The Lumbosacral Junction in Working German Shepherd Dogs – Neurological and Radiological Evaluation

Abstract

The clinical and radiological incidence of lumbosacral (LS) disease was studied on 57 German Shepherd dogs (GSDs) used in active service. The study included a clinical history, a neurological examination, and plain radiographs of the caudal lumbar vertebrae. The neurological examinations revealed lower back pain and/or neural deficits in 21 dogs, of which 14 had a history of pain or pelvic gait abnormalities. Radiographic findings were spondylosis at L7-S1, degeneration of L7-S1 disc, LS malalignment, transitional LS vertebrae and/or primary spinal canal stenosis in 15 dogs with neurological abnormalities and/or back pain and in 18 dogs with no clinical signs. No correlation between the neurological and the radiographic findings were found. This study demonstrates that even prominent radiographic LS abnormalities are of minimal value in the evaluation of LS disease in the GSD.

A follow-up study of neurologic and radiographic findings in working German Shepherd Dogs with and without degenerative lumbosacral stenosis

“…Radiographic positions were the same as those obtained for the previous study, 8 and radiographs obtained for the present study were compared with those obtained 3 years earlier. a One was obtained with the dog in lateral recumbency and the femurs perpendicular to the vertebral column; the other was obtained with the dog in dorsal recumbency, with the stifle joints abducted and the X-ray beam angled cranially by 7 o to 10 o so that it was parallel to the lumbosacral endplates.…”

“…In a previous study, 8 results of neurologic and radiologic examinations of 60 working GSDs were reported. Thirty-three of these 60 dogs were included in the present study.…”

“…8 Following the neurologic examination, all dogs underwent survey radiography of the lumbosacral junction. Lumbosacral hyperesthesia was evaluated by means of deep palpation, lumbosacral hyperextension, and hyperextension of the tail.…”

“…8,9 Similarly, a radiographic study 10 of lumbosacral angle, range of motion, and vertebral alignment did not find any association between these radiographic signs and clinical signs of DLSS. 1,2 A study 3 of causes of death or euthanasia of military working dogs, for instance, found that 19% of the military GSDs had neurologic disease of the spinal cord or cauda equina.…”

Effect of analgesic therapy on clinical outcome measures in a randomized controlled trial using client-owned dogs with hip osteoarthritis

“…OA commonly affects multiple joints in the dog [20], and many dogs in the present study had multiple joints affected with OA, including degenerative changes to the lumbosacral spine. Therefore, some dogs may have had a neuropathic pain component to their clinical signs, although degenerative changes to the lumbosacral spine seen radiographically are not highly correlated with clinical signs [21]. …”