Case: Cauda Equina Syndrome

Thank you to Thea Madill from St. George's University for sharing not one but TWO great pieces as part of our Cases and Abstracts category!  What a thorough and interesting case work-up - take a look!

A 3-year-old FS Great Dane was presented for orthopedic evaluation to further work-up the complaint of a chronic progressive hind limb weakness. Aside from this weakness, that was more notably reported when walking up and down stairs, she was behaving normal at home. On dynamic evaluation, she had an evidently ataxic gait in the hind limbs, and some urine dribbling was noted but initially thought to be due to excitement. On observation of her hindlimbs, her toenails were significantly shorter and appearing filed down in comparison to the forelimbs. She appeared painful when palpating her vertebrae moving caudally towards her tail and upon palpation of the lumbosacral joint, she let out a loud yelp. She was also painful when her tail was lifted.  At this point in the exam, it became suspicious that she was seeing the wrong department, and was referred to see a neurologist. This long-standing unknown cause of weakness was later diagnosed on MRI as Lumbosacral Stenosis, or Cauda Equina Syndrome. Demonstrated in this MRI T2 weighted image is narrowing of the spinal canal at the level of the lumbosacral articulation.

An Open and Shut Case

Thank you to Thea Madill of St. George's University for sharing this case with us!  I'd say that's a definitive diagnosis! 

A good example of why visualizing INSIDE the oral cavity is an important part of our physical exam!

A retrospective study of prognostic indicators for survival in eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)

Take a peek at this study submitted to our Cases/Abstracts category by Ivana Levy of the University of Illinois!

A retrospective study of prognostic indicators for survival in eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)

Ivana H. Levy, Matthew C. Allender, Stephanie Principati, Julia Whittington, Sarah Reich, Krista A. Keller

Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory (Levy, Allender, Keller), Wildlife Medical Clinic (Whittington, Reich), Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine (Allender, Principati, Whittington, Reich, Keller), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

The eastern grey squirrel (EGS), Sciurus carolinensis, is a tree squirrel native to the eastern United States. This species commonly presents to wildlife medical clinics for a variety of human-related injuries including road traffic and pet predation. The purpose of this study was to determine prognostic indicators for survival in young or orphaned EGS. Retrospective data were collected from January 1, 2012 to June 12, 2018 for all EGS weighing less than 300 g that presented to the Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

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Summer Scholars Success

Whether in the classroom, the clinic, or beyond, we are so proud of the hard work and dedication put forth by the veterinary student community.  Take a look at Leah Sauerwein and Maria Koytcheva's CSU Veterinary Summer Scholars project - congratulations on your accomplishments, ladies!

A Systematic Review of Environmental Sustainability In Veterinary Practice  

Maria K. Koytcheva, Leah K. Sauerwein, Tracy L. Webb, Sadie A. Skeels, Colleen G. Duncan

One Health Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

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Plantar Pastern Subluxation - A Case Study

Check out this interesting case study that Bianca Ruspi from Cornell University was a part of!

*click on image to open for best quality*