Background A retrospective case series study was undertaken to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in Pug dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy and concurrent caudal articular process (CAP) dysplasia. Electronic clinical records were searched for Pug dogs who underwent MRI for the investigation of a T3-L3 spinal cord segment disease with subsequent confirmation of CAP dysplasia with computed tomography between January 2013 and June 2017. Clinical parameters age, gender, neuter status, body weight, urinary or faecal incontinence, severity and duration of clinical signs were recorded. MRI abnormalities were described. Univariable non-parametric tests investigated the association between the clinical parameters and evidence of extra- or intra-dural spinal cord compression on MRI. Results 18 Pug dogs were included. The median age was 106 months with median duration of clinical signs 5 months. All presented with variable severity of spastic paraparesis and ataxia; 50% suffered urinary/faecal incontinence. In all cases, MRI revealed a focal increase in T2-weighted signal intensity within the spinal cord at an intervertebral level where bilateral CAP dysplasia was present; this was bilateral aplasia in all but one case, which had one aplastic and one severely hypoplastic CAP. MRI lesions were associated with spinal cord compression in all but one case; intervertebral disc protrusion resulted in extra-dural compression in 10 (56%) cases; intra-dural compression was associated with a suspected arachnoid diverticulum in 4 (22%) cases and suspected pia-arachnoid fibrosis in 3 cases (17%). There was no association between clinical parameters and a diagnosis of intra-dural vs extra-dural compression. CAP dysplasia occurred at multiple levels in the T10–13 region with bilateral aplasia at T11–12 most often associated with corresponding spinal cord lesions on MRI. Conclusions All Pugs dogs in this study were presented for chronic progressive ambulatory paraparesis; incontinence was commonly reported. Although intervertebral disc disease was the most common radiologic diagnosis, intra-dural compression associated with arachnoid diverticulae/fibrosis was also common. Bilateral CAP aplasia was present in all but one Pug dog at the level of MRI detectable spinal cord lesions. A causal relationship between CAP dysplasia and causes of thoracolumbar myelopathy is speculated but is not confirmed by this study.

Background Disregarding atlantoaxial instability in toy breed dogs associated with dens malformation and cervical spondylomyelopathy; cervical vertebral malformations are rare and poorly characterised in veterinary medicine and consequently treatment strategies and clinical outcome are sparsely documented. Results Electronic clinical records at our veterinary referral hospital between April 2009 and November 2018 were searched for patients presented with cervical myelopathy secondary to an underlying suspected vertebral malformation/instability. Nine dogs met the inclusion criteria. Two dogs were diagnosed with atlantoaxial pseudoarthrosis, two dogs with a syndrome similar to Klippel-Feil in humans, two dogs with congenital cervical fusion, two dogs with congenital C2-C3 canal stenosis and deficiencies of the dorsal arch of the atlas and laminae of the axis and one with axial rotatory displacement. Tetraparesis, proprioceptive deficits, cervical hyperesthesia and cervical scoliosis were the most common clinical signs. The axis was the most commonly affected vertebrae (8/9 patients). Patients diagnosed with Klippel-Feil-like Syndrome were the younger (average of 262.5 days) and patients diagnosed with fused vertebrae the oldest (average of 2896 days) in our studied population (average of 1580.8 days). Conclusion Cervical vertebral malformations are rare, or alternatively, being underdiagnosed in veterinary medicine. Patients diagnosed with Klippel-Feil-like Syndrome had a successful medium and long-term outcome with conservative management. Surgical treatment was often indicated for the other conditions presented in this study due to spinal instability and/or myelopathy. Stabilisations via ventral approaches were revealed to be safe. Multicentre and prospective studies are necessary in veterinary medicine to better characterise clinical outcomes in cervical vertebral malformations.

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) are lysosomal storage diseases of humans and domestic animals generally inherited by an autosomal recessive trait. Affected animals are normal at birth but they then have progressive growth abnormalities and generally exhibit neurologic abnormalities. An 18-month-old female, neutered, domestic, short-hair cat presented for evaluation of progressive pelvic limb ataxia, generalised weakness and spinal hyperaesthesia. The result of a toluidine spot test indicated the presence of glycosaminoglycans in the urine. This result is strongly suggestive of MPS. The magnetic resonance abnormalities found are very similar to the abnormalities described in human medicine. This is the first case report where magnetic resonance findings in a patient with MPS are described in veterinary medicine.

Pyoderma gangrenosum can present as a cutaneous manifestation of paraneoplastic syndromes. A case of bullous pyoderma gangrenosum associated with bicytopenia is described. During the complementary investigation, myelogram, bone marrow biopsy and karyotype were performed, and showed a pattern consistent with myelodysplastic syndrome. The patient was treated with dapsone with improvement. Pyoderma gangrenosum can be a manifestation of systemic diseases. The possibility of myelodysplastic syndrome should always be considered in patients with pyoderma gangrenosum associated with cytopenia.

A portosystemic shunt is an abnormal communication between the portal vascular system and the systemic circulation. A significant number of clinical signs associated with portosystemic shunting result from hepatic encephalopathy (HE); a syndrome encompassing neurological signs such as including changes in behaviour, ataxia, unresponsiveness, pacing, circling, blindness, seizures, coma and death. We present two West Highland White Terrier dogs diagnosed with HE based on clinical signs, bile acid stimulation test and imaging of the abnormal vessel communicating the portal and the systemic circulation. Magnetic resonance sequences of the brain revealed a poorly marginated and diffuse, bilateral and symmetric hyperintense lesions on T2-weighted, fluid attenuation inversion recovery and diffusion-weighted sequences relative to the brain parenchyma including the medial longitudinal fasciculus and reticular formation in the brainstem. No abnormalities were detected on T1-weighted sequences.