A 23-month-old German shepherd dog (GSD) with chronic intermittent gastrointestinal signs presented following acute deterioration compatible with gastrointestinal obstruction and suspected peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH). Physical examination revealed depression, abdominal pain, decreased pulse quality, reduced heart sounds and tachypnoea with a shallow breathing pattern. Radiography confirmed PPDH and a granular, 1.3 cm mineral opacity cranial to the cardiac silhouette within the cranioventral thorax. Coeliotomy and median sternotomy revealed strangulated jejunum within the cranial mediastinum, cranial to the pericardium. This was resected and herniorrhaphy was performed. Postoperatively the dog became normal. Midline fusion defects, including the pericardium, can be associated with PPDH and in such cases sternotomy may be required. This is the first report of surgical management of strangulated intestine secondary to an initially conservatively managed PPDH. Mineral opacity on radiography associated with PPDH may represent chronic partial obstruction. This possibly represents a second GSD with Cantrell’s pentalogy.

OBJECTIVE To compare spinal cord-to-vertebral canal area ratios measured with CT between the cervical and thoracolumbar regions in French Bulldogs. ANIMALS 37 French Bulldogs presented to a referral hospital between 2016 and 2019. PROCEDURES The study was conducted as a retrospective observational study. Exclusion criteria were evidence of vertebral malformations or spinal cord compression at the sites where measurements were obtained and the presence of cervicothoracic or thoracolumbar transitional vertebrae or neurologic deficits. CT images were reviewed, and measurements were performed by 2 investigators. Measurements of the spinal cord and vertebral canal were made at the level of or immediately cranial to the midbodies of C5 and L1. RESULTS A 2-tailed, paired t test indicated that the mean spinal cord-to-vertebral canal area ratio differed significantly (P < .01) between C5 (0.726) and L1 (0.605). The ratio was lower in the thoracolumbar region, suggesting that the vertebral canal was relatively larger in this region. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The epidural space did not appear to be larger in the cervical than in the thoracolumbar region in this population of French Bulldogs, contrary to previous reports. The reason for the more severe deficits observed with thoracolumbar disk extrusion in this breed remains to be characterized.

Whilst multi-planar imaging has allowed advances in diagnosis and treatment of canine spinal cord disorders, it is sometimes inaccessible to pet owners leading to a reliance on imaging modalities and ancillary tests that are more readily available. For this reason, this essay considers how Bayesian clinical reasoning may aid in deciding which tests, if any, are most useful for the diagnosis of spinal disease in clinical practice and choosing reasonable empiric therapies.

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Objectives The aim of this study was to describe how the addition of contrast-enhanced low-field magnetic resonance imaging sequences can confirm or change the initially planned surgical approach for canine intervertebral disc extrusions. Study Design Magnetic resonance imagings of 20 dogs diagnosed with intervertebral disc extrusions were retrospectively reviewed by a board-certified neurologist for the location of extradural disc material, contrast enhancement, and whether enhancement reinforced or changed the initially planned surgical approach. Results Extradural compressive material contrast-enhanced in 17/20 dogs. In 14/20 dogs, enhancement was considered to increase the confidence level of the location for surgery including two cases where the surgical approach was altered. Conclusion Gadolinium-based contrast agents in low-field magnetic resonance imaging can aid the surgical planning of intervertebral disc extrusions in dogs by improving the confidence level of location and extent of extradural material and occasionally altering the surgical approach.