Paraparesis in an Adult Alpaca with Discospondylitis

Abstract

A 5-year-old domestic huacaya alpaca mare, with a body mass of 40 kg, was admitted to the Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty of Berne, Switzerland, with a history of acute onset of paresis in the pelvic limbs for one day without observed trauma. Previous treatments from the referring veterinarian included anthelmintics (ivermectin a 0.2 mg/kg of body weight) and antibiotics (ceftiofur b 1.0 mg/kg of body weight), resulting in no improvement in her clinical condition.At examination, the alpaca was recumbent, but rectal temperature (37.8uC [100.04uF]; reference interval, 37.5-38.9uC [99.5-102.02uF]), heart rate (64 beats per minute [bpm]; reference interval, 60-90 bpm), and respiratory rate (24 breaths per minute; reference interval, 10-30 breaths per minute) were within the reference range. 1The alpaca was in thin body condition. Examination of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems did not reveal abnormalities.A detailed neurologic examination was performed.2

Diagnosis and treatment of lumbosacral discospondylitis in a calf

“…They are described in literature in different species [7,8,12,13,18] and may be very helpful in detecting multiple spinal lesions [11]. In the present case, computed tomography, although possible, was not an option because of financial restraints.…”

“…It may also occur secondary to back trauma [7] or iatrogenic infections caused by epidural or paravertebral anaesthesia [13]. However, none of these risk factors could be identified in the calf described in this report.…”

“…This disease has been reported in many domestic animals [3-7], but is generally rare. It is diagnosed more often in dogs and pigs than in cattle and horses [8,9].…”

MRI evaluation of spontaneous intervertebral disc degeneration in the alpaca cervical spine

“…The lower cervical spine of camelids, specifically alpacas, and llamas, have recently been suggested as a potential large animal model of disc degeneration and regeneration due to similarities in spinal posture, intervertebral disc size, and biomechanical flexibility . Additionally there have been two published papers (of which we are aware) reporting post‐mortem identification of disc degeneration and herniation in camelids: a single llama that exhibited clinical signs of pain, and an alpaca with spondylitis . From a biomechanics standpoint, the camelid cervical spine has a vertically oriented spinal posture and is unsupported near the end in an open kinetic chain, thus providing multiple mechanical parallels with the human lumbar spine.…”

Disorders of the Neurologic System and Special Senses

“…This has been reported in the cervical and thoracic spine of mainly juvenile, but also adult, alpacas. [85][86][87] Noninfectious intervertebral disk disease appears to be quite rare. We have seen it in the caudal cervical spine of two older llamas, one of which was extremely large.…”