Top 4 Chronic Spinal Diseases Main Differentials for Chronic Progressive Paresis

摘要

Older dogs frequently have orthopedic diseases that affect their mobility. When faced with these cases the clinician must often decide whether the patient has neurologic disease in addition to musculoskeletal conditions. Clinical signs consistent withneurologic disease are proprioceptive ataxia, weakness (paresis), spinal pain, and delayed postural reactions (proprioceptive deficits). The main neurologic differentials causing pelvic limb paresis in older dogs are degenerative lumbosacral stenosis, intervertebral disc protrusion, degenerative myelopathy and spinal neoplasia. The main features of these diseases are summarized below.