A Case of Cutenous Lymphoma with Paralysis in a Dog

Abstract

This is a case report of a six-year-old male scotch terrier which developed multiple cutaneous lumps around the neck followed by hindlimb paralysis. A skin biopsy of one of the lumps revealed cutaneous lymphoma which tended to develop centripetally, and not toward epidermis. MRI of the spine was performed and a paraspinal tumor was found, but there was no evidence that the spinal cord was compressed by the tumor. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed atypical lymphoid cells, which indicated that the paralysis of the hindquarters was caused by infiltration of tumor cells into the spinal cord. The patient died of respiratory insufficiency two weeks later. MRI is invaluable for the diagnosis and prognosis of spinal cord neoplasms in animal clinics.