Abstract
Abstract. A five-year-old female Labrador Retriever was referred for the diagnosis of acute onset of tetraplegia with a three-week history. A neurological examination demonstrated lower motor neuron signs on the left forelimb and upper neuron signs on the both hindlimbs, suggesting a lesion at the spinal cord segments C6-T2. Radiographs of the cervical area did not show any pathological changes. MR images demonstrated a lesion at the C6, as a high intensity area on T2-weighted images, with minimal contrast-enhancement both on T1- and T2-weighted images. As a fibrocartilaginous embolism was the most likely diagnosis for the tetraplegia of the dog, a poor prognosis was given. Euthanasia and necropsy were performed and a definitive diagnosis of fibrocartilaginous embolism was made through a histopathological examination, since an ischemic infarction with a fibrocartilaginous tissue in the vessels around the lesion was observed.
