Prevalence, clinical presentation, and etiology of myelopathies in 224 juvenile dogs

Ed J. Pilkington, Steven De Decker, Eleftheria Skovola, Ana Cloquell Miro, Rodrigo Gutierrez Quintana, Kiterie M. E. Faller, Albert Aguilera Padros, Rita Goncalves

Background

This study focuses on the prevalence, clinical presentation, and etiology of myelopathies in juvenile dogs aged 18 months or less. Intervertebral disc herniation is recognized as a common cause in older dogs, but the prevalence in younger dogs remains unreported. The study aims to describe the prevalence, clinical presentation, and etiology of myelopathies in this age group and to investigate the association of clinical features with the most common etiologies.

Methods

The study is a retrospective review of clinical records from four referral institutions, including 224 dogs aged 18 months or less diagnosed with myelopathy. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess which clinical features were associated with each diagnosis. The study included a wide variety of breeds with a significant representation of French bulldogs, pugs, crossbreeds, and English bulldogs.

Results

The study found that 31 different etiologies for myelopathy were identified among the juvenile dogs. The five most frequent diagnoses were vertebral malformation (VM), spinal arachnoid diverticulum (SAD), traumatic fracture of the vertebral column, atlantoaxial instability, and osseous-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy (OA-CSM), with intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) accounting for only 4.5% of cases. French bulldogs, pugs, crossbreeds, and English bulldogs were the most frequently affected breeds. The study also highlighted that certain breeds were more likely to develop specific conditions, with screw-tailed and pug breeds being particularly susceptible to VM, SAD, and IVDE.

Limitations

The study's retrospective nature may limit the accuracy of reported clinical features, potentially affecting the identification of associations between certain clinical features and diagnoses. Additionally, the requirement for a final diagnosis might have excluded less commonly diagnosed or characterized conditions, possibly biasing the data toward more frequently seen conditions.

Conclusions

The study concludes that the prioritization of differential diagnoses for juvenile dogs presenting with signs of myelopathy should differ from that for older dogs, with IVDE not being the most common cause in this younger group. The study's findings underscore the importance of considering breed-specific susceptibilities when diagnosing and treating myelopathies in juvenile dogs.

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