Refractory seizures associated with an organic aciduria in a dog.

A 6-month-old, female Cavalier King Charles spaniel exhibited seizures that were difficult to control with standard anticonvulsants over a 12-month period. The diagnosis of an organic aciduria with excessive excretion of hexanoylglycine was determined when the dog was 20 months old. Recurrent and cluster seizures were eventually controlled with the addition of levetiracetam to potassium bromide and phenobarbital.

Comparison of conventional spin-echo and fast spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging in the canine brain.

T2-weighted fast spin echo and conventional spin echo are two magnetic resonance (MR) pulse sequences used to image the brain. Given the same scan parameters the resolution of fast spin-echo images will be inferior to that of conventional spin-echo images. However, fast spin-echo images can be acquired in a shorter time allowing scan parameters to be optimized for increased resolution without increasing the time to an unacceptable level.

Magnetic resonance imaging appearance of suspected ischemic myelopathy in dogs.

Ischemia and infarction of the spinal cord is a known cause of acute spinal injury in dogs. Currently, the diagnosis of spinal cord infarction in small animals is based on history, clinical signs, and the exclusion of other differentials with radiography and myelography. It is a diagnosis only confirmed through necropsy examination of the spinal cord.

L-2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria in Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

L-2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria is an inborn error of metabolism, which has been recognized in humans since 1980. The metabolic defect responsible for the disease is unknown, but the disorder can be diagnosed in humans by elevations of the organic acid, L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and urine of affected patients. The disorder produces a variety of clinical neurological defects in humans including psychomotor retardation, seizures, and ataxia.

Tetraparesis in a cat with fibrocartilaginous emboli.

An 8-year-old cat, with a history of ataxia that progressed to tetraparesis over a 5-day period, was evaluated. A lesion was localized to the sixth cervical (C6) to second thoracic (T2) spinal cord segments based on physical and neurological examination findings. Blood work was unremarkable, as was survey radiography of the thoracic and abdominal cavities.