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Case ReportOpen Access

Syringomyelia in the Thoracolumbar Spinal Cord of an African Wild Dog (Lycaon Pictus)

Volume 1 - Issue 5

*Jessica M Weeks BS1,2,6Jennifer N Langan, DVM Dipl ACZM, 3Hylton Gelb DVM Dipl ACVR, 4Benjamin N Nevitt DVM, 5Sarah M Corner DVM Dipl ACVP and 6Michael J Adkesson DVM Dipl ACZM

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    • *1University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, USA
    • 2Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, USA
    • 3Veterinary Specialty Center, USA
    • 4Illinois Zoological and Aquatic Animal Residency Program, University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine, USA
    • 5Zoological Pathology Program, University of Illinois, USA
    • 6Chicago Zoological Society, USA

    *Corresponding author: Jennifer Langan, Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Illinois, 61802, USA

Received: September 22, 2017;   Published: October 10, 2017

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2017.01.000425

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Abstract

A captive born neonatal African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) exhibited hind limb weakness and ataxia since the onset of ambulation. Initial examination at one month of age revealed postural reaction deficits in both hind legs and moderate muscle atrophy. After sustaining a bite wound to the head, the animal was reexamined at 87 days of age. A cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed a mild mononuclear pleocytosis. Magnetic resonance imaging indicated a large syrinx in the thoracolumbar spinal cord. The animal was subsequently euthanized and necropsy confirmed the presence of a 1.5 cm x 3 mm syrinx at the T13-L1 level of the spinal cord. This is the first report of syringomyelia in any nondomestic canid. Limited genetic diversity in the captive African wild dog population may contribute to increasing prevalence of rare congenital and inherited diseases, which could support strict breeding management in this species.

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