A case of spinal cord compression causing paraplegia of a foal.

The research focuses on a two-week old Thoroughbred colt found with sudden paralysis of the hind limbs with no visible external injuries. The cause was determined to be spinal cord compression.

Background and Symptom Observation

• The foal was found suddenly paralyzed with no visible injury.
• Despite the paralysis, the foal was in good body condition, but muscle atrophy in its hindquarters was observed.
• The hind legs lacked muscle tone and didn’t resist any manipulation. They didn’t respond even to the painful stimuli, which indicated absence of reflexes, a significant sign of paralysis.
• According to the prior work of Palmer (1965), these symptoms are indicative of low motor neuron type of damage.
• The bilaterally same nature of the symptoms suggested a central nerve lesion rather than a peripheral one.

Examination Methodology

• A pin-prick test was employed to identify the exact location of the lesion.
• Primarily two types of responses were observed: movements stemming from the skin muscle reflex, and movements of the head showing conscious sensation.
• Areas with different levels of activity for the cutaneous muscle reflex were observed.
• The area of reflex activity beautifully matched with the area of apparent conscious insensibility to pin-pricking.
• During the clinical examination, no evidence was found of urinary retention with passive overflow.

Diagnostic Deduction

• From the physical examination and the symptoms, a preliminary diagnosis was made that points towards a severe lesion in the lumbar part of the spinal cord.
• A radiograph was taken, which revealed a wedge-shaped compression fracture and upward displacement of the body of the second lumbar vertebra, leading to narrowing of the spinal canal.
• Given the duration and severity of the condition and diagnosis of spinal cord compression, the foal was euthanized.

Postmortem Examination

• The vertebral column was removed and radiographed for inspection, revealing that there were only five lumbar vertebrae instead of the usual six.
• The injury was limited to the body the second lumbar vertebra, along with the absence of any involvement of the articular processes.
• There were no visible changes in the bladder.
• A piece of spinal cord was collected for histological examination, the results of which are not presented in this abstract.