Prevalence, risk factors and outcome of acute thoracic and lumbar myelopathies in non-chondrodystrophic dogs.

Acute thoracolumbar myelopathies are a common reason for consultation in veterinary neurology; however, the actual prevalence of the different diseases responsible for myelopathic signs in non-chondrodystrophic (NCD) dogs remains unknown. This retrospective, single-center study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of diseases causing acute thoracic and lumbar myelopathies in NCD dogs. In addition, the relationship between prognostic factors, final diagnosis and neurological grade at admission was evaluated, with particular focus on mean time to improvement (MTI) and mean ambulatory recovery time (MART) among diagnostic groups. A total of 178 dogs presenting to the emergency service between 2014 and 2024 with clinical signs and a final diagnosis of thoracic or lumbar myelopathy were included. Dogs were classified according to final diagnosis into vascular (28/178-15.7%), inflammatory (25/178-14%), traumatic (49/178-27.5%), neoplastic (18/178-10.1%), or degenerative (58/178-32.6%) groups. For each group, statistical analyses were performed to identify epidemiological and clinical factors at presentation that could help clinicians in prioritizing differential diagnoses, including breed, sex, body weight, age, onset of clinical signs, neurological grade at presentation, progression of clinical signs, lesion localization, association with trauma or prior exercise, lateralization of clinical signs, and presence of spinal hyperesthesia. Degenerative intervertebral disk disease (IVDD) was the most frequently diagnosed condition in NCD dogs with acute myelopathy and primarily affected old, neutered dogs, with a higher prevalence in males and dogs weighing more than 25kg. Most cases presented as chronic, non-lateralized myelopathies, often with acute worsening of clinical signs prior to presentation.