Intervertebral disk disease in a domestic shorthair cat

Abstract

A 6 year old male neutered domestic shorthair cat presented to Cornell following four days of posturing to urinate without producing urine, and one day of standing in a bilaterally plantigrade posture. Neurologic deficits localized the lesion to his caudal spine, and MRI revealed intervertebral disk extrusions of L6-L7 adn L7-S1. A dorsal laminectomy was performed and successfully relieved the pressure on the affected nerve roots. The patient's neurologic signs were resolved at the time of discharge, with the expectation that they would continue to improve with time and physical rehabilitation exercises.