- Observe normal and abnormal responses during the neurological examination of the dog. The examination will focus on everything below the foramen magnum.
- Learn to localize the lesion based on spinal reflex response.
- Paresis – loss of proprioception, varying degrees of voluntary motor function, partial loss of sensation
- Plegia or paralysis – loss of proprioception, voluntary motor function, and superficial pain sensation
- Tetraparesis (tetraplegia) – all four limbs affected
- Paraparesis (paraplegia) – both pelvic limbs affected
- Hemiparesis (hemiplegia) – both limbs on one side of the body affected
- Monoparesis (monoplegia) – one limb affected
Progression of Clinical Signs Animals with spinal lesions progress through the following stages:
- Loss of proprioception
- Loss of voluntary motor function
- Loss of superficial pain sensation
- Loss of deep pain sensation (indicates a severly damaged spinal cord and poor prognosis)
Animals may be presented in any of these stages of neurologic disfunction.
- Recovery is a reversal of progression