Term: Corona radiata

Corona radiata refers the fan-like white matter tracts that project...

Term: Afferent vs. efferent

This week's post describes the difference between afferent and efferent nerve fibers.

Paraparetic Newfoundland

This month's case is a 7-year-old intact male Newfoundland that was referred for evaluation of progressive difficulty walking and trouble going up stairs.

Term: Strabismus

Strabismus is a visual defect in which one eye cannot focus on

Mass on dog’s head

What is the most likely cause of this dog's skull mass?

Term: Dystonia

Dystonia literally means “abnormal tone.” It is a movement disorder that is characterized by...

Quiz: Abnormal posture in a cat

This week's quiz depicts an abnormal body posture in a cat. Name the body posture depicted in the picture. What does this indicate?

COTM: Bichon mix with abnormal gait

The patient was referred to our hospital for evaluation of abnormal gait thought to be due to intervertebral disc disease.

Neurologic clues in thoracic limb lameness

It can be difficult to determine whether a patient with thoracic limb lameness has a musculoskeletal or neurologic disorder, especially since many patients, especially medium to large breed dogs, have concurrent musculoskeletal and neurologic disorders. Thorough neurologic and orthopedic exams are essential. This post lists the many clues from the neurologic exam that suggest the disorder is neurologic in origin.

Term: Torticollis

Torticollis Pronunciation: tor·ti·col·lis (tôr'tĭ-kŏl'ĭs) Etymology: 1811, Modern Latin, from Latin tortus (“crooked, twisted”) + collum (“neck”) Definition: cervical dystonia in which the neck is...

Quiz: IVDD in dogs

Today's quiz has 3 questions regarding intervertebral disc disease in chondrodystrophic dogs.

Pain…what’s in a name?

Many textbooks and instructors recommend testing patients for superficial and deep pain sensation in the limbs. However, we’re not actually testing our animal patients for pain sensation. Instead, we’re testing nociception and observing a behavioral response that we interpret as pain. Yesterday’s “neuro words for nerds” post on nociception explains the difference between nociception and pain. Today's post discusses superficial vs. deep "pain" and provides important tips for testing nociception in spinal cord patients.