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.

Term: Nociception

This week's neuro word for nerds is nociception. In addition to the definition, this post also compares this term to pain and provide a historical perspective regarding the scientist that first coined the term nociception.

Quiz: Cerebellar hypoplasia vs. abiotrophy

This week's question: What are the clinical similarities and differences between cerebellar hypoplasia and cerebellar abiotrophy?

Bunny-hopping gait

Simultaneous advancement of the pelvic limbs ("bunny-hopping gait") is a relatively common gait abnormality. Do you know the 3 primary causes for bunny-hopping in dogs & cats?

Term: Pseudo-hyperreflexia

Pseudo-hyperreflexia is an exaggerated reflex due to...

Tips & tricks: If I had a hammer…

Obviously, it’s always best to use a reflex hammer when testing reflexes, but what to do when you don’t have a reflex hammer on you? Click on the post title to read more.

Term: Syringomyelia

Syringomyelia is a disorder of the spinal cord characterized by replacement of spinal cord tissue by a fluid-filled cavity. Read more at neuropetvet.com.

Localize: Acutely weak cat

The August case of the month is a 6-year-old cat that was brought in to the Emergency Department for evaluation following a sudden onset of inability to walk the day before.

Quiz: Cranial nerve function

Cranial nerve function. Which of the following pairs is CORRECT?

Tips & tricks: Two-engine gait

Gait analysis in veterinary neurology is all about "pattern recognition." If you see the same gait over and over, you will eventually be able to immediately narrow the list of possible lesion locations just on gait alone. One gait abnormality is the "two-engine gait..."

Seizures in dogs ≥ 5 yrs of age

The goal of this study was to better characterize seizures in older dogs.

Quiz: Upper motor neuron signs

Which of the following is a sign of an upper motor neuron (UMN) lesion?