Content
- What is the Equine Tail in Dogs
- Causes of the equine tail in dogs
- Genetic predisposition of the equine tail
- Tail Equine Symptoms in Dogs
- Canine Equine Tail Diagnosis
- Treatment of the equine tail in dogs
- Equine tail medical treatment
- Surgical treatment of the cauda equina in dogs
- Palliative treatment of the cauda equina in dogs
The cauda equina syndrome or lumbosacral stenosis in dogs is an arthritic or secondary degenerative disorder caused by various causes, in which the lumbosacral joint narrows, causing compression of the nerve roots in the final region of the spinal cord. Due to your degenerative nature, is more frequent in older puppies, although it is not exclusive to them.
It is important to diagnose as soon as possible and pay attention to signs indicative of the process, such as refusal to take long walks, jumps, back pain or if we observe the dog limping, because when the disease progresses it can cause urinary and fecal incontinence, and it can be too late to save our furry friend. Continue reading this PeritoAnimal article to learn more about equine tail in dogs, its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
What is the Equine Tail in Dogs
The equine tail, also called horse tail or lumbosacral stenosis, is a degenerative process that affects the lumbosacral joint, between the last lumbar vertebra (L7) and the sacrum, in the region of the beginning of the dog's tail. In this area, the spinal cord changes from being oblong (or bulbous) to a kind of broom or horsetail branch that extends through the sacrum.
The degenerative process causes instability in the area with narrowing and compression of the nerve roots, which causes a lot of pain to the dogAs well as difficulty in movement, it can also lead to a herniated disc. The affected nerves are those that transmit and receive information from some nearby organs and from the dog's hind legs.
Causes of the equine tail in dogs
The origin of the canine equine tail is very diverse, although it is usually a consequence of arthrosis due to the degenerative process of the passage of years. It can also arise as a result of the following causes:
- Spinal dislocation.
- Spinal infection.
- Spinal tumor.
- Nerve tumor.
- Injuries in the area.
- Spinal fracture.
- Congenital anomalies (spina bifida, hemi-vertebrae).
- Spondylosis.
- Hip dysplasia.
- Herniated last intervertebral disc.
Genetic predisposition of the equine tail
The equine tail is more frequent in older dogs as it is an arthritic-degenerative process, and from medium to large breeds, such as:
- German Shepherd.
- Rottweiler.
- Labrador retriever.
- Golden retriever.
- Dogo.
- Boxer.
However, small breed puppies (such as bulldog or dachshund) and dogs of any age can also suffer from equine tail.
Tail Equine Symptoms in Dogs
The symptoms of the cauda equina in dogs can be very broad, in addition to presenting nonspecific clinical signs, such as intolerance or reduced exercise, apathy, refusal to take long walks, nervousness or aggressiveness, they usually have the following orthopedic-traumatic clinical signs:
- Low back pain (low back pain).
- dog limping
- Pain when walking.
- Males avoid "raising their paw" when they urinate.
- They refuse to wag their tails hard.
- Weakness or paralysis of the tail and pelvic area.
- Muscle atrophy.
- Difficulty getting up when lying down.
- Alteration in hind leg reflexes.
- Urinary incontinence.
- Fecal incontinence.
- Drag your nails while walking.
Canine Equine Tail Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the cauda equina in dogs can be challenging. For starters, most dogs suffering from this disease are older and caregivers attribute to arthrosis typical of age, not manifesting even when the disease is so developed that there is a lot of pain and even urinary and fecal incontinence.
So it's critical go to the vet as soon as our dog shows some symptoms of discomfort, as there are many diseases that have similar symptoms and an early diagnosis can make a difference.
Treatment of the equine tail in dogs
The treatment of the canine cauda equina will vary according to its severity and whether or not it can restore functionality to the animal, so the therapy can be medical, surgical or palliative.
Equine tail medical treatment
In order to control the progression and resolve some origins of the cauda equina in dogs, the following will be used medical therapy:
- Anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications to relieve the inflammatory and painful process.
- Chondroprotective and group B vitamins to control the progression of primary or secondary arthrosis.
- Antibiotics if the cauda equina is the result of an infectious process.
- Chemotherapy if the origin is tumoral.
- Total or partial rest may be necessary.
Surgical treatment of the cauda equina in dogs
When medical treatment is not enough or when it produces a hernia, a surgical procedure called dorsal laminectomy must be performed.
In operation, it is opened by L7-S1 to decompress the spinal cord from the area, using a ringer flushing with lactate and cleaning the holes and channel if the disc has prolapsed.
In cases of dislocations or fractures, they must be treated with specific operations for each case.
Palliative treatment of the cauda equina in dogs
When surgical treatment is not indicated or function is not expected to recover, they should be used. structural complements or harnesses in order to improve the dog's quality of life.
These three types of treatments can be complemented with physical therapy and rehabilitation and electroacupuncture and acupuncture techniques to further improve the condition of the affected dog.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Equine tail in dogs - Symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter our section on Degenerative Diseases.