46 LMN paresis and paralysis Flaccid tail INITIAL PRESENTATION Flaccid tail, low tail carriage, tail paralysis. INTRODUCTION Sacrococcygeal muscles dorsally and ventrally, and the lateral intertransversarius coccygeus muscles extend and flex the tail. Innervation is supplied by sacral and caudal nerves. Tail paralysis is common in cats secondary to stretching or avulsion of the nerves during trauma. A focal tail myopathy occurs in working dogs and is known as limber tail, limp tail, frozen tail or cold tail, with the latter sobriquets probably owed to its increased occurrence in cold weather. The acute flaccid paralysis of the tail from its base or a few inches distal to the base occurs post-exercise in English pointers, Labradors, beagles, setters, foxhounds and other hunting breeds. It may or may not be painful. Recovery occurs within days to weeks without specific treatment. It may recur. The tail may hang to one side during recovery. Biopsies are not performed because of the potential to damage nerves while harvesting enough muscle to be diagnostically useful, besides which, the condition is quite distinctive and self-limiting. Interestingly, a dog with LMN or UMN tetraplegia may still wag its tail voluntarily. This is generally taken as a good prognostic sign for recovery of ambulation but has not been subject to rigorous study. SIGNALMENT A 12-year-old neutered male domestic shorthaired cat. CASE PRESENTING SIGNS Flaccid tail. CASE HISTORY The cat suddenly appeared to be in pain and resented handling by the owner. The cat spent unsupervised periods outdoors, but there had been no evidence of external trauma to the cat. Two days later the tail was noticed to hang vertically and lose all movement. The hindlimb posture appeared crouched. The cat was able to voluntarily urinate and defecate. A week of meloxicam, buprenorphine, cage rest and time did not restore the cat to normal. There had been two similar episodes of pain and a ‘floppy’ tail 1 year and 2 years prior to this recurrence, from which the cat had spontaneously recovered. The cat was described as being otherwise well. Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: Metabolic encephalopathy: hepatic encephalopathy Meningioma Behaviour change – an introduction Idiopathic facial paralysis Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: Saunders Solutions in Veterinary Practice Small Animal Neurology Sep 3, 2016 | Posted by admin in SMALL ANIMAL | Comments Off on LMN paresis and paralysis: Flaccid tail Full access? Get Clinical Tree
46 LMN paresis and paralysis Flaccid tail INITIAL PRESENTATION Flaccid tail, low tail carriage, tail paralysis. INTRODUCTION Sacrococcygeal muscles dorsally and ventrally, and the lateral intertransversarius coccygeus muscles extend and flex the tail. Innervation is supplied by sacral and caudal nerves. Tail paralysis is common in cats secondary to stretching or avulsion of the nerves during trauma. A focal tail myopathy occurs in working dogs and is known as limber tail, limp tail, frozen tail or cold tail, with the latter sobriquets probably owed to its increased occurrence in cold weather. The acute flaccid paralysis of the tail from its base or a few inches distal to the base occurs post-exercise in English pointers, Labradors, beagles, setters, foxhounds and other hunting breeds. It may or may not be painful. Recovery occurs within days to weeks without specific treatment. It may recur. The tail may hang to one side during recovery. Biopsies are not performed because of the potential to damage nerves while harvesting enough muscle to be diagnostically useful, besides which, the condition is quite distinctive and self-limiting. Interestingly, a dog with LMN or UMN tetraplegia may still wag its tail voluntarily. This is generally taken as a good prognostic sign for recovery of ambulation but has not been subject to rigorous study. SIGNALMENT A 12-year-old neutered male domestic shorthaired cat. CASE PRESENTING SIGNS Flaccid tail. CASE HISTORY The cat suddenly appeared to be in pain and resented handling by the owner. The cat spent unsupervised periods outdoors, but there had been no evidence of external trauma to the cat. Two days later the tail was noticed to hang vertically and lose all movement. The hindlimb posture appeared crouched. The cat was able to voluntarily urinate and defecate. A week of meloxicam, buprenorphine, cage rest and time did not restore the cat to normal. There had been two similar episodes of pain and a ‘floppy’ tail 1 year and 2 years prior to this recurrence, from which the cat had spontaneously recovered. The cat was described as being otherwise well. Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: Metabolic encephalopathy: hepatic encephalopathy Meningioma Behaviour change – an introduction Idiopathic facial paralysis Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join
