Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Q&A 15

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A seven-month-old, female Toy Poodle jumped from a footstool onto the floor, yelped and became reluctant to move. The dog is ambulatory, but conscious proprioceptive deficits are noted on all four limbs. Pain is easily elicited upon cervical palpation. Cervical radiographs are taken with the dog under anesthesia.

Question	Answer		Article
What is the diagnosis?	Atlantoaxial instability/luxation.		Link to Article
Congenital absence of what structure predisposes to this situation?	Absence of the dens.		Link to Article
What non-surgical therapy could be used to treat this patient?	Neck brace, cage rest (at least 3 weeks) and analgesics.		Link to Article
What are the limitations of using this non-surgical treatment as the definitive therapy?	Conservative management relies on scar tissue for stabilization; therefore, minimal trauma could result in recurrence of atlantoaxial luxation and associated clinical signs.		Link to Article
Describe a surgical treatment performed from a ventral cervical approach.	Transarticular atlantoaxial pins.		Link to Article