Cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM) is the most common disease affecting the cervical vertebral column of large and giant breed dogs, with the osseous-associated form of the disease being the most prevalent in giant breed dogs. Among the giant breeds, Great Dane dogs are the most frequently affected. While there are several prospective studies evaluating the clinical, imaging, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and electrodiagnostic features of disc-associated CSM, no equivalent studies are available for the osseous-associated form of the disease. The pathologic changes underlying both forms of CSM are different and the results from studies investigating disc-associated CSM cannot be extrapolated to the osseous-associated form. The goal of this thesis was to perform a thorough and prospective investigation of the anatomic, diagnostic imaging, functional, and biochemical characterization of osseous-associated CSM in the Great Dane breed. In order to do this, 15 clinically normal (control) and 15 CSM-affected Great Danes (GDs) were enrolled and underwent physical and neurological examinations, radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical vertebral column, transcranial magnetic motor evoked potential (TMMEPs), and cerebellomedullary cistern CSF collection. This thesis consists of seven experiments aimed at expanding the current knowledge available on the osseous-associated form of CSM in GDs. The goal of the first experiment was to compare the body conformation of the two groups of dogs (control vs. CSM-affected). Previously published literature had suggested that differences in body conformation were involved in the pathogenesis of CSM in GDs, but no objective study had investigated this theory. Six body measurements were obtained for each dog. Overall, no significant differences were identified between groups. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that differences in body conformation play a role in the (open full item for complete abstract)

Cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM) is one of the most common diseases of the cervical spine of large and giant breed dogs. Currently, the most accepted means of evaluating the response to treatment in a patient with CSM is a subjective measure based on the owner and clinicians' perception of the patient's gait. This form of evaluation is highly subjective and can suffer from observer bias. The goals of this study were (1) to identify differences in force plate parameters between Doberman Pinschers with and without CSM that could be used as objective outcome measures and (2) to utilize digital video motion capture to compare multiple kinematic parameters between Doberman Pinscher dogs with and without CSM. Nineteen Doberman pinschers were prospectively studied; 10 clinically normal dogs and 9 with CSM. Neurologic examinations were performed in all dogs. CSM-affected dogs had their diagnosis confirmed with a 3.0 T MRI. Force plate analysis was performed in all 4 limbs of all dogs. At least 4 runs of ipsilateral limbs were collected from each dog. Eight force platform parameters were evaluated. In addition, the coefficient of variation (CV) within each limb was also calculated for each parameter. A repeated measures approach was used to analyze the data. Peak mediolateral force (PMLF), peak vertical force (PVF), and peak propulsive force (PPF) were significantly smaller in CSM-affected dogs when compared to normal dogs. Analysis using the CV, revealed significantly more variability of PVF from all four limbs in CSM-affected dogs compared to normal dogs with the largest difference in variability of PVF seen in the thoracic limbs of affected dogs. For digital motion capture, the same nineteen Doberman Pinchers were studied; 10 clinically normal dogs and 9 with CSM. All dogs were fitted with a Lycra® bodysuit and 32 reflective markers were applied. 3-D motion capture was performed and used to reconstruct a 3-D stick diagram representation of each dog from which several pa (open full item for complete abstract)