When a cat is involved in a traffic accident or accidentally falls from a high building, it will cause damage to the spine, ranging from spinal fractures and dislocations to life-long sequelae such as paralysis and defecation and urination disorders. Therefore, in daily life, the owner must ensure that the cat can spend time alone safely.

1. Reason

Injuries such as spinal fractures, dislocations, etc. caused by traffic accidents, falling from high altitudes, or being kicked may lead to spinal canal dislocation or stenosis. Depending on the degree of spinal misalignment, spinal compression, bleeding, or even rupture may occur. Isolated spinal cord injuries without spinal dislocation or stenosis can also occur. The actual injuries occur mostly in the vertebrae between the 12th thoracic vertebra and the sacral vertebrae.

2. Symptoms

1. Spinal shock: Spinal shock is more common immediately after injury, manifesting as a transient loss of motor functions, sensory functions and spinal reflexes. This kind of spinal shock usually lasts for several hours and then recovers.

2. Symptoms vary depending on the location of the spinal cord injury. Generally speaking, there is a loss of voluntary movement from the injury site to the tail, a decrease or loss of perception (inherent perception and pain sensation), spinal cord hyperreflexia, and urination and defecation disorders.

3. Diagnosis

1. X-ray examination: Observing the lateral and ventral images of the spine will reveal abnormal curvature. Observing the various structures of the vertebrae, you will find images such as dislocations and fractures.

2. Neurological examination: Further examination of neurological function based on X-ray examination is particularly useful for spinal cord injuries without vertebral abnormalities. Motor and sensory functions are both controlled by the brain, but these functions are lost to varying degrees when conduction disorders occur. At the same time, spinal cord reflexes are only their own functions. When injured, if the upper nerves are damaged, the reflexes will be hyperactive, and if the lower nerves are damaged, the reflexes will decrease or disappear.

4. Treatment

1. When voluntary movement paralysis, spinal canal misalignment or spinal canal stenosis is found on X-ray examination, and there is obvious pain, the prognosis is better. Spinal cord misalignment correction and fixation surgery should be performed immediately.

2. The anesthesia procedure is to first intramuscularly inject chlorpromazine 1~2mg/kg or propionylpromazine 0.5mg/kg, and subcutaneously inject atropine sulfate 0.03mg/kg, and then use an ultra-short-acting anesthetic (thiopental Sodium 10 to 15 mg/kg, intravenous injection), insert the tracheal tube, and anesthetize with a trace drip of 0.1% ketamine or maintain anesthesia with trifluoroethane. The muscle relaxant succinylcholine can be given in appropriate amounts (2 mg once) according to the anesthesia situation.

3. First correct the spinal canal dislocation caused by fracture or dislocation and fix it. Stainless steel screws, steel splints and intramedullary needles can be used to fix between the two vertebrae, or along theThe spinous process is fixed with intramedullary pins. Because the cat's spinous process is very thin, you may also consider fixing it with methacrylate (a kind of resin). If necessary, a spondylectomy may also be performed to decompress the spinal cord.

4. In order to prevent spinal cord edema and infection after surgery, antibiotics and dehydration diuretics (water-soluble prednisolone 1 to 2 mg/kg/day, intravenously or intramuscularly) can be given, and then halved for 5 to 6 months day).

5. X-ray examination shows that the misalignment of the spinal canal reaches more than 1/3 of the diameter of the spinal canal, complete paralysis of voluntary movement, and even the disappearance of clear pain response indicates a poor prognosis. When performing the above surgery, you should Explain to cat owners.