Case report: Sacral agenesis in two boxer dogs: clinical presentation, diagnostic investigations, and outcome.

Two boxer dogs from the same litter were presented at 3 months of age for urinary and fecal incontinence. Both dogs had an abnormal tail consisting of a small stump, an atonic anal sphincter, and absent perineal reflex and sensation. Neurological evaluation was indicative of a lesion of the cauda equina or sacral spinal cord. Radiology and CT scan of the spine displayed similar findings in the two dogs that were indicative of sacral agenesis. Indeed, they had 6 lumbar vertebrae followed by a lumbosacral transitional vertebra, lacking a complete spinous process, and a hypoplastic vertebra carrying 2 hypoplastic sacral transverse processes as the only remnant of the sacral bone. Caudal vertebrae were absent in one of the dogs. On MRI, one dog had a dural sac occupying the entire spinal canal and ending in a subfascial fat structure. In the other dog, the dural sac finished in an extracanalar, subfascial, well-defined cystic structure, communicating with the subarachnoid space, and consistent with a meningocele. Sacral agenesis-that is the partial or complete absence of the sacral bones-is a neural tube defect occasionally reported in humans with spina bifida occulta. Sacral agenesis has been described in human and veterinary medicine in association with conditions such as caudal regression syndrome, perosomus elumbis, and Currarino syndrome. These neural tube defects are caused by genetic and/or environmental factors. Despite thorough genetic investigation, no candidate variants in genes with known functional impact on bone development or sacral development could be found in the affected dogs. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report describing similar sacral agenesis in two related boxer dogs.

Emphysematous cystitis: review of current literature, diagnosis and management challenges.

Emphysematous cystitis (EC) is a rare disease in human as well as in veterinary medicine; in both it is defined as an uncommon form of complicated urinary tract infection (UTI), characterized by the presence of gas within the bladder wall and lumen. While female dogs are at increased risk of developing an UTI, patients with EC are not subject to gender or age predisposition and may present with variable clinical manifestations. Diabetes mellitus (DM) appears as the most common risk factor for the development of EC, but many other underlying conditions have been mentioned in literature and should be taken into consideration. In case of EC, Escherichia coli appears to be the most common pathogen isolated from urine cultures. A conclusive diagnosis of EC requires necessarily the recourse to imaging methods, such as abdominal radiography and ultrasonography. An early diagnosis and appropriate medical therapy, consisting in protracted antibiotic treatment associated with control over underlying diseases, could lead to avoid surgical intervention.