Three dogs were presented with lumbosacral hyperesthesia. Computerized tomography scans were performed in all the cases, and magnetic resonance imaging was also performed in cases 1 and 3. There was intervertebral disc (IVD) protrusion causing nerve root compression and epidural gas accumulation in all the three cases. The gas-filled cystic structures in cases 1 and 3 were within the spinal canal; in case 2, the gas was within the disc protrusion. The IVD vacuum phenomenon is relatively common in dogs, but the formation of an epidural gas accumulation in cases of a lumbar disc protrusion is rare. The clinical significance of these epidural gas accumulations is unknown. Two of the dogs were treated surgically, improved after surgery, and showed no signs of pain in the follow-up examinations.
Keywords: canine; disc protrusion; epidural gas accumulation; lumbosacral degeneration; pneumorrhachis.