Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings of presumed limber tail syndrome in a cat.

Abstract

A 4-year-old neutered female domestic shorthair indoor cat was presented with sudden onset of abnormal and painful tail-carriage. The tail was held horizontally for the first centimeters from the base and a flaccid paralysis was evident more distally. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbosacral spine and tail revealed a lesion located in the right sacrocaudalis dorsalis lateralis and medialis muscles along the 1st coccygeal vertebrae. The lesion was poorly defined, T2-weighted hyperintense, and T1-weighted isointense compared to surrounding and contralateral muscles and had a strong homogeneous contrast enhancement. The cat began receiving prednisolone and clinical signs progressively improved and disappeared within 2 wk. Clinical presentation and MRI findings were comparable to those previously described in dogs with limber tail syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, limber tail syndrome has not been reported in cats. However, based on this case, we inferred that limber tail syndrome may occur in cats. Key clinical message: Limber tail syndrome could be considered among the differential diagnoses in both dogs and cats presented with acute and flaccid tail paralysis. Limber tail syndrome is essentially a clinical diagnosis. An animal with suspected limber tail syndrome should initially be treated conservatively and, if no improvement or further deterioration are observed, MRI could be considered to refine the diagnosis, as it allows identification of tail muscles and can detect lesions affecting these structures.