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An 8-week-old intact male lynx cub (Lynx pardinus) from a captive breeding colony was presented with a 2-day history of cluster seizures. There was no history of intoxication. Physical and neurological examinations were normal. Complete blood profile, infectious diseases panel, MRI of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid analysis were unremarkable. A diagnosis of suspected idiopathic epilepsy was made. The lynx cub was treated with increasing doses of phenobarbital and seizure activity stopped within 28 days. After 23 seizure-free months, phenobarbital was tapered over 4 months and finally discontinued. No further seizures were observed during the follow-up period of 8 years. Given the early onset followed by rapid and maintained remission, seizure semiology and the lack of underlying disease, a presumptive diagnosis of benign focal epilepsy similar to benign childhood focal epilepsies as described in human medicine is postulated.

A 10-year-old Border collie and a five-year-old Domestic shorthaired cat are reported with a ‘praying’-like posture as clinical presentation for caudal lumbar disc disease. Neurological examination localised to L6-S3 spinal cord segments or nerve roots. Advanced diagnostic imaging revealed disc herniations at L7-S1 vertebrae in the dog and at L6-L7 vertebrae in the cat. The dog improved significantly with conservative treatment whereas the cat underwent a decompressive dorsal laminectomy followed by complete resolution of his clinical signs. This unusual posture leads to increased space for the cauda equina within the vertebral canal by widening the caudal lumbar intervertebral spaces and thus suspected to alleviate the pain more successfully compared with a normal posture. A ‘praying position’-like posture has not been reported as a clinical manifestation for caudal lumbar disc disease in a dog and a cat, yet should be considered as a differential diagnosis for this unusual pain relief posture.