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Highlights • Cavalier King Charles spaniels with syringomyelia are assumed to experience central neuropathic pain. • In humans with central neuropathic pain, monofilaments were used to evaluate somatosensory function. • The cervical mechanical sensory threshold was quantified with monofilaments in case and control dogs. • Mean mechanical sensory threshold was not significantly different between case and control dogs. • The complete somatosensory profile needs to be characterised in order to assess whether syringomyelia alters sensory thresholds. Abstract It is assumed that Cavalier King Charles spaniels with Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia experience central neuropathic pain. An association between spinal cord parenchymal lesions and specific clinical signs (e.g. spontaneous and evoked scratching, withdrawal, and paroxysmal pain manifestations with vocalisation) has been suggested. This led to the hypothesis that mechanical sensory threshold is altered in clinical cases. The aim of this study was to quantify the cervical mechanical sensory threshold using Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments in nine Cavalier King Charles spaniels with Chiari-like malformation and assumed syringomyelia-associated central neuropathic pain compared to eight control dogs. Clinical and neurological examination including magnetic resonance imaging was undertaken. Mean mechanical sensory threshold was not significantly different between case and control dogs (t -test on log10 transformed data; P = 0.25). Substantial variation within and between dogs was seen, with individual thresholds ranging from 0.04 to 26 g in case dogs and from 0.02 to 10 g in control dogs. Based on these results, it is unlikely that Cavalier King Charles spaniels with Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia have increased mechanical sensation characterised by lower mechanical sensory threshold when quantified with Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. Whether clinical cases experience central neuropathic pain remains unknown. The assessment of sensory function in dogs with assumed central neuropathic pain should be multimodal and include not only mechanical but also tactile and thermal threshold quantification. The use of threshold quantification in a clinical setting is challenging due to an insufficient signal relative to the biological background noise within and between dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of the present study were to investigate survival time, possible predictors of survival and clinical outcome in dogs with ischaemic stroke. A retrospective study of dogs with a previous diagnosis of ischaemic stroke diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed. The association between survival and the hypothesised risk factors was examined using univariable exact logistic regression. Survival was examined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Twenty-two dogs were identified. Five dogs (23%) died within the first 30 days of the stroke event. Median survival in 30-day survivors was 505 days. Four dogs (18%) were still alive by the end of the study. Right-sided lesions posed a significantly increased risk of mortality with a median survival time in dogs with right-sided lesions of 24 days vs. 602 days in dogs with left sided lesions (P = 0.006). Clinical outcome was considered excellent in seven of 17 (41%) 30-day survivors. Another seven 30-day survivors experienced new acute neurological signs within 6-17 months of the initial stroke event; in two of those cases a new ischaemic stroke was confirmed by MRI. In conclusion, dogs with ischaemic stroke have a fair to good prognosis in terms of survival and clinical outcome. However, owners should be informed of the risk of acute death within 30 days and of the possibility of new neurological events in survivors. Mortality was increased in dogs with right-sided lesions in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]