Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, 2016. 44: 1425http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/44/PUB%201425.pdfLarissa Garbelini Valentim , Rogerio Anderson Marcasso ,Ana Paula Frederico Loureiro Bracarense & Monica Vicky Bahr AriasABSTRACT Background: Various diseases can cause spinal cord disorders in dogs including neoplasia of the nervous system, whichare more common in mature and older animals. Some breeds, as brachycephalics, are more predisposed for certain typesof tumors. Spinal neoplasia can be categorized as primary or secondary tumors, and still can be grouped in extradural, intradural/extramedullaryor intramedullary. The aim of this study was to investigate the signalment, neurological syndrome,type and source of the mass, presence of metastases, and clinical outcomes in 28 dogs diagnosed with spinal tumors. Materials, Methods & Results: This study included 28 dogs, and in 20 cases, spinal neoplasia was confirmed by necropsy,biopsy, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. In the other eight animals, the presumptive diagnosis was based on clinicaland neurological signs and by observing changes in plain radiographs of the spine, chest radiographs, and myelography.The location of the lesion was established as cervical, cervicothoracic, thoracolumbar, or lumbosacral, and the lesion wasdetermined to be multifocal when clinical signs appeared in more than one location. Spinal cord injury was additionally classifiedas unilateral, bilateral, symmetrical, or asymmetrical. The following complementary examinations were performedbased on the clinical suspicion, indications, and availability of the owner: complete blood count, serum biochemical profile,urinalysis, spinal radiography, cerebrospinal fluid analysis (CSF), myelography, abdominal ultrasound, thoracic X-ray todetermine metastases, and Computed Tomography. CSF was collected and analyzed in seven animals, and pleocytosis with apredominance of lymphocytes was found in two cases. Decompression and exploratory surgeries were performed in six dogsto confirm the suspected diagnosis and collect tissues for histopathology. The final diagnosis was made by histopathologicalexamination of the tissue obtained by excisional biopsy or necropsy after the death of the animal or euthanasia. In eight cases,the neoplasia type could not be confirmed as the owner did not provide consent to perform exploratory surgery or necropsy.The dogs most affected were poodles (17.85%) and boxers (17.85%), between the ages of 5 and 10 years, and 67.85% of thecases were female dogs. The thoracolumbar region was the most affected (50%). Metastatic spinal tumors predominated;especially those originating in the mammary gland (38.46%) and on the skin (34.61%), and among the primary neoplasms,meningiomas predominated. The clinical course in relation to the onset of symptoms of neurological dysfunction, until deathor euthanasia, ranged from 1-170 days, with an average 42 days of survival. Discussion: The results differ from previous studies, in which the number of male and female dogs with neoplasms in theCNS was the same, as in the present study female dogs were more affected. Unlike other studies, metastatic spinal tumorspredominated. After the diagnosis, the survival was short and this may be due to the fact that most dogs in this study alreadyhad more than one system affected, and consequently showed significant changes related to systemic metastases duringthe onset of the neurological symptoms. The surgical treatment presented variable results, and the results observed aftersurgical resection of neoplasms vary due to the location in relation to the spinal cord, neoplasm type, severity of the clinicalsigns, and possibility of