Posterior paresis resulting from a vertebral body fracture in a bull

A 2.5-year-old, mixed-breed rodeo bull was examined with a four-month history of ataxia and weakness in the pelvic limbs. The neurologic signs were noted while the bull was on pasture breeding cows. Spinal radiographs revealed a compression fracture of the 13th thoracic vertebrae, and myelography showed impingement of the spinal cord due to the fracture. Necropsy examination confirmed the diagnosis of a compression fracture of T13 with secondary damage to the spinal cord. Vertebral fractures are uncommon in adult cattle, yet this case appears to be unrelated to any previously published causes. Furthermore, myelography can be an effective diagnostic test in the evaluation of spinal cord disease in adult cattle.