Metastatic kidney carcinoma causing paralysis of pelvic limbs in a dog

A 12-year-old male maltese dog was presented with a history of shivering episodes. radiographs revealed a mass in the left kidney that was histopathologically classified as a renal cell carcinoma. after nephrectomy,pelvic limbs became paralyzed. spinal cord and lung metastases were detected via histopathological examination and confirmed by immunohistochemistry. both pan-cytoketatin and ki67 assays tested positive in the kidney,lung,and spinal cord. interestingly,cox- 2 had mild immunoreactivity in the kidney,but its labeling was intense in the spinal cord and lung. though seemingly rare,the spinal cord may possibly be a focus point for metastasis of renal cell carcinomas. because symptoms can easily be misunderstood,late diagnoses would not be uncommon and may hinder clinical management of the disease. © 2016 pvj.