Subarachnoid abscess as a complication of discospondylitis in a dog

A three-year-old German shepherd dog was presented with a history of acute neck pain. A diagnosis of acute discospondylitis involving two intervertebral disc spaces was made. The dog initially responded to conservative treatment over an eight-week period and then suddenly deteriorated. Spinal cord compression was evident on cervical myelography. At autopsy, a subarachnoid abscess was present at the intervertebral disc space between the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae.