Cerebellar infarction caused by arterial thrombosis in a dog

A cerebellar infarction was found to be caused by a vascular thrombosis in a dog. The cause of the thrombosis was not determined. The dog had signs of a central vestibular disturbance. Scintigraphic imaging of the brain revealed evidence of increased uptake of the radionucleotide within the cranial vault. Analysis of CSF revealed albuminocytologic dissociation. Histologically, there was severe, locally extensive, well-demarcated hemorrhagic necrosis within the left cerebellar hemisphere. A mural thrombus was evident within a large meningeal artery. Although thrombosis of cerebrospinal vessels is rare in the dog, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis as a cause of acute CNS dysfunction.