SURGICAL TREATMENT OF A VERTEBRAL FRACTURE CAUSED BY OSSEOUS PLASMACYTOMA IN A DOMESTIC FERRET (MUSTELA PUTORIUS FURO)

A 4-year-old female neutered albino domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was referred for acute progressive nonambulatory paraparesis. Physical examination was unremarkable, while neurological examination revealed nonambulatory paraparesis, decreased postural reactions on both pelvic limbs, upper-motor-neuron bladder and thoracolumbar pain. Prereferral hematology and biochemistry were almost normal, while whole body computed tomography revealed a left-sided T13 cranial articular process fracture and material of uncertain nature inside the spinal canal with secondary compressive myelopathy. On magnetic resonance imaging, the lesion was extradural. Decompressive surgery was performed and the surgically excised abnormal tissue was sent for histological investigations, which confirmed a plasma cell neoplasia clinically compatible with solitary osseous plasmacytoma. Prednisolone was started for a total of 5 months; at 10-month follow-up, the ferret was comfortable and ambulatory with only residual left pelvic limb monoparesis. Surgical treatment should be considered in solitary vertebral plasmacytomas, as it seems to be successful giving a long survival time to the patient. This is the first report to describe the magnetic resonance imaging findings and successful surgical treatment for a vertebral solitary osseous plasmacytoma in a ferret with focal osteolysis in the absence of systemic disease and gammopathy.