LUMBOSACRAL TRANSITIONAL VERTEBRA AND THORACIC LIMB MALFORMATIONS IN A CHIHUAHUA PUPPY

A three-month-old, male Chihuahua puppy with congenital absence of the distal 40% of the right thoracic limb was examined. The limb ended as a short, rounded, skin-covered stump. Radiography revealed a 40% shor tened humerus tapered to a blunt end without its distal extremity Diss ection of the left thoracic limb identified luxation of the elbow join t and absence of the fourth digital pad. Alizarin-red staining and cle aring demonstrated syndactylous fourth and fifth digits in the left th oracic limb and an anomalous eighth lumbar vertebra. This additional v ertebra was unilaterally sacralized and constituted a lumbosacral tran sitional vertebra.