Generalized Tetanus in a Four-Month-Old Labrador Retriever: Complete Recovery and One-Year Follow-Up in a Rare Canine Case

Tetanus is an infrequent, potentially fatal neurological disease in dogs, caused by tetanospasmin, the neurotoxin of Clostridium tetani, which reaches the central nervous system by retrograde axonal transport and blocks the release of the inhibitory neurotransmitters glycine and γ-aminobutyric acid. Dogs are comparatively resistant to the toxin, and canine reports remain scarce. This report describes generalized tetanus in a four-month-old, 13 kg male Labrador Retriever presented with an axillary wound sustained approximately one month earlier and neurological signs progressing over approximately seven days, from gait disturbance to generalized whole-body rigidity. On examination the dog showed trismus, risus sardonicus, cervical hyperextension, opisthotonos, third-eyelid protrusion, a sawhorse stance, hyperthermia and intermittent respiratory distress. The diagnosis was established clinically, following a structured neurological work-up and exclusion of the principal differentials, as confirmatory assays were unavailable. Total serum calcium was within the reference interval; serum creatine kinase was elevated; and venous blood-gas analysis indicated a mild, compensated metabolic acidosis. Management comprised metronidazole and clindamycin, equine tetanus antitoxin, diazepam, meloxicam and intensive nursing care in a low-stimulation environment. The dog improved from the first day of hospitalization and recovered without residual deficits, with no recurrence over one year of follow-up. The favorable outcome, in a young canine patient for which the literature would predict a guarded prognosis, is consistent with the absence of clinically detectable autonomic and cardiorespiratory dysfunction and with meticulous supportive care.