Spinal neurofibroma in a sheep.

Th e commo n neopl asms of sheep include intestina l ade nocarcino ma [1, 6, 14] and lymphosarcoma and hepatic ca rcino ma [1, 5, 14]. Th ere are few report s of neoplasms arising in nervous tissue in sheep. Aba tto ir survey data generally do not ment ion tum ors of the cen tra l nervous system [I, 3, II , 14]. Review ar ticles also lack inform ati on on centra l nervou s system tum ors of sheep [8, 12, 13]. Menin giom a, perineural fib robl astom a and adventitia l sa rcomas [91 , cerebra l hem an giom a astroc ytoma and intercos ta l neu rofibrom a [4] and spinal melan om a [2J ha ve been reported in sheep. A 9-month-old fema le Hampsh ire shee p was sub mitted to the School of Veterinary Medicine's Diagnostic Lab oratory, Ore gon State University. Fo r the previous month th e sheep had refused to stand. The owners had drenched the shee p with egg yolk and sugar, and had prov ided hay an d oa ts. At necropsy there was a firm whitetan 2to 3-centime ter ovo id nodule on the ven tral surface of the anterio r cervical spina l cord at the atlantal-occipi tal articulation (fig. I). Ne rves did no t extend from the tum or. On section, the tumor 's expansion had resulted