Cervical myelography with a water-soluble contrast medium was performed in healthy dogs, in dogs with experimentally induced compression of the cervical spine, and in dogs with spontaneous spinal cord compression. Filling of the cervical subarachnoid space was obtained by the lumbar injection of a mixture of contrast medium and Xylocaine with the hindquarters of the animal elevated, following the suboccipital withdrawal of spinal fluid. The method did not appear to be associated with any risk of serious circulatory disturbances or persistent damage to the central nervous system.