Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Young Labrador retrievers with head tremors and unsteady walking
By Sen, Chandreyee et al.·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2017·Department of Veterinary Medicine, India·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cerebellar Cortical Abiotrophy in Young Labrador-Retrievers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Five young Labrador-retriever puppies were brought in because they were swaying their heads, had trouble moving towards targets, and were falling over while trying to walk. A vet examined their brains and found a condition called cerebellar cortical abiotrophy, which is a genetic disorder that affects coordination and balance due to the loss of important brain cells. Unfortunately, this condition is degenerative, meaning it will get worse over time, and there is no cure. The puppies will need ongoing care and support as they grow.
People also search for: puppy head shaking · Labrador retriever balance problems · cerebellar abiotrophy treatment
Abstract
Cerebellar abiotrophy is a hereditary degenerative disorder of the central nervous system in humans and animals. Four male and one female Labrador-retriever pups were presented with clinical signs of head swaying with intention tremor, loss of target oriented movement, wide base stance, forelimb hypermetria, and hindlimb ataxia leading to falling off during ambulation. On histopathologic examination of cerebellum, cerebellar cortical abiotrophy was confirmed with extensive loss of Purkinje cells, diminution of granular layer, relative thickening and foliar gliosis in white matter. This is the first reported case of cerebellar abiotrophy in Labrador-retriever to our knowledge.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28750785/