Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Italian hound puppy with severe cerebellum shrinkage and ataxia
By Cantile, C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine·2002·Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cerebellar granuloprival degeneration in an Italian hound.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-month-old male Italian hound was brought in for severe coordination problems, including a wobbly gait and head tremors that started when he was just 3 months old. Upon examination, the vet found that the dog had difficulty controlling his movements and showed signs of proprioception deficits, meaning he struggled to know where his limbs were in space. Unfortunately, a post-mortem examination revealed a significant reduction in the size of the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for coordination. This condition, known as cerebellar granuloprival degeneration, is different from other similar disorders in dogs, as it primarily affects certain brain cells while leaving others intact.
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Abstract
A severe atrophy of the cerebellum was observed in a 7-month-old male Italian hound with a history of progressive ataxia and head tremor from the age of 3 months. On clinical examination, signs included severe hypermetric gait, head tremors and proprioception deficits in all limbs. At necropsy, a pronounced symmetrical reduction in size of the cerebellum was the only gross lesion observed. Histological examination of the cerebellum revealed marked thinning of the granular and molecular layers with almost complete loss of granule cells. Purkinje cells had normal morphology and distribution. These findings differ from those of previous reports of cerebellar cortical abiotrophy in dogs, which were mainly characterized by prominent Purkinje cell degeneration and loss.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12549831/