Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cerebellar ataxia and hydrocephalus in bull mastiff pups
By Johnson, R P et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2001·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Familial cerebellar ataxia with hydrocephalus in bull mastiffs.
- Species:
- cattle
Plain-English summary
A litter of bull mastiff puppies from Louisiana showed signs of serious neurological issues, including difficulty walking, uncoordinated movements, and behavioral changes. Two of the puppies were diagnosed with hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the brain) and had abnormalities in their brain structure. Unfortunately, the condition is likely inherited and can lead to severe complications. There is currently no treatment mentioned that can reverse the effects of this disorder, and affected puppies may not survive long-term.
People also search for: bull mastiff puppy ataxia · hydrocephalus in dogs · inherited neurological disorders in puppies
Abstract
Familial cerebellar ataxia with concurrent hydrocephalus has previously been described in a family of bull mastiff pups, and recently has been identified in a litter from Louisiana. The 4 affected pups had ataxia, hypermetria, conscious proprioceptive deficits, behavioral abnormalities, and a visual deficit. In magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of two of the pups, there were symmetric hydrocephalus and two focal areas of increased signal intensity within the central nuclei of the cerebellum. Histopathologically there was vacuolization and mild astrogliosis within the deep cerebellar nuclei (dentate, interpositus, fastigial), caudal colliculi, and lateral vestibular nuclei. Although the postmortem results were not exactly the same as in the previously published report, the clinical features and histopathologic findings strongly support the diagnosis. This disorder is most likely inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11405268/