Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Seizures and paralysis in young Australian Cattle Dogs
By Brenner, O et al.·Published in Acta neuropathologica·1997·Department of Pathology, 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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Hereditary polioencephalomyelopathy of the Australian cattle dog.
Plain-English summary
A young Australian Cattle Dog presented with seizures and gradually developed weakness in all four legs. Upon examination, the veterinarian found damage in the dog's brain and spinal cord, which was linked to a hereditary condition affecting the nervous system. Unfortunately, this condition leads to progressive neurological decline, and there is currently no effective treatment to reverse the damage. The focus is on managing symptoms and providing supportive care for affected dogs.
People also search for: Australian Cattle Dog seizures · dog weakness in all legs · hereditary neurological condition in dogs
Abstract
A vacuolar degeneration affecting primarily the gray matter in the central nervous system (CNS) of young Australian Cattle Dogs is described. An initial presentation of seizures was followed by a progressive spastic tetraparesis. Grossly evident bilateral and symmetrical foci of malacia were in the nuclei of the cerebellum and brain stem and the gray matter of the spinal cord. Microscopically, vacuolation of glial cells, dilation of the myelin sheaths and reactive astrocytosis characterized mild CNS changes. More advanced lesions displayed progressive dissolution of the neuropil, prominent vacuolation of reactive astrocytes, numerous glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive coiled astrocytic processes, neuronal vacuolation and loss with relative sparing of large neurons. Ultrastructurally marked mitochondrial accumulation and swelling were seen in astrocytes. In the appendicular muscles, changes interpreted as long-term denervation atrophy accompanied by widespread expression of the neonatal isoform of myosin were observed. The character of the neurological sings, the nature and the distribution of the lesions within the neuroaxis have not been reported in domestic animals. An inherited biochemical defect, possibly mitochondrial, is proposed as the cause. Selected conditions with a bilateral and symmetrical distribution affecting the gray matter of domestic animals are summarized.
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/9224531/