Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Labrador Retriever with late-onset cerebellar ataxia and brain
By Bertalan, A et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2014·University of Pennsylvania, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Late-onset cerebellar abiotrophy in a Labrador Retriever.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female Labrador Retriever was brought to the vet because she had trouble walking and showed signs of balance issues. Over the course of a year, her condition worsened, leading to more severe coordination problems and abnormal eye movements. Initial brain scans appeared normal, but a follow-up scan revealed her cerebellum (the part of the brain that helps with movement) had shrunk. Sadly, after her passing, further tests confirmed she had a condition called late-onset cerebellar abiotrophy, which is a degeneration of brain cells. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for this condition, and it is not commonly seen in Labradors.
People also search for: why is my dog having trouble walking · Labrador Retriever balance problems · cerebellar abiotrophy in dogs
Abstract
CASE REPORT: A 5-year-old female spayed Labrador Retriever was examined for a hindlimb gait abnormality. Initial neurological examination was consistent with vestibular dysfunction. Over the course of 1 year, signs progressed to reflect cerebellar ataxia, vertical nystagmus and delayed postural reactions in all limbs. At the initial examination, subjective evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain was considered normal. Repeat imaging at 1 year after initial examination revealed a reduction in the size of the cerebellum. Retrospectively, the size of the cerebellum on the initial MRI was small when assessed using an objective measurement algorithm. Postmortem histopathological evaluation of the brain showed diffuse degeneration of Purkinje cell neurones with secondary granule cell loss in the cerebellum, in addition to pigment inclusions in brainstem neurones. CONCLUSION: The clinical history and clinicopathological data are consistent with late-onset cerebellar abiotrophy, which has not previously been described in this breed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24995529/