Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Progressive neuron disease causing weakness in Cairn terriers
By Zaal, M D et al.·Published in The veterinary quarterly·1997·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Progressive neuronopathy in two Cairn terrier litter mates.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two Cairn terrier litter mates, an 18-month-old male and an 11-month-old female, were brought in for hind limb weakness and trouble walking that got worse with exercise. Over several months, their condition worsened to the point where they had difficulty using all four legs. Tests showed significant damage to their spinal cord and brain, indicating a serious neurological issue called progressive neuronopathy, which is thought to be inherited since both dogs are from the same litter. Unfortunately, there is no cure, and the condition is specific to Cairn terriers.
People also search for: Cairn terrier weakness · dog neurological disorder symptoms · progressive neuronopathy in dogs
Abstract
Clinical, histopathological, and EM findings are described for two Cairn terrier litter mates, an 18-months-old male and an 11-month-old female with progressive neuronopathy. The initial clinical signs were characterized by hind limb weakness and ataxia, which deteriorated with exercise. These signs progressed over several months to tetraparesis. Pathological examination revealed extensive chromatolytic degeneration of neurons and moderate secondary Wallerian-type degeneration in the spinal cord and brain stem. Progressive neuronopathy can be differentiated clinically from globoid cell leukodystrophy, another progressive neurological disorder in Cairn terriers, by the exercise-induced deterioration of the neurological signs. Progressive neuronopathy occurs only in Cairn terriers and because of the similarity in age of onset and the occurrence in one litter, an inherited disease is suspected.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9225429/