Page 357 - Cote clinical veterinary advisor dogs and cats 4th

149.e4 Cerebellar Cortical Degeneration

around avoiding injury, preserving mobility, Recommended Monitoring Prevention
and providing support during eating. Affected animals can be evaluated every 3-6 Prevention of these conditions rests with
VetBooks.ir Acute General Treatment sion, to assess the patient’s mobility and ability genetic tests available to eliminate them from
identifying their familial nature and using the
months, depending on the speed of progres-
the breeding populations.
to eat.
There are no specific treatments.
Chronic Treatment PROGNOSIS & OUTCOME Technician Tips
• Runner rugs can be placed on slick floors, • Avoid slick floors when walking the patient.
and stairs should be fenced off. • The majority of these diseases results in • Cages should be well padded and water
• As the gait deficit worsens, a body harness euthanasia due to loss of mobility. provided in a fixed bowl.
can help to provide stability. • The rate at which clinical signs progress
• Rehabilitation exercises such as walking on is extremely variable and difficult to Client Education
an underwater treadmill can help to preserve predict. • Supportive care for the patient’s ability to
muscle strength. • In rare instances, signs can stabilize (reported walk and eat is paramount.
• Commercial products (e.g., PawFriction) can in Scottish terriers with cerebellar cortical • Progression rate is difficult to predict.
be applied to paw pads or nails to provide degeneration). • In multidog households, monitor dog
added traction when walking. interactions carefully.
PEARLS & CONSIDERATIONS
Nutrition/Diet SUGGESTED READING
• When the disease is severe, intention Comments Urkasemsin G, et al: Canine hereditary ataxia. Vet
tremors make eating and drinking dif- • A sudden deterioration in signs should trigger Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 44,1075-1989,
ficult. Altering the height at which food a careful evaluation for concurrent ortho- 2014.
is offered and fixing the bowl may be pedic disease. A mild lameness can cause a
beneficial. dramatic deterioration in gait that should be ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED
• Although there is no known nutritional transient. READINGS
treatment, use of a brain-supportive diet • The number of described diseases changes Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA): Genetic
such as those produced by Hills and Nestle rapidly; veterinarians are advised to consult disease screening tests by breed (website). http://
Purina can be considered. with a veterinary neurologist. www.ofa.org/breedtests.html
• There are numerous other cerebellar Sanders SG: Cerebellar diseases and tremor syn-
Behavior/Exercise degenerative conditions not specifically dromes. In Dewey CW, et al, editors: a practical
• As their balance worsens, some animals included in the category of cerebellar cortical guide to canine and feline neurology, ed 3, Ames,
become aggressive toward animals or people degeneration due to different distribution of IA, 2015, Wiley-Blackwell, pp 299-328.
approaching too quickly. pathology.
• Exercise should be maintained with a harness • Given the breeding implications, establishing RELATED CLIENT EDUCATION
as needed. Slick and hard surfaces should be a definitive diagnosis is important. SHEETS
avoided. • Whole-genome sequencing can be performed
in a timely and cost-effective fashion and Consent to Perform Cerebrospinal Fluid Tap
Possible Complications used to identify the underlying mutation in Consent to Perform General Anesthesia
• The most common complication is ortho- fully penetrant, rare diseases. Consulting a How to Assist a Pet That Is Unable to Rise
pedic injury due to ataxia and falls. neurogenetics laboratory with an appropriate and Walk
• Aspiration pneumonia can result from dif- sequence database for mutation discovery is AUTHOR: Natasha J. Olby, VetMB, PhD, DACVIM
ficulties with eating and drinking. worthwhile. EDITOR: Karen R. Muñana, DVM, MS, DACVIM

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