My pet shitzu is 15yrs old , and i had to take him to the vets today , he has been diagnosed with ataxia .?

Question

Can anyone explain exactly what this is ? he keeps falling over and cannot walk properly , i thought at first he had had a stroke.

Answer 1

Ataxia means an inability to co-ordinate movements or wobbly movement. It is usually described as a symptom rather than a diagnosis. It can be caused by many things, but in the older dog the most common cause is something called vestibular syndrome, which is almost the dog equivalent of a stroke. The vestibular system is situated in part of the inner ear, and controls balance. If something goes wrong with the vestibular system your dog's balance and co-ordination will be affected, and it will show much the same signs as a human would when it has a stroke. It is not the same as in humans though, as a stroke is usually caused by a bleed or blot clot.

The cause of vestibular syndrome is not known, although infections of the middle ear can cause the same signs. Common things seen include: falling to one side or rolling, walking in circles, holding the head on one side and eyes flicking from one side to the other. Your dog may also vomit (motion sickness is also caused when the vestibular system is disturbed).

If your dog is severely affected it may need to be hospitalised, otherwise if it can eat and drink usually nursing at home is fine. Your dog should hopefully start to make a slow recovery. Your vet may have prescribed medications, the most common used is something to help increase blood flow to the brain. Over the next few days or weeks your dog may need help to get to the toilet or to find its food but most cope fairly well. Recovery may be slow, and your dog may be left with a head tilt, but hopefully it should regain its balance and be able to live a good life. Dogs which have had one episode can be prone to others so you will need to keep an eye on your dog. If your dog is not recovering at all or getting worse is may be a sign that something more sinister is going on so take him back to the vet.

Answer 2

Cerebellar ataxia is cause by problem in the part of the brain called the cerebellum. Any disease that damages the cerebellum can produce the signs of ataxia. The first step in helping any dog with ataxia is to perform diagnostic tests to rule out other causes besides hereditary disease, such as brain tumors, infections, or congenital malformations. This is a critical step since some of these other conditions may be readily treatable. An MRI scan of the brain can show the shrinkage of the cerebellum that occurs with hereditary ataxia.

Answer 3

Ataxia comes from the Greek a taxia, meaning literally "no order". It is a blanket term referring to a loss of ability to control one's muscles. Ataxia has a number of causes and a number of treatments.

Ataxia can be broken into two distinct groups: sporadic and hereditary. Hereditary ataxia can usually be traced to a family history, and can be linked to twenty-two gene mutations. These mutations are labeled "spinocerebellar ataxia type 1" through 22 — in shorthand referred to simply as SCA1-22. Sporadic ataxia is a form of ataxia which is not linked to a genetic defect.

Hereditary ataxia can be separated into types caused by a metabolic defect, and those which fit the mold of a named disorder. In all cases they are inherited from a defective gene, and the identification of these genes continues at an encouraging pace. Some of the many types of hereditary ataxia include: Machado-Joseph disease, ataxia with opthalmoplegia, spinopontine atrophy, ataxia with etinopathy, and slow-eye movement ataxia.

Sporadic ataxia is very difficult to diagnose, and often doctors will struggle as they rule out every possibility of hereditary ataxia before making a final diagnosis. Some of the many terms used to describe sporadic ataxia are: spastic ataxia, Menzel's ataxia, Marie's ataxia, Holmes' ataxia, sporadic atrophy, and most commonly sporadic OPCA, or sporadic olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

Answer 4

I am not a vet (nor do I play one on tv). Ataxia is a symptom (ie, the falling over, ect). Your vet really needs to determine what is causing it. It could be something as simple as an ear infection or as critical as a brain tumor.

Answer 5

Just out of interest..did the vet check your dogs ears for infection? sometimes when an infection sets in it can affect the dogs balance as the (cant remember the name) is located in the ear canal that controls balance. If this is affected in anyway..it can lead to lack of balance and falling over.

If it is a good vet they should have checked this straight away....

i don't know much about the problem in general, just some of the causes...

Answer 6

Ataxia is where the part of the brain that controls all coordination begins to fail. It mean he will eventually lose all control of his limbs and it can also affect sight and judgement, so your little pooch may not recognise you after a while, and he will get more and more clumsy and possibly hurt himself. I am so, so sorry.