Ataxia in dogs: an uncoordinated gait
When I see a dog who is wobbly and off balance, I think of the word ataxia. This is the medical term for an uncoordinated gait. Ataxia is classified based on which structure in the nervous system is affected—the cerebellum, the spinal cord, or the vestibular system.
The cerebellum is the small part of the brain that sort of looks like a walnut. It sits just behind the cerebrum (large portion of the brain responsible for learning and memory).
The cerebellum plays a role in balance, posture, and coordination of voluntary movements. Thus, damage to the cerebellum impairs these functions.
Signs of cerebellar ataxia in dogs may include:
7 Signs of Dementia in Dogs
Dr. Denise Petryk, DVM, says the widely accepted DISHA acronym can help dog owners characterize the most distinct signs and changes associated with CCD.
DISHA refers to these symptoms:
“It gives us the ability to check against a list of things to show that something else isn’t going on. If your dog has one of the symptoms or some combination, then we’re more likely to call it cognitive dysfunction,” explains Dr. Petryk.
In addition to DISHA symptoms, you may notice these signs of dog dementia:
Dr. Bonnie Beaver, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, says to keep in mind that there isn’t necessarily a progression to the symptoms your dog may be experiencing. “The more signs and frequency we see, the greater significance of the problem. Each sign or symptom doesn’t really signify a particular phase,” she says.
Here’s what you need to know about each of the symptoms for cognitive dysfunction in dogs:
One of the most common things you may notice is that your senior dog gets disoriented even when he’s in his normal or familiar environment.
“This often happens when the dog is out in the backyard and he goes to the wrong door or the wrong side of the door to get back in. The part of the brain that is involved with orientation has been affected.” Dr. Beaver says.
Your dog may also experience difficulty with spatial awareness. He may wander behind the couch and then realize he doesn’t know where he is or how to get out. At bedtime, you may find your dog in a different part of the house, staring at the wall instead of curled up in his dog bed.
According to Dr. Petryk, dogs have a good sense of timing, so this is a sign that something is wrong.
“The first thing you should do is to take your dog in for a checkup. It might not be a cognitive issue, so your vet may want to rule out some other possible medical causes, which could involve a brain tumor or diabetes.”
Spinal ataxia (proprioceptive ataxia) in dogs
The spinal cord transmits information between the body and the brain. One of its many uses is proprioception—the ability of the body to sense and change how the limbs are positioned. Sensory receptors in the limbs send information up the nerves to the spinal cord. One of two things happen with this information.
One option is that the signal causes an immediate reaction, known as a reflex. This is what occurs when you touch a hot stove and rapidly jerk your hand away. The body acts before you are even conscious of what happened.
The other option is that the information continues up the spinal cord to the brain. The brainstem, cerebellum, and cerebrum process that information then send signals back to the limbs via the spinal cord.
Vets may evaluate part of this system by flipping a dog’s foot over. Now the top of the foot is against the floor. In a normal dog, the sensory receptors send a message up the nerve to the spinal cord that says, “My foot is upside down.”
The signal goes up the spinal cord, through the brainstem and to the cerebrum. The cerebrum says, “Hmm…that isn’t right. I need to fix the position of the foot.” So a signal is sent back down to the foot to tell the dog’s muscles, “Flip the foot back so the paw pad is against the ground.”
You can watch me perform this test in this video, Knuckling in Dogs: How to Test a Dog for Conscious Proprioception.
When the spinal cord is damaged, signals can’t get to or from the brain. The portion of the spinal cord in front of the damaged area will function normally. However, communication is slowed or cut off to the body parts behind the damaged area. This means the dog will not flip the foot over or will do so slowly.
Dogs who have spinal ataxia may also:
The vestibular system is made up of the inner ear, vestibulocochlear nerve, brainstem, and cerebellum. The inner ear is located within the skull and contains fluid-filled semi-circular loops. These loops run in different directions such as horizontally and vertically, almost like the tracks of a rollercoaster.
Hair cells inside the ducts are displaced when the fluid moves relative to the body’s position (e.g., standing up or lying down). This creates a signal that travels through the vestibular branch of the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brainstem.
Nerve signals may stop at the brainstem or proceed to the cerebellum. The brainstem controls things that dogs do without being consciously aware of them, in this case stance and posture. The cerebellum, as discussed above, regulates voluntary muscle movements to help a dog balance.
Damage to any of these components will cause a dizzy dog who may:
Q) My dog is acting drunk. │ Twin Trees Vet Talk (FREE VET ADVICE PODCAST)
Seeing Fido wander around in strange circling patterns or just seeing him plain disjointed from the real world can make you go crazy.
It might not feel like a medical emergency but it’s a scary sight for sure if the behavior is excessive and prolonged.
Sure, mild cases of dogs circling can mean they chase their tail, have something sticking to their rear end, or just aren’t able to find the perfect spot before plopping down.
However, if the behavior is excessive, you definitely want to look into it to rule out major issues.
No worries, we’ll go over each reason and make sure you know exactly why your dog is circling and seems disoriented.
At the very least you know what to expect and might be able to get a sense of what could be causing your dog’s distress.