Symptom4 connections · 1 source
Ataxia
Ataxia is the inability to make normal, coordinated voluntary movements -- stumbling and staggering as if drunk. It is a symptom of central nervous system dysfunction, not a disease itself.
Key Facts
- Three types: cerebellar (head/body sway, high-stepping gait), proprioceptive (knuckling feet, spinal cord), vestibular (head tilt, circling)
- Must be differentiated from lameness or weakness
- Common causes: inner ear disease, brain tumors, spinal cord compression, inflammatory diseases, toxins
- Cerebellar ataxia: congenital defects, inflammatory disease, brain tumors, strokes
- Proprioceptive ataxia: intervertebral disk disease, spinal cord tumors, degenerative myelopathy
- Vestibular ataxia: inner ear infection, vestibular-disease
- Diagnosis: neurological exam, MRI, CT scan, spinal fluid analysis
- Species: dogs and cats