What Causes Ataxia In Dogs?

Ataxia is a symptom that is defined as a change in the animal’s normal gait, as well as a series of abnormal movements.

There are a wide variety of symptoms in the canine world. Some may not be very obvious if we don’t pay attention to them, such as changes in urine color or pale mucous membranes. In contrast,  other symptoms are obvious to any observer, such as ataxia or vomiting.

Perhaps  the most evident groups of symptoms are those related to gait and the locomotor system, since any disorder that alters the dog’s gait is very recognizable to the tutor. Today, let’s talk about one of those symptoms, ataxia. Do you know what causes this condition in dogs? Keep reading to find out.

Definition of ataxia

Ataxia can be defined clinically as  a sign of sensory dysfunction that produces instability or incoordination of the animal’s limbs,  head or trunk.

Translated into a language understandable to everyone, this means that the dog suffering from this disorder walks as if he had had a few drinks too much, or at least this is the comment that pet owners usually make when describing this condition in their pets.

As already we advanced, the  ataxia itself is not a disease but a symptom of another underlying condition. Furthermore, different diseases often share the same symptom and, in the case of ataxia, it could not be otherwise. So let’s explain all the possible causes of this troubling symptom.

Neurological causes of ataxia

Ataxia is primarily a neurological symptom. Therefore,  diseases and pathological processes that affect the nervous system are those that most frequently cause this change.

The regulation and control of movements and body position are performed by several structures and, therefore, a disturbance in any of them can lead to the appearance of this symptom. Let’s mention some of these diseases.

cerebellar diseases

The cerebellum is an  organ responsible for regulating and modulating nerve impulses, as well as controlling proprioception and body position. Diseases that affect the cerebellum directly can cause ataxia. Among the most frequent, we find the following:

• Cerebellar hypoplasia, ie an underdevelopment of the cerebellum.
• Canine distemper virus.
• Neoplasms – formation of tumors – that affect this organ.
• Granulomatous meningoencephalitis,  an inflammatory disease of unknown origin.

Vestibular system diseases

The vestibular system is another essential part of the nervous system responsible for receiving, processing and transmitting information related to the animal’s position and balance. Diseases that affect this system can cause ataxia. Among the most common, we can find the following:

• Internal otitis or ear infection.
• Geriatric or idiopathic vestibular syndrome.
• Injuries and injuries that affect the inner ear.

spinal cord diseases

The spinal cord is responsible for transmitting and modulating nerve impulses. Therefore, a change in this level can trigger a gait-related disorder, such as ataxia. In this sense, the spinal cord diseases that cause ataxia are as follows:

• Disc herniations.
• Disc protrusion.
• Neoplastic processes.
• Discospondylitis, an infection of the spine.
• Trauma.
• Congenital malformations in the vertebrae.
• Myelopathies,  spinal cord compressions.

Other causes of ataxia

There are certain types of ataxia that are much more uncommon, but they do exist and must be taken into account if we are to do a proper clinical examination or, in our case, to disclose quality information.

For example, certain electrolyte disturbances such as hypokalemia – lack of potassium in the blood – cause a series of neuromuscular disorders that, on occasion, can lead to a clinical picture of ataxia. There is no neurological problem, as ataxia is solely due to a deficiency of potassium or other salts.

Furthermore, the  ataxia is a side effect derived from the administration of certain drugs. For this reason, it is very important that the tutor discusses with the veterinarian the complete history of all medications recently administered to the animal.

In this sense, although not frequent, cases of ataxia in dogs have been reported after the administration of the following medications:

• Antihistamines.
• Acetylpromazine.
• Anticonvulsants.

So, as you have seen, ataxia is a sign that in most cases leads to a pathological process that involves the nervous system in one way or another. However, there are other episodes in which, even in the absence of neurological disease, the dog can show this symptom.