Canine veterinary nervous system diseases: a starting point

Canine veterinary care should be an important part of every pet parents arsenal against everything from common canine conditions to maintaining optimal health. While preventative canine veterinary care is one of the best ways to protect the health of your dog, sometimes, it may not be enough and your dog may end up with any number of conditions from a simple case of constipation to nervous system diseases. Unfortunately, the latter might deserve more attention than an enema or laxative. The good news is, your canine veterinary professional can diagnose, treat, and hopefully prevent reoccurrences of some nervous system diseases. The first step to treating your pet is recognizing the signs and symptoms of common canine nervous system diseases.

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Some of the most common diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS) in dogs include: Epilepsy, Distemper, Polyneuropathy, Syringomyelia, Cerebellar Hypoplasia, Tick Paralysis, Wobbler Disease, and Facial Nerve Paralysis. A large number of canine nervous system diseases are more common in certain dogs such as Coonhounds, Poodles, and Dobermans than other breeds. Just a few "breed specific" CNS conditions include Dancing Doberman Disease, White Dog Shaker Syndrome (Poodles, Bichons, Maltese), Laryngeal Paralysis (Bull Terrier, St. Brenards, Rottweilers) and Coonhound Paralysis.

Canine nervous system disease can be caused by everything from congenital defects to toxins and infections. Depending on the canine nervous system disease, the symptoms vary greatly. Epilepsy, for example, is marked by seizures, while change in voice is a major symptom of Laryngeal Paralysis. Just a few common symptoms of canine nervous system diseases include: unsteady gait, twitching, loss of motor skills, loss of appetite, weakness, increased sensitivity to touch, and complete or partial paralysis. While seizures are seen mostly with Epilepsy, this can also be a symptom of other CNS diseases.

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The treatment for nervous system diseases in dogs depends on the diagnosis. There is no way to know exactly what condition your dog has unless you take him to a canine veterinary professional. Your vet will diagnose the condition through a series of tests then he will prescribe an appropriate treatment. Treatment options range from Corticosteroids to surgery. It is important to note that a full recovery after surgery is not always achieved.

If your dog is having seizures, or he has an unsteady gait, twitching, loss of motor skills, loss of appetite, weakness, increased sensitivity to touch, and complete or partial paralysis, these symptoms should not be ignored. You should see your vet immediately.

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