Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sensory nerve disease causing ataxia and vision loss in two dogs
By Funamoto, Miwako et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2007·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pathological features of ganglioradiculitis (sensory neuropathy) in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs were diagnosed with ganglioradiculitis, a type of sensory neuropathy, after showing symptoms like unsteady walking, trouble eating, and vision problems for 1 to 2 years. Upon examination, vets found damage in the spinal cord and nerve roots, indicating significant nerve loss. Despite extensive testing, no specific cause was identified for their condition. Unfortunately, the outcome for these dogs is unclear, as the study did not report on any treatments or recovery.
People also search for: dog ataxia symptoms · sensory neuropathy in dogs · dog vision problems treatment
Abstract
Canine ganglioradiculitis (sensory neuropathy) was examined pathologically in two dogs (dog Nos. 1 and 2). The affected dogs had 1 and 2 years clinical courses from the onset, respectively. As common clinical signs, both cases showed progressive ataxia, difficulty in prehending food, visual deficit, and several sensory abnormalities. Gross observation after tissue fixation revealed whitish discoloration in the dorsal column of the spinal cords. The histological lesions were mainly distributed in the spinal dorsal roots, ganglions, and dorsal columns. In the spinal dorsal roots and ganglions, there were striking myelin loss, mild infiltration of mononuclear cells, and proliferation of small spindle cells. In the dorsal funiculus, there were moderate to severe diffuse myelin-loss and axonal degeneration. Immunohistochemistry for substance P (SP) revealed marked reduction of SP-immunopositive granules in the spinal substantia gelatinosa of affected dogs. By immunohistochemistry, CD3-positive cells were observed in the dorsal roots of dog No. 2, while CD3-positive cells were rare in those of dog No. 1. In the spinal ganglion of dog No. 1 there were many CD3- and MHC class II-positive cells. By indirect immunofluorescence assay using sera from affected dogs, no autoantibodies against canine nerve tissues were detected. The clinicopathological features of the present cases are almost consistent with those in previous reports of canine sensory neuropathies, while the etiology remains unclear.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18176020/