Symptoms of White Shaker Dog Syndrome

White shaker dog syndrome (WSDS) is an unscientific name for a disease that affects smaller breeds of dogs, primarily in Maltese and West Highland White Terriers. Although not a curable disease, there are many ways of treating WSDS, as well as easy ways to manage the disease in your dog. WSDS is not usually a deadly disease, although it can be quite debilitating for dogs in some cases.

History

WSDS is known by a couple different names; idiopathic crenellates, shaker dog syndrome or "little white shakers." Although the disease has more recently been known to affect breeds with all color coats, WSDS primarily affects dogs with white coats such as Maltese, West Highland White Terriers, poodles and bichons. In very rare cases, Samoyeds can be affected with WSDS as well.

Symptoms

Dogs affected with WSDS experience tremors throughout their entire bodies. These tremors usually begin to appear when the dog is young, typically somewhere between one and two years of age. It can affect both male and female dogs and can range from extremely mild to very severe, in which the dog is incapacitated when experiencing the tremors. Other symptoms can include neurological problems, such as tilting of the head, weak limbs and sometimes even seizures.

Causes

There is no known cause of WSDS. Initially, since the disease was only seen in dogs with white coats, doctors suspected that the absence of melanin, a skin and hair pigment, affects tyrosine development and causes abnormalities. However, this disease has also been know to affect Yorkshire Terriers and Miniature Pinschers, so that theory is unlikely. It is a neurological problem however, caused by inflammation in the central nervous system, affecting the cerebellum in an area that may initiate tremors.

Diagnosis

Doctors usually test a few diseases for before diagnosing a dog with WSDS. One major issue that could potentially cause tremors in a small dog is the ingestion of toxin, either chemical or plant. The dog could also have a congenital disease in which there is a myelin abnormality (myelin is essential for nervous system function). Two other possible diagnoses are bacterial or viral encephalitis and poor reactions to drug therapy.

Treatment

Cortico-steroids or diazepam are usually the course of treatment taken by most veterinarians who diagnose WSDS in dog breeds. The cortico-steroids are usually given at a higher dosage initially, then the dosage is reduced over the course of treatment. Cortico-steroids can often cause remission, or the absence of WSDS, in dogs. However, in more severe cases, diazepam can be given intermittently to control symptoms. It is possible that a dog with severe WSDS may have to be given medication for the rest of the her life.