Nerve Diseases in Dogs
Diseases and disorders that affect the nerves in a dog can be permanent or temporary. They can show up at various places in the body: Some diseases affect the legs, while others affect the face or the central nervous system. Some diseases can clear up on their own, while others can prove fatal to dogs.
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Cerebellar Hypoplasia
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This condition affects the growth of the cerebellum. Veterinarians still don't know whether the cause is genetic or due to an infection that the puppy suffers before birth. In most cases, the condition is diagnosed during the second or third week of a puppy's life. Cerebellar hypoplasia causes the young dog's head to jerk, tremble or bob up and down whenever the puppy tries to do something physical. For example, when the puppy is attempting to feed, his head might jerk around, but when the puppy is relaxing, no symptoms are present. This condition can get worse over time, but that isn't always the case. No treatment is available (see References).
Peripheral Vestibular Syndrome
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This condition occurs most often in older dogs but occasionally in those that are middle aged when the nerves that connect the inner ear and the brain become inflamed. Common symptoms include head tilt and loss of balance. Fortunately, this inflammation usually disappears after a few weeks as long as the dog is given food and water by hand until his symptoms abate. Hand feeding is necessary because most dogs will not eat or drink because of the difficulties caused by imbalance (see References).
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Myassthenia Gravis Disease
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This neuromuscular disease can be genetic in young puppies or it can occur later in life in adult dogs. Myasthenia gravis disease causes the nerves to fail in communicating with the muscles in the body, leading to paralysis in certain parts of the body. Specifically in puppies between six weeks and nine weeks of age, symptoms include the muscles of the dog's digestive system failing to push food to the stomach, resulting in regurgitation of the food. Puppies usually do not survive this disease. Older dogs that develop the condition later in life can be fed a liquid diet while standing on their hind legs, thus allowing gravity to pull the food to the stomach (see References).
Granulomatous Meningoencephalitis
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Granulomatous meningoencephalitis is also known as inflammatory reticulosis, an inflammation of the central nervous system. It is second only to canine distemper as the most common inflammatory disease affecting the brain and the spinal cord of dogs. There are three forms of granulomatous meningoencephalitis: ocular, focal and disseminated (see Resources). The ocular form is the least common and includes a sudden loss of sight. Usually this form is not diagnosed until it has spread into the central nervous system. The disseminated form is the most progressive form, causing lesions on the entire central nervous system. Focal form causes lesions that can occur all over the brain, causing inflammation (see Resources).
Horner's Syndrome
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Horner's syndrome interferes with the communication between certain muscles in the face and the attached nerves. Symptoms of Horner's syndrome will occur on one side of the face and can vary from a smaller pupil on one side, drooping of the upper eyelid and an overall sunken appearance of the eye on the affected side. For most dogs, eye drops containing phenylephrine can help relieve the symptoms. However, most symptoms will disappear on their own after approximately eight weeks (see Resources).
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