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Cerebellar Hypoplasia is a condition in dogs and cats where the cerebellum is not completely mature at birth. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls sensory perception, coordination and motor control. In cats, the effects of cerebellar hypoplasia are usually seen immediately, but can take up to two months to become apparent in dogs.
Jerky movements, tremors and uncoordinated movement, characterize Cerebellar Hypoplasia. The cat or dog will often fall down and have trouble walking with tremors that increase with excitement.
While the exact cause of cerebeller hypoplasia is not known, scientists believe there are some underlying things that can lead to the disease, such as genetics, injury, or poisons. There is no treatment for cerebellar hypoplasia, however, most dogs and cats with the condition can live happily with a little extra care to help them compensate for their disabilities. They will have to avoid areas where a fall could get them hurt and also areas where their balance could be an issue.
Here is what a cat with cerebellar hypoplasia looks like:
While she does have trouble walking. She is healthy, has good body shape and a nice coat. She obviously likes to play and she can pretty much function like a normal cat. She just falls over once in awhile.
Do you have a cat or dog with cerebellar hypoplasia? What are your tips for living with a dog or cat with this condition?
5 Comments
Oh wow, that is so sad to watch! That poor cat. It just tugs at my heart strings to see that. I have been fortunate to never have a kitty with this condition.
I have a cat named Louie who is about 1 1/2 years old with cerebellar hypoplasia, and I think he’s the best cat in the world. He recently learned to walk up and down stairs, which I didn’t think would be possible a few months ago, but he’s becoming a little more steady as time goes on and he learns to compensate. The only advice I would give to people with cats who have the disorder is to clean the litter box as often as possible. Unfortunately, Louie tends to pee on the floor when his litter box isn’t immaculate, so I have to clean it about twice a day. But it makes sense, because otherwise, he tends to fall down and make a mess of himself.
Thanks for creating this blog! I’m looking for people to help me understand my dogs behavior – if connected to her Cerebellar Hypoplasia. Foxy is a 2 year old Border Collie mix with a hitch in her giddiap…otherwise she WAS going OK until these last few months. She now has regular attacks of weird behavior followed my vomiting! Yuck! I’m going to have to take her to an expensive neurologist soon if I can’t figure out how to stop this seizure-like thing on my own! I will post a movie clip of her doing her gaping mouth-running into things and flopping down to rub nose and head into the ground…thing….if possible. It’s scary because she literally makes herself sick doing this strange dance….brought on by over excitement (as best I can tell at this point). Though I wonder about toxins….or allergies….
Any one with a dog with these strange symptoms out there? I would love to have a few suggestions.
Thank so much.
Robin
Hi we have an Irish border collie, Hallie, with cerebellar hypoplasia.
She is 2 years old and the happiest dog alive! Her brother also suffers from the condition.
We were told that initially that there were 6 pups born but 4 were destroyed,don’t know the full story, but they were from a farm in Ireland (where there are HUGE problems with unwanted litters of dogs being born)
Due to her poor start (first 3 months in a shed, malnourished etc.), the conditions did not become apparent until after we had had her for 3 or 4 months. We had put her “clumsiness” down to fact that she had very little muscle definition in her back legs (she had difficulty staying in a sit position for several months).
Hallies condition is not as bad as we’ve witnessed on the likes of YouTube, it’s almost as if she’s been out for a night on the town and has had too much to drink!
We love her to pieces and wouldn’t change her for the world, and have accommodated her “clumsiness” into our general home-life (dog cushions everywhere, dog steps so she can get onto the bed without falling, baby-gates on the stairs so she doesn’t go up without assistance etc etc)
One thing I will say, and I don’t know if this is the condition, or the fact she’s a border collie, is that she’s feisty, seems aware of her condition (as she gets frustrated when other dogs outrun her at the local park…), and doesn’t take anything lying down.
She’s a bundle of joy, and despite her “limitations” if we had the choice over again, we wouldn’t have hesitated to rescue her, and EVERYONE she meets leaves her company with the broadest smile on their face that you have EVER seen xx
My cat, Silenoz, has CH. I adopted him from a pet store I was working at (after he had been returned twice for “not being right” – the CH symptoms hadn’t really kicked in full on – he was just very unique). He was about 3 mos. old when I took him home. He’s now a very healthy 7 1/2 yrs. old. I have two other cats I adopted, as well, and while there is no favorite in our house(!), Silo has the most amazing personality I have ever met – human, cat, or otherwise. He is super affectionate and more of a clumsy dog-type than a cat – he talks and plays fetch, and cleans the hell out of my head w/ his sandpaper tongue when I’m trying to sleep.
I raised Si w/ one my other two cats (Galder) and they have also have a unique bond. Galder is Silo’s protector, even though we let Silo believe he’s king of the castle. When Silo has a hard fall or is having a “bad” day and crying about whatever, Galder will get up from wherever and always run to his aide to “clean” him up w/ affectionate kisses.
Anyway, I could go on forever about how awesome Silo is but I guess I just wanted to share my story about living w/ a CH kitty. I am truly lucky to be a part of Silo’s life and wouldn’t trade him for the world.
*If anyone knows of any rescues catering to CH cats, please let me know*
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