Prancing- Neurological disorder?

[jasper7777]

I'm thinking about rescuing this BC cross (or what they call New Zealand heading dog) from a shelter. Her name is Jezebel the vet says she has a neurological disorder. She steps high with her front feet- prances. - I'm worried it could a degenerative disease.

 

Here is a video of her and you can see her step high with her front feet- prancing. Does anyone know what this would be, or if it will get worse with age?

 

[AK dog doc]

It's possible it's cerebellar abiotrophy (a defect of the cerebellum, which controls rate, range and force of motion). However, A) I am NOT a neurologist, but a general practitioner, and B ) without more history and/or workup, I can't even speculate as to whether or not it will get worse. If she was born like that, it may not progress at all. If it's an acquired disorder, it could - or it might be treatable and/or curable. Can you have a neurologist look at her?

[PSmitty]

Wow, what a sweetheart. Gorgeous, too. I have no advice, but sure hope it's something that won't get worse and she lives a long, healthy life.

[Sue R]

Just one last thought from someone with absolutely no credentials to comment - could this be anything to do with the surface she is walking on? It looks like one of those surfaces made for dogs to not feel slippery at all, but we had a dog that always walked "strangely" on any form of slick surface - linoleum, tile, and so on.

 

Does she walk like this on rough surfaces like carpet, concrete, grass or dirt?

 

Just a thought. And hoping that she does get adopted and that this is not a serious or progressive issue.

 

Best wishes!

[SecretBC]

The floor was my first thought, but I would assume the shelter has seen her outside and she must display this same behavior.

 

We had a dog come into our shelter that actually did this with both the front AND hind limbs --- and they were completely independent of each other, so she was an odd little duck when she moved. Add her puppy energy to the mix and on a slippery floor she was just a disaster.

 

The vet told us she wasn't in any pain. We didn't have her seen by a specialist and left that up to her adopters. She did get adopted and then returned due to house training issues (they were gone way too many hours in a day) -- Then adopted again by a very special family.

 

Oddly enough, several months after her adoption we had a dog come to one of our play parties with the same neurological condition. The gait was exactly the same -- front & back. That dog was a few years old and having no problem.

 

I surely wouldn't acquire a dog like this for a future in performance or as a working dog -- but as a loving family pet? No problem.

[Crawford Dogs]

She's a gorgeous girl. If you're worried I might ask for a second opinion from your veterinarian before adoption or maybe ask for her to see a specialist. If you get her I'm sure you'll enjoy her no matter how her health progresses. Good luck.

[2 Devils]

I don't have credentials either but I also thought the floor could be an issue.

 

I also "think" I noticed that she walks on her stopper pads (low pasterns???). This is something that happens in some german shepherds that are crated too much and nutrition is lacking. Check out low pasterns in german shepherds and you can see some video and pictures. It may be totally different and I may not really be seeing what I think I am seeing. It was a little hard to tell. If I remember correctly with exercise and proper nutrition some of the GSDs improved.