How does too much alcohol in a man's body affect his motor movements? It causes him to be incapable of walking a straight line, or in other words “sway” from left to right, which can also be termed as “wobble walking”. Seeing a man unable to walk properly is popularly perceived by many people to be either drunk or retarded. There exists such a symptom of “funny walking” in the canine species. The disorder is known as “cervical spondylomyelopathy”, but commonly known to some people as “
”. The latter was “created” because it's much easier to memorize than its scientific name, and can also be easily associated with the symptoms right off the bat by the mere mention of it.
The cause of this disorder wouldn't be too much alcohol intake (what kind of owner gives alcohol to their pet), but the development of a condition affecting the cervical vertebrae, making the carrier of the dog disease walk in zigzag motion. What causes Wobbler's Syndrome? According to the experts, the exact trigger is unknown (keep up the good work guys!), but nevertheless some factors do play some roles in the development. The dog disease can be associated with sudden and abnormal growth in dog and nutritional factors. Others claim that the malformation of a vertebrae in the neck of the pooch is also a probable cause.
They say that there is an opening in the spinal canal, which is there because it allows the nerve pulses to travel and basically mechanical movement will be normal with it, as long as it stays as big as it should be. But what happens if that opening in the spinal canal were to shrink? Other “experts” say that the shrinkage would “squeeze” the spinal cord, therefore nerve impulses would be able to flow smoothly to the brain, causing the pet with the
to do the “wobble walk”. At the early stages, the zigzag motion won't be that severe, but as the pooch gets older, bigger, and heavier, the opening would get smaller – this in turn would worsen the condition making the poor pet walk funnier.
This is no laughing matter; having Wobbler's Syndrome is painful. A pet with it will feel pain while moving its neck and lose power in all four legs. Being in that state greatly affects the physical activities that it should be doing and enjoying (go figure). Being like that, incapable of doing things that it'd want to be doing, would make it sad. Being sad can actually affect canine health. Wobbler's Disease in your pet doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. If you suspect your pooch to have developed the disorder, don't make any hesitations in bringing it to your veterinarian.
A surgical procedure may be done that'll lessen the severity of the symptoms being experienced – in some cases, the symptoms could be eradicated 100%. As said earlier, the dog disease can be genetic. This is something you'd want to keep in mind when getting a new puppy. Have the parents screened for the syndrome and other possible ailments and defects before you do get it. A friendly word of advice:
and Doberman Pinschers are for some reason more prone to the disorder than the other breeds.
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