Wobblers' disease, of the cervical (neck) spinal column, is suspected to be caused by a combination of genetics, nutrition (a dog food high in protein) and rapid growth rate which causes spinal cord compression. It is a disease that if not treated, causes paralysis. While found in several large breeds, it is most prevalent in Great Danes and Dobermans with the mainstream treatment consisting of invasive spinal surgery. While dogs will show signs of the disease as a puppy, if not caught, it will typically appear at age 4 with some pain and stronger signs. I had not heard of this disease before until recently when our youngest Doberman was diagnosed with it. The waddling she had done as a puppy that we thought was cute and a personality trait, we now know is one of the clinical signs. In an effort to bring forth information about this disease and help dog parents distinguish the symptoms, following is a list of those possible signs:

• Muscle weakness of hind limbs or forelimbs
• Paralysis of the limbs
• Clumsy, wobbling & swaying of rear legs
• Difficulty walking on slick surfaces
• Pain
• Non rhythmic gait in front legs
• Dragging nails on the floor
• Clumsy puppy
• Stands with neck hanging down
• Short choppy rolling stride

If your dog is exhibiting any of these symptoms, a neck x-ray is critical to evaluate and diagnose. If Wobblers is detected, a decision whether to proceed with an MRI or myelogram is next if a decision to consider spinal surgery is decided. There are alternative proven methods such as Gold Bead neck implants that do not require the additional tests and are less invasive. As with most any disease, if caught early there is a better chance on being able to treat and provide your dog with a long life. If the disease is not diagnosed until later in life, it becomes increasingly difficult to treat and extend life. There are additional methods that can be done to help ease discomfort of the dog such as wearing a neck brace and taking Prednisone. With the neck brace, it will most likely require wearing of the brace every day if the disease isn't caught early enough. The brace will help to stabilize the neck giving the dog confidence on slick surfaces and relieving pressure and help reduce swelling in the neck area. The Prednisone is meant to also help reduce the swelling but not all dogs can tolerate this medicine. Prednisone also makes a dog more thirsty, drink more, thereby urinate more. If you have a dog with incontinence, Prednisone also might not work for you.

The goal is to prevent paralysis and provide a quality life for your dog. It is a difficult decision choosing which treatment path to follow, but education about the disease is key along with speaking with experts in both fields.