Cerebellar abiotrophy

Cerebellar abiotrophy is a genetic recessive disease in Arabian horses. It is also called Cerebellar cortical abiotrophy, cerebellar hypoplasia, or cerebellar ataxia. It is characterized by head tremors, lack of coordination and inability to gauge distance. Most are hyperreactive and startle easily. Many affected horses also move with an odd head-bobbing motion and have exaggerated leg movements.

In short, horses with this condition do not have a sense of depth perception or of spatial relationships. They literally don't know where they are. They can see and learn, so they begin to use other senses to compensate. This filly has "memorized" where things are located, but when excited, she still miscalculates (as seen in the video where she almost collides with a fence)

Its cause is the atrophy of purkinje cells in the cerebellum, beginning at or shortly after the birth of the horse. Why the gene triggers this condition is not known.

This filly was two years old at the time the video was taken. She has learned to compensate somewhat for her condition, but many foals are so severly affected that they are euthanized before they are a year old. However, even though she has learned to avoid hurting herself most of the time, she will never be safe to ride.

There is no cure for this condition. Little can be done to treat it, other than to keep the horse in a calm environment where they experience very little change. The only hope is for researchers to develop a DNA carrier test to determine if a horse carries the gene, and once this happens, for breeders to then avoid breeding known carriers to one another.

Research is ongoing at the University of California-Davis and at the University of Bern in Switzerland. Please support their efforts.
For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebellar_abiotrophy

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Horse
• Arabian
• genetic
• disease
• cerebellar
• abiotrophy
• brain
• cerebellum
• purkinje
• cell
• ataxia
• incoordination
• wobbler

[Montanabw]

Update: Yes, this horse is still alive, She is now 6 years old (2009). I used to have to have the vet out aoften o treat some sort of injury, but because she has always lived in the same place, we have learned to treat her differently from other horses, and she has gotten older and wiser, she doesn't hurt herself very often now.

[ardencompton]

Help is closer than you realize. Breakthrough:Recent research has shown that a patented concentrate of AFA will releasemillions of stem cells from your bone marrow without side affects! Also shown:It helps stem cells get to the affected organs.

It works on people and they have a equine product!My wife has a client who has been unable to walk without canes for years-similar to her problem.Within a week he's seen huge changes.Able to talk and walk better already!

Dr.Compton435-7306877

[Montanabw]

PEOPLE: This is NOT "Wobblers" This is a GENETIC disease. Brain cells have gone away and they aren't coming back. THERE IS NO CURE! Do not be fooled by people on the web with fake "miracle cures."

However, there IS good news! Last September, the University of California, Davis announced a DNA test. Responsible horse owners need never produce an affected horse if they use the test to avoid breeding two carriers.

[LISASTJOHN]

I have have a 100 percent success rate with this illness. if you are open. you can check out one of my clients who had wobblers.. the video is on youtube called "A Bright future for Ted.."

[Montanabw]

This is NOT any version of wobbler's syndrome. This is a genetic disease. It is incurable. However, UC Davis recently announced that they have a prediction analysis available that is an indirect DNA test to detect the markers associated with CA. It can ID carriers so breeders can avoid producing affected foals in the future.

[delaqlu]

I don't claim to be any sort of expert, but a friend of mine is an equine vet/chiropractor & I vaguely remember her working with a horse who had a similar condition, with good results. Just a thought and I could be wrong!

[Montanabw]

This is a genetic condition and there is no cure. However, we have had a veterinary chiropractor work on her when she has hurt herself.

When a horse has certain types of injuries, a good veterinary chiropractor is a useful person to call and can help some horses, so you are right that some conditions can be helped. Sadly, not this one.

[mahrusarabians]

@junigirl15 - some horses are affected more than others. There are successful show horses that have tested positive and others that have been successful breeding horses, which is why this has been unrecognized for so long and why testing is so important. I just found out an older daughter by my stallion, a successful broodmare with few signs of the disease, has tested positive which confirms he's a carrier but I am testing him anyway to confirm he is not a hidden positive.

[junigirl15]

My horse Saga had this! And she was so sick that she was put down. She was never gonna be a ridingpony because of this.. How are this horse living ? sorry for my bad english i am from sweden!

[iluvetobyandred]

aww hope they do find one soon cure

she doing good nw

[rachel995]

She is soo cute and looks happy, sad to know not many give horses like her the care and a chance to live