Why does my dog with cerebellar issues get stiff and uncoordinated from stress?

Question

Hi, we have a gorgeous large dog we got through rescue who has a non progressive cerebellum problem resulting in awkward wide gait, uncoordinated at times and stiffness in back limbs. If he ever gets a fright from another dog or gets stressed, in the hours following the incident, he gets so stiff and uncoordinated and can barely walk... why is this? I assume it’s something to do with adrenaline rush. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 5 years old | 77 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

Stress can definitely make cerebellar issues worse, or accentuate the in-coordination (excitement can have the same effect!). Making sure to give Bruno a chance to rest and recover is best to help avoid accidental injury or running into something when he is startled. If you're noticing anything long term beyond his usual symptoms, or his symptoms do become progressively worse, a further workup from your vet or a neurologist to make sure there isn't anything else ongoing beyond the cerebellar disease is best. VIN has a nice article about how stress affects pets, and while it isn't specific to cerebellar cases, you can see how stress affects many of the same systems that would be affected in this disease: https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=7054740&pid=12886

Why does my dog with cerebellar issues get stiff and uncoordinated from stress?

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