Janska my 11 month Siberian Husky has today been diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, it is the first time i have ever heard of it, has anyone experianced this with your dogs or maybe known of a dog with it? I have been on some websites but would like to know from people who have coped with living with a dog with this. As you can imagine my world has been tipped upside down, as since thursday i was told the worse as it was looking like some sort of brain tumor. But now i know whats up with her and can have a happy life with this condition.

Jenna and Janska.

Have not heard of this condition but from it's name one would think that it is a small or reduced area of the brain that controls co-ordination. No sure that it is as simple as that I am only going by the conditions name. Will have a look through my books and come back to you if I find anything. The best thing would be to go back the vet that made the diagnosis and ask a lot of questions until you understand what is involved.

EDIT As it seems that this could/may be an inherited problem have you contacted the dogs breeder as other members of the litter may be affected and it is possible that neither the parents not the siblings should be used for breeding. Again speak to your vet, your breeder and the breed club, all of whom should be prepared to help and if the vet thinks it is inherited the breeder and bred club will need to know.

Have just found this in a paper issued by The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights in 1994 called Guide to Congenital and Heritable Disorders in Dogs

Cerebellar hypoplasia: a condition where the cerebellum, a part of the brain, is poorly formed (too small or absent) and doesn't function properly or at all.

So it would seem it may well be inherited but unfortunately the paper gives no indication on how the problem should be handled - so you will have to rely on your vet I think.

Thank you Jackie for your reply. I will be visiting the vet again, he says that it is not a painful condition, she will just have slower re-actions and that she may get better or she may get worse. There is no treatment or cure for it, its just a case of taking it day by day and giving Janska the best possible life, she will be spayed as her seasons will cause her more stress and make her worse.

Vet has said to put her on a high fat diet, she is on Pro-plan which is quite high in fat and protein, are they any others out there that maybe better?

Also to put her on Vitamin ACE and something to reduce brain agers, Authoxrdants i think.

Jenna and Janska

Wish you all the best with her, you seem to have the situation clear in your head and are doing the best you can. Don't forget to tell the breeder, it is important if they are to make sure that more dogs with the condition are not to be bred.

hi jenna,
sorry to hear about janska.  do you mean anti oxidants?  vit c and e are antioxidants which reduce free radicals in the body.
pro plan is supposed to be one of the better commerical foods, but if you switch her to raw she would be getting lots of nautural vitamins and minerals and also very good quality protein and fats.
i would get in touch with the breed historian and see if she knows of this in other sibes.  her number is on the sibe club website.  have you spoken to the breeder?  i would be intrested in knowing where you got her from and her KC name,
good luck with her,
kelly

Thank you both, I had entered her into the Club Show but putting Janska into that environment will either make her more stressed or too hyper which could make her worse. I will be contacting some people today to see if they have heard of this or had experinaces with it.
Anit oxidants is what i meant (vets writing), im going to have a look at other foods and maybe read more on raw food first, i can stomach chicken wings and tripe but not sure about much else, but if it will help Janska i will put up with it.

Im having trouble contacting my breeder has he has moved house and not passed on any details :-( Dont get me wrong he was fantastic with us and the dogs, its just annoying that they haven't passed on any details.

Jenna and Janska.

Hi Jenna, i do know many husky breeders, if you dont mind disclosing the breeder i may know him or some one who does. Im sure the breeder will want to know about this condition, do you know if it is hereditory?

Huskymaid, it is thought to be hereditory, (see my second post) and think it may be best if you take the conversation to PM or e-mail if you are going to name names. Sure the breeder will want to know and be happy for the breed club to know but may be not broadcast on the web. :)

You might want to explore DHEA which has role in brain maintenance,  I would certainly have her on Fish Body Oils for her brain function as it is proven in use one with a high EPA/DHA content Healthspan do a good one.  With that you will need to supplement with Vitamin E (natural not synthetic) d-alpha-tocopherol.  Vitamin C can be given to bowel tolerance, try Ester C with bio-flavenoids; you will need to be careful if you supplementing with Vitamin a as commercial dog food normally already has this added although it is normally synthetic.  I would also think about Co-enzyme Q10.

HTH