This is Buzz, a young Golden Retriever that the Bitterroot Humane Association in Hamilton, Montana, asked if we could take. They told us he has the ‘wobbles’ … a little unsteady on his feet, falls down sometimes, but is otherwise healthy and happy. We had not seen Buzz yet, but based on what the shelter told us, we wondered if he didn’t have a mild form of cerebellar hypoplasia. Our dog Allie and our cat Wobbles have full-blown forms of that condition. We asked the shelter to take him to our specialist in Missoula, Dr. Dave Bostwick, for an evaluation.
Dave did an exam and concluded that Buzz’s balance and mobility issues were NOT from cerebellar hypoplasia. It is more likely he suffered some kind of head trauma in the past. A sure sign he has a more classic neurological problem is the fact that he circles quite a bit. Allie and Wobbles, for instance, don’t circle at all. Yet he also has far more control over his fine motor skills than they do.
As you can see from the photos, he does quite well standing up. He can run around the yard just fine. But then all of a sudden he’ll start listing to one side … he’ll turn his head in one direction … and then he’ll circle for a brief moment. Occasionally he’ll list like a sinking ship and then fall over. Other times he just can’t stop or turn in time … it’s like his brain signals can’t get through to the rest of his body … and he’ll run into something. But most of the time he can run, jump, and play like any dog.
When I was taking photos of him this evening, I watched him move at a fast clip across the yard, heading straight toward some logs ringing a small tree sapling. I could tell he wanted to stop but couldn’t, and he plowed straight into the logs. (There’s a reason we protect small trees here.) When he gets very excited, he has less control and is more likely to lose his balance.
He is a very sweet, affable and playful boy who gets along with everyone else. He’s also drop-dead gorgeous. Today was his first day at the ranch and he loved exploring his new environment. Most of the time he seems quite normal, until … thunk! … you realize something’s not quite right with him!
One final comment: We need a new name. Buzz just isn’t him. Suggestions welcome!
(Click on photos for larger image.)
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