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A two-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was seen because of sudden onset of incoordination and tremors that had rapidly worsened over five days. Neurological examination revealed severe cerebellar ataxia, intention tremors and bilaterally decreased menace response. Blood work evaluation included a complete cell blood count (CBC), serum biochemistry profile, urinalysis, faecal flotation, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and retroviral testing. Except for testing positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies, all other results were within the normal range. The patient was euthanased two days later because of progression of clinical signs, and a necropsy was performed. Histologically, lesions were limited to the cerebellum and consistent with cerebellar abiotrophy. No secondary diseases that could explain the rapid development of clinical signs were found. It was considered unlikely that cerebellar degeneration was related to FIV positivity, as virus invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) is mainly limited to the cerebral cortex. This case report is the first to describe late onset and rapid progression cerebellar abiotrophy in a cat.

This case report describes the clinical and neuropathological findings in three young English bulldogs affected by cerebellar cortical degeneration. The dogs, born from the same parents, were presented with clinical signs indicating progressive cerebellar dysfunction: a wide-based stance, severe cerebellar ataxia characterised by marked hypermetria, spasticity, and intention tremors of the head and trunk with loss of balance. On histopathological examination, lesions were confined to the cerebellum and consisted of diffuse degenerative cortical lesions, and there was a loss of Purkinje and granule cells. The history, clinical signs and neuropathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of cerebellar cortical degeneration. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of cerebellar cortical degeneration in the English bulldog.

A beagle puppy was presented with clinical signs indicative of a cerebellar disease. Histopathological evaluation of the cerebellum revealed a diffuse degenerative cortical lesion. The clinical history and the histopathological findings are consistent with a neonatal cerebellar abiotrophy. Furthermore, the breeding history supports the hypothesis of an inherited genetic disorder that is, most likely, an autosomal recessive trait.