What is Ataxia?

Debbie Johnson, Research Foundation What is Ataxia? The term ataxia is derived from the Greek meaning “without order”. Ataxia refers to a lack of normal coordination of movement. There are different types of ataxia, but we are focusing on cerebellar ataxia, which is in the portion of the brain that fine-tunes movement. There two known ...

Two Types of Ataxia

There are two types of ataxia in the Jack Russell Terrier, Cerebellar Ataxia and Spino-Cerebellar Ataxia, also referred to as SCA. These are two different genetic diseases, and at this time, we only have a genetic test for SCA. Cerebellar Ataxia This type of Ataxia is often referred to as Early Onset Ataxia and affects ...

Ataxia from a Breeders Standpoint

For those who have never experienced the tragedy of spinocerebellar (late onset) ataxia, I would like to tell my experiences. My litter (of 3) were born healthy with no whelping problems, but at 9 wks of age I began to notice that one of the pups was moving like each leg was a different length. ...

Spinocerebellar Ataxia with Myokymia: Facts

Ataxia: JRTs can be affected with Cerebellar Ataxia OR Spinocerebellar Ataxia. Not both. It is not the norm for an entire litter of 4 to be affected with ataxia. Usually its one or two… but, as with all diseases… one never knows for sure. Cerebellar Ataxia (early onset): Age at onset 2 weeks (or as ...

Spinocerebellar Ataxia Mutation Found

The Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) Mutation has been found. A test is now available. See the testing page for more information.  For more information on SCA, please visit the Diseases page. Related Articles Ataxia from a Breeders Standpoint Spinocerebellar Ataxia with Myokymia: Facts