Ataxi är då hunden har svårt att koordinera sina rörelser och orsakas av att nervsystemet inte fungerar som det ska och degenereras. Degeneration av cerebellum och då specifikt purkinjecellerna och granulacellerna ger en form av ataxi kallat cerebellär ataxi. Denna typ av ataxi uppvisas genom att hunden (Canis lupus familiaris) står bredbent, har muskelkramper, obalanserad gång och ögonrullningar. Den genetiska bakgrunden till cerebellär ataxi hos hund finns beskriven hos flera raser, däribland beagle, finsk stövare, old english sheepdog, gordonsetter och coton de tuléar. Hos alla dessa raser nedärvs sjukdomen autosomalt recessivt och de orsakande mutationerna ger olika dysfunktioner inom nervcellerna som gör att de inte kan fungera som de ska och degenereras.

The parasite Neospora caninum is an intracellular protozoa discovered in the late 1980s. N. caninum has an indirect lifecycle which means it needs a definitive host and an intermediate host. The confirmed definitive host for N. caninum is dog and the intermediate hosts are among others dog and cattle.

The parasite Neospora caninum is an intracellular protozoa discovered in the late 1980s. N. caninum has an indirect lifecycle which means it needs a definitive host and an intermediate host. The confirmed definitive host for N. caninum is dog and the intermediate hosts are among others dog and cattle.

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a virus with capability to cause neurological disease in several species of mammals and of ostriches. Also humans are suspected to be susceptible to the virus, as the viral RNA and antibodies against BDV have been found in some humans with psychiatric diseases, like schizophrenia and depression. In Sweden there is a disease called staggering disease in cats, associated to BDV-infection. This disease often has a fatal progress. Definite diagnosis is reached by histo-pathological and immunohistochemical examination of the central nervous system.

Chiari type I malformation is a condition in humans characterized by a small posterior cranial fossa, downward herniation of the cerebellar tonsils, foramen magnum overcrowding and disturbances of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. Syringohydromyelia is often seen in patients with Chiari type I malformation. Syringohydromyelia is characterized by fluid-filled cavities in the spinal cord. This causes damage to the nervous tissue in the spinal cord. In recent years, a condition similar to Chiari type I malformation has been recognized in dogs. It has mostly been seen in Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS). The condition seen in dogs is usually called occipital bone hypoplasia. The aim of the study was to examine whether there is a difference in the shape of the caudal fossa between CKCS, small bred dogs with a similar head shape and dogs with a normal head shape and if occipital bone hypoplasia is related to a head shape with a steep back of the head. Other aims of the study were to examine the crowding of nervous tissue in the foramen magnum in each breed group, the extent of syringohydromyelia and to what extent the malformation had caused neurological signs. Sculls from dogs on autopsy were divided in halves and the position of the cerebellum compared to the level of the foramen magnum was studied.

The quest to determine if non-human animals have emotional lives similar to man goes a long way back and is yet to result in a clear answer. The aim of this particular literature study is to determine whether or not the African elephant may host feelings of empathy and display altruistic behaviour. In search for an answer to this question, scientists have chosen to first evaluate the cognitive abilities of said species. They have done this through the testing of tool use, mirror self-recognition, memory and the ability to coordinate with another when performing a task etc. It is generally thought, that in order for complex emotion to exist within an individual, cognition, as an awareness of the self and others, must first be present.