Cerebellar Hypoplasia & Cortical Vision Impairment in a Cat

[pawsdr8120]

I have a 1.5 year old SF feline patient that was found in a dumpster as a very young kitten. She was diagnosed with cortical vision impairment by a veterinary ophthalmologist (not totally blind, but has pretty severe vision issues). She also appears to have cerebellar hypoplasia (balance issues, hypermetric gait, wide-based stance).

Because the visual cortex sits just above the cerebellum, I can't help wondering if these 2 conditions are somehow related or have the same underlying cause. And because vision plays a role in balance, I'm wondering if I can't do something to help both. I thought I would try some scalp acupunture over the visiual cortex to stimulate that area while doing some rehab balancing exercises to stimulate her cerebellum (found 2 good videos on your website that give a good protocol for canine cerebellar ataxia).

Any thoughts on this or other ideas to try? Her owners are a retired couple who have the desire and time to work with this cat.

[lehughes]

Oh my goodness! This sounds exciting to try to treat!

I guess, I'd also try laser therapy (aka photobiomodulation) to the skull and brainstem.

Then, perhaps treadmill walking - to encourage stimulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and to work on patterning.

PLEASE keep me / all of us posted. This sounds like a fun case and I love your thinking already!!!

Cheers,

Laurie