Surgery and Radiology Section

GAIT

• Proprioception: It is the ability to recognize the location of the limbs in relation to the rest of the body .
• Paresis: It is a deficit of voluntary movements
• Paralysis (Plegia ): It indicates a complete loss of voluntary movement.
• Circling: A neurological disease may cause an animal to circle. It is a range from a tendency to drift in wide circles to forced spinning in a tight circle. The direction of the circle is usually towards the side of the lesion. Twisting or head tilt associated with circling usually indicates involvement of the vestibular system.
• Ataxia: Lack of coordination without spasticity, paresis or involuntary movements. The feet may be crossed or placed too far apart.
• Dysmetria: It is characterized by movements that are too long hypermetric or two short hypometria. Goose stepping is the most common sign of dysmetria.
• Involuntary abnormal movement: Abnormal movement may occur when the animal is at rest (or) when it is moving and may be intermittent or continuous. The most frequent recognized movement disorders are tremors and myoclonus.

Tremor

•  A tremor is produced by alternating contractions of opposing group of muscle.

Myoclonus

•  It is a course jerking of muscle (eg) canine distemper & encephalomyelitis and is usually rhythmic jerking of muscle group such as flexor of the elbow or the temporal muscle.

Chorea

•  It is the irregular, purposeless movements that are brief and that often change its location from one part of the body to the other.

Catalepsy

•  It is a sudden, complete loss of muscle tones that causes the animal to fall.

Athetosis 

•  It is a ‘pill rolling’ movement of hands in people with Parkinson’s disease.