Wobbler Disease

Wobbler disease is a condition of the cervical vertebrae that causes an unsteady (wobbly) gait and weakness in dogs and horses. The term wobbler disease refers to a number of different conditions of the cervical (neck) spinal column that all cause similar symptoms. These conditions may include malformation of the vertebrae, intervertebral disc protrusion, and disease of the interspinal ligaments, ligamenta flava, and articular facets of the vertebrae. Wobbler disease is also known as cervical vertebral instability, cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM), and cervical vertebral malformation (CVM). In dogs, the disease is most common in large breeds, especially Great Danes and Dobermanns. In horses, it is not linked to a particular breed, though it is most often seen in tall race-bred horses. It is most likely inherited in dogs, it may be hereditary to some extent in horses.