Saccadic oscillations in 4 dogs and 1 cat

Abstract

Disorders affecting the control of saccadic eye movements result in involuntary saccadic oscillations and are widely reported in human medicine. Information regarding the occurrence and potential importance of saccadic oscillations in veterinary medicine is currently limited. The clinical histories of three dogs and one cat displaying involuntary eye movements consistent with opsoclonus are presented, with final diagnoses including idiopathic generalized tremor syndrome and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). A dog with eye movements closely resembling macrosaccadic oscillations is also presented, for which a final diagnosis of NCL was made. All animals had clinical signs of cerebellar disease. As in human medicine, recognition of these forms of involuntary eye movement might suggest a cerebellar neuroanatomic localization. Opsoclonus and macrosaccadic oscillations are forms of involuntary saccadic eye movement that are both unrecognized and under-reported in veterinary medicine.