Photography © ROMAN DZIUBALO | Bigstock
All of a sudden your dog’s head seems like it’s in a permanent tilt. And his eyes are darting to and fro, making him look as though he is literally in a wild-eyed frenzy. He may also be having trouble balancing himself. Is he having a stroke? A seizure? Some other dangerous brain-related episode?
Chances are high that while your dog’s symptoms look dire, they most likely are not. The constellation of signs suggests a textbook case of an ultimately harmless condition known as old dog vestibular disease. The dog does not show any sign of pain and is generally alert. Better still, symptoms tend to be followed by a significant dissipation within several days and often a full recovery within one to two weeks, although some dogs never lose the change in head position. The disease occurs primarily in — you guessed it — older dogs.
Why does the condition occur?
In the majority of cases, old dog vestibular disease is idiopathic. That means no underlying cause can be found. It’s simply that something has gone awry in the vestibular system inside the head. That system is divided into two parts — central and peripheral. The peripheral vestibular system is composed of the inner ear and its receptors, while the central vestibular system is made up of the brain pathways that control balance. That’s why, for a dog struck with the disease, the world suddenly begins to whirl. He loses not only his balance but also his place in space. In some cases, a dog might go in circles or feel nauseated (think of how your stomach might feel on a carnival ride that’s spinning too fast). And the rapid eye movements, either consistently circular or horizontal, tend to occur in the opposite direction of the head tilt. Medically, the unusual eye movements are called nystagmus.
Treatment, cure, and misdiagnosis
Unfortunately, there’s nothing medicine can do to lessen the symptoms of old dog vestibular disease; they just have to run their course. There isn’t an actual cure, either, but that isn’t really an issue since the only lasting effect might be the tilted head, and it doesn’t affect a dog’s happiness or balance going forward.
You do want to make sure it’s just this condition and nothing more serious, however. Along with the symptoms occurring all in a cluster, they should appear out of nowhere rather than come on gradually. The dog should also be able to move all of his limbs, feel in all limbs, and blink in response to stimuli. And he should not have a change in alertness or consciousness, blindness, or a lessening of facial sensation. If any of these signs are amiss, a veterinarian will likely make a referral to a veterinary neurologist. The “extra” symptoms could be signs of problems ranging from tumors to inflammatory diseases and infections.
Certain testing can also help the doctor rule out such things as high blood pressure. That can result in a stroke, which has symptoms similar to those of vestibular disease. The vet will examine the ear canals, too. An ear canal infection can sometimes spread to the inner ear and cause balance problems.
At the same time that you don’t want to miss something that seems like vestibular disease but isn’t, you don’t want to overreact when the unsettling, even frightening, symptoms of the disease appear. Instead, you should remain calm and reassuring for your pet, and get him to the vet to rule out more serious issues. And most definitely don’t decide to euthanize your dog because you are convinced he is suffering from a severe medical condition whose treatment you believe you can’t afford when all that’s needed is a little time for the symptoms to resolve on their own.
You might have to assist with your dog’s daily habits for a couple of days until his balance is restored, perhaps by putting a sling under his belly to keep him lifted while he is relieving himself. But in the scheme of the whole life of love you share with your pet, that’s nothing.
Going forward
In rare cases, a dog will have a second bout of old dog vestibular disease. But by then, his owners will be old pros. They may still want to take their pet to the doctor for a definite rule-out of something more serious, but they know there’s no reason to panic. The dog will very likely be returning to himself before long, and life will go on anew as if nothing had happened.
Old dog vestibular disease, sometimes called geriatric vestibular disease, usually occurs in older dogs, but it can occur in younger ones, too. That’s why it’s sometimes called idiopathic vestibular disease, meaning that its symptoms don’t have a known cause.
A dog who suddenly displays a tilted head, difficulty standing or inability to stand, an attempt at circular motions, rotating or darting eye movements, and nausea that may be accompanied by vomiting will generally be sent home from the vet’s to wait it out — as long as he appears cognizant, has sensation in his limbs, and a blink response to stimuli.
WHERE IN THIS WORLD ARE YOU LOCATED?
I’m karin and my little Chihuahua X Jack Russell
Doggy GIRL’s Name is Lady, and i love her ver
we live in SOUTH AUSTRALIA. in a Northern Area Suburb
My applejack looked like she had a stroke. Vomitting bile, diareah following day blood in stool, dripping bloodb while straining. Circling, head tilt, off balance, stumbling, falling needing assistance to stand & walk, back paws not moving in snyc, slightly off( able to hear nails scraping on concrete) front left paw bending under while sitting w/ pressure on it having no knowledge, left eye no blinking, vision severely impaired, difficulty chewing & swallowing, drimking water was a loud rumbling, air pockets traveled from esophagus to lungs & everytime gagging coughing up the water. Involuntary air bite (like half a yawn) on 1 side of mouth pulling neck & head to the opposite side. Breath smelled like rotted cantelope. She also has a lipoma that Id rather have removed, before it interferes w/ leg movement.
Examination by vet, gave all syptoms above, blood work taken, & was given clavamox. Addressing Lipoma, 1 glance & said that’s not a concern rite now, she needs a specialist a neurologist. Back to lipoma, said shes going to need plastic surgery , skins to taught not enough to cover. That night ordered Nzymes kit for animal & human beings, to holistically build immune system, eradicate body of pathogens, cleansing, detoxing aiding in almost all diseases & injury. 2 days on program, no more stroke symptoms, happy, running on her own. Started raining & she ran out eating something, eww slugs were all over, surface while raining. Slugs carry deadly lung worm parisite, same symptoms as stroke & old dog disease. Thank God for Nyzmes, I am a believer, it works wonders.