Symptoms of Vestibular Disease in Dogs
83An uncoordinated drunk like gait may suggest vestibular disease
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As a dog owner have you ever wondered how your dog is able to move about, run, jump and play without falling to the ground? Ever wondered how your dog can run around in circles without getting dizzy? Perhaps not, because we tend to take these things for granted.
However, all of this is accomplished thanks to the dog's vestibular system, a complex and effective mechanism that originates in the dog's inner ear allowing the dog (and even us humans) to have good orientation skills. In particular the vestibular system allows dogs to well balance themselves and coordinate their eye movements with their head.
All these great features that allows dogs and humans to walk and lead everyday normal lives go unnoticed generally until problems start to take place. When this happens, often dog owners are therefore quite startled and often really cannot get a grasp of what is going on.
The most common reactions to vestibular disorder in dogs are:
''I think my dog just had a stroke''.
''Something is really wrong with my dog''
''I think my dog is having some sort of seizure''.
Indeed vestibular disease can be quite scary in dogs often producing the following symptoms:
- Head tilt
- Eyes darting side to side (nystagmus)
- Strabismus
- Vertigo
- Falling to one side
- Rolling
- Staggering Gait
- Nausea/Vomiting
- Loss of Appetite
- Salivation
- Pain Chewing or Yawning
Causes of Vestibular Disease in Dogs
Owners of dogs affected by vestibular disease of course are very alarmed when their dog starts exhibiting these scary symptoms. More often than not, they will rush their dog to the emergency room thinking their dog just had a stroke and imagining him paralyze for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, often the causes of vestibular disease are not so grim most of the time. In most cases, vestibular disease is due to some problem located in the inner ear (peripheral vestibular disease). However, it is best to have the dog checked out by a veterinarian to rule out problems located in the brain (central vestibular disease).
Here are some potential causes:
- Ear Infection
Because the inner ear is responsible for a variety of important functions such as balance and coordination, when a dog develops an ear infection he or she may start exhibiting symptoms of vestibular diseases. This is because in some severe ear infections, the infection may spread from the external ear to the middle ear and then into the inner ear, negatively affecting all these important balancing functions.
- Canine idiopathic vestibular syndrome
Unfortunately, in some cases the cause remains unknown (idiopathic). This often takes place when the dog reaches its senior years, indeed often it is called ''geriatric vestibular syndrome''.In this case, for unknown reason the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum become inflamed often resolving on their own after a few days or a few weeks.
- Hypothyroidism
In some cases, low thyroid levels may cause vestibular disease issues.
- Toxins
Sometimes medications placed in the dog's ears may cause sudden acute vestibular disorders. Known culprits may be the following products: gentamycin, streptomycin, neomycin, erythromycin, polymyxin and ear products containing alcohol. Metronidazole has also been know to be a culprit.
- Tumors
Tumors in the inner ear or in the brain may cause vestibular disease symptoms.
- Encephalitis
This term depicts brain infection and may cause symptoms of vestibular disease. Causes may be canine distemper, toxoplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Erlichiosis, blastomycosis, coccidiomycosis .
Treatment
In order for the treatment to be effective it must take care of the underlying cause.Thyroid medicine may be prescribed for hypothyroidism, ear infections must be cleared and the administration of toxic ear drops must be stopped.
In most cases, vestibular disease resolves within two months. Often after 4-5 days the nystagmus episodes should subside. However, in some cases the head tilt will remain. Dogs are often prescribed medications that reduce dizziness such as Diphenidramine (Benadryl) or Meclizine (Antivert).
-Affected dogs should be helped to eat, because of disabled motor skills they may be unable to eat from the food bowl. Hand feeding therefore is helpful.
-Dogs with vestibular disease should be kept away from stairs and safe from bumping into furniture.
A case of Vestibular Disease
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BLOWN AWAY HAVE A 6 YR OLD DOG WITH MOST OF THESE SYMPTOMS AND IM ONLY A 12 DAYS INTO THIS! IM SO UPSET! ITS VERY HARD TO SEE IT HIT SO "OUT OF THE BLUES" ALL I CAN DO IS PRAY! THANKS FOR ALL THE HELPFUL INFO, BUT SURE AM HURTING INSIDE!!!!!!!!
Thank you very much for providing free and accurate information and advice.
My dog and I had went for our nightly walk last night and this morning. I had to go to town for maybe 35 minutes, when I came home I smelled feces which is very, very uncommon, only once in his life before today in his room, for my 15-16 yr old mix. I went to his room and found him laying face first in a pool of yellow bile. He had vomited so hard he had passed his feces also.
It scared me to death because this is basically my truest friend for almost over a decade and a half. My fear wasn't helping him so I tried to regain my composure which seemed to help calm him down.
Then I seen him stumbling drunkenly and falling down, he had the left to right eye movements. I first thought stroke, then I thought distemper but he doesn't come into any other contact with dogs unless a coyote is peeing through the fence which isn't very likely. I had noticed a possum on the porch with him about a week ago and was concerned he may have contracted distemper virus but read that possum is unlikely to have it.
Everything I have read about vestibular disease seems to pinpoint to a tee exactly how he is acting plus he has had to have ear surgery about 4 years ago which nearly broke me because he has discharge from his left ear, recently he has had discharge from his right as well and I suspect this is the problem.
At his age and with my vets prices for just minor things such as being 20$ higher just for vaccines than other vets I'm pretty sure I'll be taken to the cleaners, with a smile of course if I have to take him in.
I love that old dog more than I do myself so I'm guessing if he doesn't get well soon I'm going to be highjacked for mega-dollars to have him treated. How much money is really enough??
One thing I have found out is that, as long as I stay relaxed and calm so does he. That's the cheapest, easiest advice I can give anyone going through this with an old friend.
Now if I can just get him to eat and drink in the morning maybe he will get some strength back. I feel so guilty for not being here when it first hit him I'm pretty sure it terrified him. I know it broke my heart and didn't do my nerves any good either. I mean, this animal has stayed with me when no-one else cared, like he had a choice...still he deserves the best for being so faithful all these years.
Thank you for your information,
Signed,
Two Grumpy Old Men, well one's actually a dog but yeah...
I am happy to hear my article has been helpful to you. It is hard to give a straight answer as to how much a visit may cost. A regular vet visit is generally around 35 to 50 dollars. The everything on top of that is added. He may want to take some x-rays I assume plus if vestibular disease is found he will likely prescribe medications such as Antivert according to:
http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/meclizine-bon
It may all sum up to 150-200 dollars I guess. If your dog is uncomfortable eating or drinking it is likely due to the nausea due to dizziness. I still recommend the vet visit though to rule out other more serious disorders. Best wishes to both of you.
Hiya.my 4 year old german shepard has this.Is this not unusal this young.
Kind regards
tom
Well, it is a bit unusual but your vets should investigate the underlying cause since it can be due to an ear infection or other systemic illnesses.
thank you for this article ,it has been so informative ,my 14 year old tibetan suddenly developed all these symptons 3 weeks ago ,and i was so alarmed ,she is making a full recovery ,there was so much more information on here than any info i received from the vets ,,,
we think our dog has vestibular syndrome. He's got all the symptoms. Because he got to a point where he couldn't stand up, he has been prescribed prednisone. He was able to get around for 3 days, but once dosage was lowered, he got worse and now is once again not able to get on his feet. With this latest setback, he doesn't seem to urinate as often, it's been 15 hours since he last went. Has anyone else had their pet experience the inability to stand at all? If so, did your dog get better-how long did it take?
I have had the same experience with my cockatoo. When it hit her, she could not stand at all and when we took her outside and held her up to urinate, she basically folded up and would fall over. It has been a slow process but was treated with prednisone and has improved...slowly. Gradually able to stand again for short periods still circling and bumping into things. Then better but still easily tipped over. It has been two weeks and I don't think she is dizzy anymore. Much steadier on her feet although she now "shuffles" when she walks and is left with head tilt. She seems to have suffered some damage to left eye which she squints. I don't believe she is or has been in any real pain. Although she still gets excited about having a " cookie" and is happy to eat and drink, I am saddened by her condition.
Thanks Chris for your comments. Even the slightest of improvements give us hope! Yesterday I purchased a special harness that wraps around Bandits chest (below neckline and above front legs, and then there's a connector on top that goes slightly down his back and a 4" wide nylon/fabric harness that wraps around his belly. There is a hook on top for his leash, or sometimes I just grab it with my hand. Since yesterday, he is walking (anywhere from 10-50 feet) but is not steady, is wobbly, circles and slips; with the harness we are able to guide him and give him some support/strength. When he has to pee we pull up on the harness to help support him, if we didn't he would fall to the ground, it takes so long for him to squat and pee. At least he knows its better to squat than try and lift a leg! So here's a summary of what's going on: he is back on prednisone but every other day. Yesterday (Monday) he had 1 pill at 4am, and the last one at 10:30pm, today (TUES) NO pill. Then tomorrow we will do the same as Monday, until pills are gone, so hopefully by then he won't need any more. He eats very good, drinks well (possibly side effects of pill), yesterday he went pee during the day 4 or 5 times, then went 12 hours without, and today he finally had a bowel movement (48 hours since last one). Small improvements, hopefully not another setback again. I know he's feeling better, tonight when I walked in the back door (coming home from work) he actually came to greet me! It was slow going but I'll take it. I've heard that gentle massage behind the ears might alleviate the dizziness a bit, so I try to do that and he enjoys it. I'll keep an eye out for more updates on your cockatoo! Good luck and "here's a wish for improvement to all our vestibular sufferers!"
much improvement in Bandit. He is walking a bit farther, although he still tends to walk in circles and is wobbly. When you go to pet him his face really seems to "jump", like he's startled. So I think his eyesight might be a bit blurry.
He's eating like a horse. I think it's the Prednisone, or he's making up for lost time. We are going to cut down on his Prednisone, and hopefully he will be off of it soon. We are encouraged at his improvement. A week ago we thought he was done with, I'm glad we gave it time, TLC, and hope everyone with this problem will do the same. I hope things will just keep getting better-closer to normal.
well I'm writing again about Bandit. It is now officially a month since he first exhibited symptoms of not feeling well. As good as he seems one day, the next he seems to regress. He is on prednisone and every other day he doesn't get any dosage. By the end of that day he seems to have more trouble staying standing/balanced. He has lost some weight since this started, but have noticed how he seems to be losing weight from the shoulders upward, including his face. His skull bones especially by the eyes really seem to be more prominent. Has anyone else seen this in their dog with Vestibular disease/syndrome? I'm going to do a bit more reading up on stuff, and then see if we can get a referral to a veterinary neurologist, it's difficult to see him so off balance all the time. How long did some of your pets exhibit symptoms before they got better, did you do anything special or just "wait it out"?
It turns out Bandit does not have vestibular disease. He has myasthenia gravis.
He still has head tilt, walks in circles, and has problems with his hind legs supporting his weight most of the time. He is still on Prednisone, and additionally is on Tremadol for pain. He is taking this because he got to a point where he could not stand at all. It has now been about 8 weeks since the first symptoms started of what we thought was vestibular disease/syndrome. The combination of medications unfortunately has left him incontinent. He has to be taken outside to pee every 45 minutes to hour. We have resorted to lining the utility room with training pads, towels etc, for overnight and during the day in case we don't get him outside soon enough.
We have tried really hard with Bandit hoping for that miracle of healing, but it doesn't look like it will happen. I believe it is imminent (within the next week if current conditions of incontinence persist) to have him put down. It breaks our hearts but the life Bandit is living is not one of quality. Who ever would of thought this 4.5 year doggie would have this happen to him, certainly none of us.
URGENT 4 Janice:
Don't put Bandit down just yet.
You might seek out a veterinarian who is trained in neurology but also other forms of healing. Your dog should not be put down yet. I don't know where you live but you might try checking online and/or investigate Universities with Vet Hospitals etc. around your area for recommendations.
I had a horrible shock with my Ruby, 11 yr old Dal Mix
who was diagnosed with a ruptured disk in her spine.
Without going into details, surgery was pushed but I said, "not so fast". Where I work I found out sheerly by kismet about an alternative vet south of Philadelphia who trained in cardiology and neurology and also homeopathy and prescribes not only medications as in vet medications fda, but supplements if warranted and so on.
The treatment she provides from what I understand, is specific to the illness or condition of the animal.
Please give it a try. Also, I have found simpling finding a vet who is an excellent diagnostician can be very difficult. They tend to jump to conclusions and insist on testing such as MRI which can cost upward $2,000.00. There are cases where diagnostic testing is essential but please, before tossing in the towel, see if you can't find a reasonably priced highly recommended healing veterinarian for Bandit.......
Thank you so much. My dog is 14 and this article helped pinpoint what it was. A 35.00 vet bill and got her some meclizinhe. LEts keep our fingers crossed.
My grandmas 14 year old dog has this , he just got back from the vet , he still has the head tilt but can now stand straight
Well your article is still helping us humans. But when this happened to our beloved 14 year old lab/border collie mix Parker we rushed him to the emergency vet at 9 pm thinking it was a stroke. $900 later and the next day I took him home. It's been 9 days now and he is doing much better but there is still lots of room for improvement. I only wish I had seen this article sooner. I am more optimistic after reading it that Parker could make a full recovery or close to it. And I also think that the calmer I am the calmer Parker stays. Fingers and toes are crossed. He is so special to us.
my golden of 14 yrs is just going thru this for the 2nd time,,,not sure if i can go thru it again,ishe is such a good patient, i love her with all my heart, but its so hard
My dog is 15 years and 3 months old today. He had seizures a little over a year ago. We have had him on meds for that since and has not had any that I know of. Today, he couldn't get up and had all these scary symptons. I just had him to the vet last week and he was doing great. Today, I called the vet and she did inform me of this disease. I have him resting comfortably on a tarp and blanket in case he has an accident. Now that I have read some comments and researched the disease a little bit, I do feel better and have hope for him. He is a larger dog, heeler mix. Thanks for the videos and info...there is always hope.
Hi, very interesting and helpful. My 13 year old german shorthaired pointer was fine yesterday and then poof, all of the above symptoms, minus the eye darting. Rushed him to Emergency Vet and cam up with this diagnosis. Seems a bit better today, but is on motion sickness meds. Getting in and out of his chair ok, but walks kind of drunken. Hand feeding is interesting, as he has a hard time finding the food, which was my first clue yesterday when I gave him a snack...thanks again for this article. I don't feel so doomed...
Well I woke this morning to my 14yo Collie mix showing all these signs...he was just diagnosed with idiopathic peripheral vestibular disease (also know as "Old Man disease"). It was very scary-can't lie! Since this morning I have come to understand the disease and will handle it WAY better should it happen again. His eyes have stopped jerking and all he is left with is the unsure footing. Poor thing. And least I believe there was no pain involved for him-just a lot of confusion and uncertainity of which he is such a scaredy cat all the time anyway so that didn't help. I love that "old man" so much and didn't freak too much when I got the 240 dollar bill. He's worth that and a lot more:)
Hello - this condition struck our 14.5 year-old bichon/shih-tzu last Thursday night. She was very wobbly and staggering. She vomited once and was holding her head tilted to the left. I took her to the vet on Fri. am and was given Cerenia tablets (4 days worth). She has been drinking ok on her own, but getting her to eat has been a struggle. She took her last Cerenia tablet yesterday. I believed she was getting steadily better until today when she had a 'spell' worse than the initial one. She was trying to walk and kept falling down, when I picked her up, she was leaning so far to the left she nearly flipped out of my arms! I put her on her bed - it passed very quickly and within a few minutes she was prancing across the living room floor like nothing had happened. Just wondering if anyone has experienced these setbacks on the road to recovery? Although I know what is causing it, it still scares me so much! Reading the stories here have given me hope!
Just today my best friend of 16 years came down with this. His eyes are darting, he cant walk, his head and body are doing this twisting thing and worst of all I can see hes scared. I am sick to my stomach sad for him and have been holding back the tears all day. Hes already been thru a near death exp thanks to laringial paralisis and now this. I know theres hope he will recover but its killing me to see him so helpless. He cant even shift his hips to get comfortable. Well, I have an appt with the vet at 9 am to check him for causes and do tests if need be. Would have done them today but this happened so late in the day that the vet couldnt do much more than diag the problem. Wish my "little buddy" luck.
Its been about 11 days since Ralph was struck with this. Every day I have spent all my time helping him eat, drink and carrying him outside to "do his busness". It has been so hard. Not on me, I dont care about the loss of sleep or time at work, I just care about how hard its been on him. And then it happened, I fell asleep on the couch at 4 am and when I awoke at 6 he was gone. "Where did he go?" I asked myself while freaking out. Well after running around the house I found him sleeping on his bed in my bedroom, his favorite spot.
Well over the last few days hes started getting upmand taking steps on his own. He wobbles pretty bad and falls over a bit but if I walk with him and steady him he can make it outside to pee. I am overjoyed. Hes getting better!!!! Every moment that passes Ralph is coming back. He even wanted his favorite toy today.
To all of you who are struggling thru this and feeling the incredible sadness that comes with watching your best friend go thru this all I have to say is dont give up. Be there for them, dont let them see how sad or tired you are, encourage them and show them that you love them and everything will be alright. And when you least expect it something great will happen. It may only be a look or a movement but no matter how small it is you will know. Your friend is starting to get better. He or she is coming back and that is the greatest feeling ever!!!!
It's been a week since my dog Emma came down with this problem. She experienced all of the symptoms mentioned on this page. She is much much better now with the exception of severe incontinence. She is very wet all the time. I take her out so often and she goes 3-4 times while out. But still her diapers fill up and overflow in an hour to soak the blanket she is laying on. With no diaper it is even worse. I have tried both. We made a room for her on the tile floor with kiddie gates so that we can contain the mess. It breaks my heart to find her laying in a puddle of urine. I can't keep up with it. I have limited her water intake now and it hasn't helped. She is wet all the time and I don't know what to do. Does this get better over time? Is it temporary? I am coming home at lunch to mop the floor, wash the blanket and put a clean diaper on her. Sometimes I bath her at lunch too and then again at night. She is always wet and that must feel awful. It's been really difficult. I can see that she is uncomfortable. Will she get better?
Was Emma treated for the disorder? This urinating as you describe warrants a vet visit. It may be hormone related, if she is spayed it could likely be a weakening of the sphincter, it could be a urinary tract infection, or a kidney problem. Please take a fresh urine sample and have it tested by your vet. Most of these urinary problems are easily treated.
My 13.5 yr old Border/lab came down with what I believe to be Vestibular a week ago. I heard him thumping against the wall outside my bedroom door early am, initially I thought he was just scratching and hitting the wall with his foot but then I heard him crashing down the stairs. I shot out of bed and found a huge spot of vomit on the carpet in front of my door. ( the only carpet in the house I might add)
I had a frightening vision of finding him dead on the stairs but he wasn't there. I looked over the landing and found him on the second section of stairs with front paws out straight in front and back legs straight out behind basically doing a belly slide trying to navigate down the steps.
I freaked out naturally!
He managed to make it to the door so I let him out and watched in horror as he wobbled and crashed his way to the back yard for a pee. Unfortunately I was committed to work that day so he came with me like he always does but he would not get out of the truck, nor would he drink.
I did some research while at work and figured this was the culprit. Got him to the vet for 7pm who said it was likely Vestibular and put him on a round of antibiotics for inner ear infection. I am hoping and praying this will fix it up but it's good to read others experiences in case the root cause is not an ear infection. At least now I have something to go on.
At some points he seems to be getting better then he goes right back to stumbling around like a drunken sot. He loves to run and oddly enough he can run in a fairly straight line but then something catches his nose and he literally takes a nose dive cuz his brain doesn't compute that he can't just stop on a dime any more.
My boy has had seizures in the past, they started when he was about 9 just out of the blue, so initially I thought he was having a seizure. I have noticed that others have posted here & elsewhere that their dogs also have had seizures as well as vestibular at some point. Wondering if there's a connection?
Although I do have reason to believe his seizures are food related. He had about 5 or 6 per year for over 2 years, then I decided to put him on a raw diet and low and behold not a single seizure until well over a year later when I couldn't get any cheap meat and gave him kibble. Within 2 weeks he had another seizure, so back to raw and once again no more seizures. So far no vet can explain that one!
My 13 year Border Collie developed all the symptoms 3 days ago. I'm hoping for a recovery. I know from having vetibular disease myself a few times that the more you move the better you feel. It's sort of movement therapy. usually though when you stop you fell really bad for about 30 minutes. I wonder if any of you have found this in your dogs?
Thanks
@Jennifer-my dog who has this currently for the second time became incontinent from the meclizine that we gave him for the dizziness. Literally the day we stopped the meclizine administration, he stopped being incontinent. No idea why, but perhaps this has something to do with why your dog is urinating so much? Just a thought. Hope things have improved.
My 11 month old Frenchie has been acting funny lately, I thought she may have an ear infection. I took her to the vet last week and they swabbed her ears, they found nothing. On Sunday, I found her laying in the strangest postion. When I went to pick her up, she stiffened up and her head went to the left, while her body went to the right. I tried putting her down, but she frantically could not get her balance, nor stand up. :( Took her to the emergency vet and they really could not tell me what is wrong with her. I basically diagnosed her with Vestibular Disease myself and asked the vet to prescribe her some strong antibitoics and have been giving her dramamine to help with the dizziness. Needless to say, it's been 2 days since the symptoms occured and I just want my puppy back to normal. I hate seeing her like this, it makes me cry. I've been researching ways to help her fully recover and was hoping to hear some positive feedback. My baby isn't even a hear old and should not have to deal with this. :'(
My dog is 1 year old and having a lot of problems with his head tilting and barely walking. Im so sadden by this. He looks like he in a lot of pain he now is on a antibiotics n steroids it has been two days now. When will he get better.when I took him to the very they couldn't find what's wrong. They suggest him to get test ran by a neurologist. That would cost anywhere from 800 to 1500 dollars which I don't have. I how these pills is there anything else I can do to help him please somebody help
Our 11 year old golden doodle was first diagnosed with peripheral vestibular disease then she was diagnosed with central vestibular. she can not support herself/ not ambulatory. Her back legs do not hold her wait and her right side has proprioceptive problems. She must eat/drink with her head turned to the right. How long do you wait to see improvement. I hate seeing her like this. It has been 48 hours. One vet had little hope, another had a bit of hope. Thank you.
If your vet diagnosed her with this disorder did he prescribe meclizine or dimenhydrinate? this should help with the dizziness which should gradually make her feel better. Generally it gets better within 72 hours and should resolve by 1-2 weeks. Some dogs however have the head tilt permanently but they can compensate this. Best wishes!
My dog has this... The problem is.. Even when I hand feed him he will hardly eat??
Did your vet prescribe any medications for the vertigo? This should help him feel better. If he has vertigo he is very likely nauseous,which takes his appetite away.
Hi there, my dog had everything on this page, 48 hours ago, my 13 year old Bermese couldn't get up fell over, the eye dart, head tilt and he was so scared. Thought the same thing that it was a stroke and raced him to the vet in the middle of the night. He is so old and already has trouble walking from arthritic hips and only 1 good eye. Can I expect him to be able to walk again? He has not been able to hoist himself up, nevertheless stand or walk ...
Breaks my heart, I just don't want to give up too early on him ... Any advice is appreciated
Karina, if the inability to walk is due to dizziness, he should be able to walk again once this disorder is treated. Have they prescribed him anything for the dizziness?
we have a puppy and he always fallsover when he walks and sometimes cant get up, he cant feel his frunt paws properly i took him to the vet today and she basically said shes going to check his ears tomorrow and its severe.and basically its the same problems as everyone else has on this page but maybe not as severe. hes only three months old, how is this fixed? is he in pain?what do they need to do to help him?
Did your vet actually diagnose your pup with this condition? There are many other conditions that mimic this condition. My article above addresses treatment for this condition. Affected dogs are not really in pain in the real sense of the word, but may be miserable and feel queasy, dizzy, prone to vomiting and lose their appetite. Imagine getting motion sick on rough seas, this may be how a dog with this disorder may feel.
I have had my Maltese to the vet twice for ear infections and the Vet gave him ear drops asteroid and antibiotic.while hes on the Meds he improves a little.But he has all the signs that are listed. the vet told me to keep giving him the ear drops to keep infection from coming back,but he is now at the point that I have to hold him up to go to bathroom.its seems he was getting worse instead of better.He now just lays in his bed and when we go to move him or he tries to move on his own yelps and whines.The Vestibular has been going on for 3 weeks now the yelping and not being able to stand has been for 2 days now.someone please help he's my baby.He's only six.It breaks my heart to see him like this.
You said your vet treated for an ear infection but did he actually diagnose him with vestibular disease? If so, did he prescribe anything to help him cope with dizziness? I would contact the vet and ask for meclizine (antivert) to help him with the dizziness. Best wishes
my 9 yr old shih tzu got this on new years day 2012 he was diagnosed with it and a middle ear infection in his left ear hense the left head tilt, he has been on 3 lots of antibiotics steroids and ear cream he seems to have good and bad days still rubbing his ear, my vet has been great and he says it can take several months in some cases for it to go altogether he has a head tilt some days still
My dog Bella, a boxer who is 3 years old started out with pneumonia. Was put on antibiotics and got better.Three days after she stopped the antibiotics she started twitching her ears. Put ear mite medicine in her ears because she had just gotten over earmites two weeks before. the very next day she was wobbling very bad. since then she has gotten worse. I have had her to the vet numerous times and she does not know what is wrong with her said it possibly could be distemper or vestibular disease. She wanted to wait 10 days to let the earmite medicine to come out of her to see if that was what caused it. Everyday she got worse and worse to she could bearly stand. took her back to vet and she prescribed prednisone and antibiotics which was three days ago. Today Bella is up and walking but still staggering but so much better. I am so afraid that when she comes off the medicine she will start again. Am praying that whatever she had will be gone by then.
My 7 yr. old female chocolate lab displayed all these symptoms very acutely. One of the scariest things I have ever seen. Profuse drooling, unable to stand, and abvious neurological symptoms. After a 1000.00 vet bill...including IV antibiotics, xrays, blood work, and an overnight stay, we are picking her up today. Thanks for bracing me for a period of convalescence. Will keep you posted.
Sending best wishes your way, did the vet diagnose her with this disorder?
Thank you alexadry for your wishes. The diagnosis was not definitive. He couldn't confirm vestibular disease. His secondary diagnosis was just seizures, which doesn't make me feel great. The only thing that makes me feel better is that she did present with all the "hallmark" features. She did have a "slight" ear infection, so we are going forward with antibiotic ear drops, and antiemetics for 4 days. She appears to have no residual side effects, which is a blessing, but I and walking on pins and needles. Time will tell. Thanks again.
My soon to be 15 year old Border Collie looked as if he was having a seizure like moment 5 days ago and it really freaked me out. The second "episode" happened 20 minutes later. I rushed to him to an emergency vet and they watched it happen again and sent me to a special emergency vet that had a neurologist on staff. On the way there, he had the 4th episode. They kept him over night and I felt awful for him to go through this without me, because even though he didn't seem in pain, it appeared he was very confused.
Needless to say after the specialist witnessing an episode and an MRI of his brain and spinal tap, he was diagnosed with vestibular disease. He is on meclizine and I have stayed home with him since he got out of the hospital 3 days ago. I hope he doesn't have an episode when I return to work next week, but I hope this gives everyone some kind of piece of mind. We've gone through a lot of little health issues and I really thought I was going to lose him. Luckily, he has no head tilt, and is walking just fine. No matter what health issue he has had he never lost his appetite. I am not ready to say goodbye and I'm grateful with the diagnosis.
My shih Tzu Max still has it, keeps getting better not totally and then all of a sudden it is coming back.
I find it so hard to cope with it is now 2 months since it all started, he is on steroids and phenabarbitil I just dont like him being on these meds, should i seek a second opinion, he has been diagnosed with it
Hi Tammy, I am so sorry this is still continuing for you. My vet explained to me that one of the presentations of this is due to an ear infection. Was your Max ever treated for ear infection? Hang in there...I know how hard it is to see your family member like this. He is lucky to have you. Best wishes.
thank you he has been on antibiotics for 5 days on 3 occasions, vet only did a ear swab on thrusday and we are waiting for the results to come back, I asked him if he would do an incision in the ear to let the infection out but he said no he did not want to do that. he took him off the phenabarbatil now but the head tilt is really quite bad today, I am so worried I will not the get the life and soul of our house back to normal.
Tammy, I hope it clears off soon, hopefully the swab will brings some news so to identify the trigger and get it cured once and for all, best wishes
Really bad today, just lying there wanting to sleep, can they die from this
Tammy keep in touch with your vet or ask another vet's opinion if it is getting so bad. Did they give something for the dizziness? it must feel awful to walk or do anything when everything spins..
thank you for your help.
my cousin is a vet and lives about 300 miles from me, we are bringing him there on saturday, he is going to keep him for a week and observe him he said if he needs to he will go into the ear canal and see what is going on, he said he will make just a small incisiion and look.
my own vet said he can do no more for him and if he comes of the steroids it is bad news for him as they are the only thing making him survive he said without me saying anything if I wanted to seek a second opinion by all means do so. I may have been a bit annoyed with him on the phone when the ear swabs came back with the results if only he had done that in the first place. I have spent about 500 euro trying to get him better and nothing has workded, i do not really have a choice now so please pray for Max and us
Dear Tammy and Max...I will keep you in good thoughts and wish you all the best! Glad you are seeking a second opinion. When a vet says he can do no more, its time to move on! Best wishes.
Will keep you posted, thanks for all the replies has really helped me cope
My shepard has all these symptoms. Shes 7 years old.After the first week, she couldn't stand at all and would just stay curled into a ball to the right.Ive been giving her Dramamine for the seasickness and dizzyness.I had feed her and give her water.Its been 17 days and no real improvement.Has anyone ever experienced a longer duration of immobility? What's the average lifespan of vestibular syndrome? If anyone has some answers to these questions, I appreciate it.
It breaks my heart to see my Buddy in this condition. I too thought he had a stroke because all the symptoms are so much alike. I took him to the vets and he was given oral meds and full blood work was completed, he is physically healthy in every other way except for this disease. I have him home now but he is not, and expect he never will be, the same. How long does it take before he will start using his legs? Right now he can't even stand on his own, I have to use a sling to pick him up and take him outside to pee. I had to hand feed him some plain cooked chicken because he will not eat. He is drinking water on his own. I feel so bad for him. It has only been 2.5 days and I know I must be patient, but this is so heartbreaking. Thank you for this site and all the comments that are posted, you know you are not alone with this.
Life expectancy is based on the cause of the vestibular disease. For "old dog vestibular syndrome" it usually resolves within two weeks If vestibular disease is secondary to malignancy, of course the life expectancy would vary based on the nature of the malignancy.
Well we took toby to my cousing it took us 4 hours there and 4 hours back, they found a massive apses in his eardrum leaning on the vestibular nerve to the brain. they drained it and have left a drain in for a few days, they are doing a culture to see what meds to put him on.
he has an enlarged liver due to the excessive amount of steroids my own vet had put him on. I just cant understand how my own vet refused to do anything with his ear, just stuffed him with meds. if i did not care about my dogs and relied on everything my vet said my dog would have been in dreadful pain and eventually the posion in the abses would have gone through his system.
How do some vets get away with it. Max is there till the week my oher little shih tzu misses him terribly
sorry above post should read we Max not toby, toby is the one here at home
Well good for you Tammy!! Thank goodness you relied on your "little voice". Let's hope for a speedy recovery!
thank you, going back to collect him this weekend, we can't wait
I wanted to post my story here so people would know how important it is to get a second opinion if you feel your vet can do nothing to help your pet
Thank you Tsmmy, yes, a second opinion can really make a difference!
Well Max is home today, still ill but slowly improving, he will be on antibiotics for 3 months. he is not eating very much and it is really difficult to get him to swallow the antibiotics he keeps spitting it out any tips on this would be great. his stiches come out in about 10 days head is only slightly tilted compared to being almost on the ground, toby is thrilled to have his baby brother home they keep rubbing noses as Shih Tzu do
Tammy for the pills try to follow the tips in this hub:
http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-give-your-
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Hi Tammy, Thanks for the update! We have been thinking of you, and your family. Glad to hear Max is home. He is very lucky to have you! Hang in there...at least now there is an answer, and you are moving in a more positive direction! Slow and steady wins the pace!
due to the excessive steroids he has an ulcer not a bleeding one or anything but stopping him eating, he is on liquid meds for it but just has eaten nothing today, this is such a hassle as we are weaning him of the steroids that wont end till the middle of june so giving meds with no food is not good but hoping it improves soon thanks for the link
Yes I knnow how the dog feels I myself have vestibular deisease (meneieres) and It sucks. Watching the dog reminds me of how I walk on a bad day.
I have to heartbreakingly tell you Max died today
So sorry to hear that:( Sending you a virtual hug and my deepest sympathies. That's so sad and heart breaking:(
his liver collapsed suddenly from the steroids there was no hope for him, i cant describe how heartbroken i am cause this should not have happened, but I am not letting it lie
My 13 year old Sheppard mix was diagnosed with this yesterday. I was told to give him ciprofloxacin twice a day and meclizine (Dramamine) once a day. I know it will take time, but he will not move and won’t go outside to go potty. In fact, I’m not sure if he has gone potty in over 24 hours. He does drink water and will eat dog treats and bacon. He refuses to touch his dog food. In general, how long before I start to see some improvement? I just want an idea of how long I should give the medicine before I take him back to the vet.
Dear Tammy and family,
My sincere sympathy in the loss of your dear Max. Hoping your heart ache today is replaced with the years of happy memories he gave to you. He was lucky to have you!
It really varies from one dog and another, generally results are seen within 2 weeks, however, if there is an underlying cause for this the time frame may vary, best wishes for a speedy recovery.
My 10 year old yorkie began to display mayn of the symptoms described in submited comments. It was extremely upsetting to see her list toward her left side, frequently lose her balance & fall over when she attempted to relieve herself. She was incapable of climbing the stairs and I had to support her while she ate. My Vet told me she might have a brain tumor as he had checked her ears and found no sign of infection. I was devastated and thought she would never recover and was considering euthanizing her. Fortunately I investigated and found very much info on line. I want to thank all of the contributors for sharing their experience with me. Today 3 weeks after initial episode Shana walked with me independently for 3 blocks. she responded well to rest small meals fluids and massage. I also gave her dog aspirin 1/4 a pill to relieve the muscle pain she must have been suffering with all of her efforts to balance herself. Thank you all and to those experiencing this problem don't give up. This dysfunction can resolve itself.
Great to hear a happy story, thank you for sharing!
My 6.5yr Boxer Tyler has displayed a lot of the symptoms described. I appreciate you are dealing with the early part of the illness and are making those comments here. Has anyone's dog fully recovered from this ? Can they fully recover from this ? Tyler is a little wobbly, still has his appetite and drinks well, can cock a leg and his bowel movement is normal and regular. He is sleeping/lying down more than he normally does, and he holds his head at an angle. From your comments it appears he is better than some dogs are experiencing. He has helped me through my divorce and I need him to be good and back to normal for a little while longer. What are the realistic prospects for dogs with this problem ? I appreciate everyone's pet will be in a different level of suffering and that you do not wish to alarm/worry or overly concern people but the full extent of the illness needs to be understood and it is difficult to find it !
Also from the varying responses it seems some vets are taking a variable response to the problem - hopefully NOT to take advantage of people financially but I have heard of this sort of behaviour !
Jas, at the clinic I worked for we saw plenty of dogs with this condition, many recovered nicely, especially when it was caused by an ear problem. The others that did not recover too well were those that had other underlying conditions that required treatment or that an exact cause could not be found (idiopathic)Did they prescribe meds such as meclizine (antivert) for the vertigo? did they find an underlying cause?
My basil (chiuahua) has this. Stumbling in the beginning...now..head tilt and can not walk. X-rays at vets say normal...I believe he has this . How long does this last? andyone know?
It can last days to weeks, but generally you should see improvement in 3-4 days, however, sometimes it does not improve at all and this depends on the dog's age and underlying cause.Did the vet prescribe anything?
ellen mazzara 2 years ago
Thank you for giving me the information. My dog has this and it really scared me. She is 14 and I am hopeful.