Vestibular syndrome in dogs
-
Vestibular syndrome is a fairly common condition which leads to a pet losing their balance and coordination
-
Often the cause of vestibular syndrome is not identified
-
Vestibular syndrome generally occurs in older dogs
-
The vestibular centre is in the ear and brain and controls balance and coordination, vestibular syndrome occurs when this is nor functioning normally
-
Vestibular syndrome can occur for an unknown reason in older dogs, be associated with disease of the inner ear or there may be an issue with the brain
-
Always contact your veterinarian immediately if you think your pet is displaying signs of vestibular syndrome
-
-
Symptoms
-
Nystagmus
-
Nystagmus is when a dog's eyes flicker to one side when the head is still
-
Vomiting
-
When the vestibular system in the ear and brain is not function normally it can make an animal feel extremely nauseous
-
Ataxia
-
Ataxia means an abnormal gait, it may look like your pet is drunk or very wobbly
-
Wide based stance
-
Head tilt
-
-
Treatment is dependant on what has caused the vestibular syndrome.
-
In older dogs the cause may be unknown (idiopathic) and treatment is generally symptomatic, the symptoms tend to improve in 24-72 hours.
-
If the cause is an inner ear infection, then this will need to be treated. Your pet will also require symptomatic treatment.
-
If symptoms are then not improving then further investigation may be indicated, such as advanced imaging.