What is Canine Vestibular Syndrome

For those who have asked about the use of aspirin:
Aspirin needs to be used with great caution in dogs. They metabolize it differently than we do and they are prone to the same stomach irritation many people experience when taking it. I would avoid using it as long as the dog is improving. While it is frustrating to go through the slow recovery that many dogs experience with canine vestibular syndrome, there really isn't much in terms of drug therapy (even the steroids and antibiotics have limited value) that seems to shorten the course of the syndrome. The most important thing to do is to make things as easy as possible for the animal in the recovery phase so they can rest and get some nutrition, both of which are important for them getting better.

So sorry to hear about your dog. With the history of ear infections her prognosis is not as good as for a dog with no such health history. Hopefully your presence and the tasty food will perk her up. If the dizziness gets under control she will feel better but that takes a bit of time. The antibiotics will help with the infection and the fluids will keep her from getting dehydrated from the vomiting. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

I just lost my 81/2 yr old English Setter, whom I loved dearly....to these same type of symtoms..Blood tests and xrays of this back end showed nothing. I first took him in for the lethargy and a twitching on his right side he was also having some slipping issues on the hardwood floors. first Vet did xrays and observed him for the day at the vet hospital. He didn't believe his twitch was neurological. Thought it may be a reaction to the pain he had on his back right side. Put him on anti-inflammatory and pain meds. The following week he still acted the same had a hard time getting up or didn't want to get up, would eat if i coaxed him to the bowl. Took these meds with cheese, but just wasn't himself. Exactly a week after the vet visit he decided he didn't want to eat at all. We even brought the food to him, didn't want to take his meds either. The next day after moaning all night, took him to a different vet, took blood to test for Lyme and other diseases, check the stool and observed him for a few hours. Nothing showed up on the blood work. He tried to walk and fell down had to be carried out on a blanket. Got home and he walked a little around the yard, but was a little lopsided. Still won't eat or drink, fed him baby food and water with eye droppers. Wet himself started vomiting , barked all night and stopped breathing early in the morning. We tried everything we could think of, we had an appt. for a scan that day, he didn't make it . I am so happy to read these articles about dogs being as bad as mine, but pull thru. Now I wonder if I didn't react fast enough or if I could have done anything different to save his life, because I sure would have. I miss him terribly.

Last summer my then 12 year old Chow Chow developed a bad ear infection and was successfully treated with drugs prescibed by the Vet. All was fine. This April Dakota suddenly became ill while walking a few steps, vomitting frothy foam and had trouble breathing and was gasping for air at this time was in distress and lost control of his bladder while walking. We went to the Vet. and they did an X-ray of his lungs and they thought he might have an alergy or chronic bronchitis. He was on allergy pills,then we tried apeo-theo and predisone. A few days later he got really sick and vomitted and was crying. After a few hours he settled down and we decided to take him off the medications and take one day at a time. He got better but this summer I noticed a head tilt. Last week I found him on his side crying with his eye moving rapidly from side to side, unable to get up on his back legs and he was shaking. We moved him to a more comfortable spot and he lost control of his bladder . I thought it was the end and called the Vet. but they were closed. By the time I found an emergency number Dakota was coming around. A 1/2 hour later things seemed to have passed and he looked better. He had another epsiode a few hours later. The next day he had another epsiode that was short and not so scary for him. A week passed and he has just had another short lived episode. I think he might have Canine Vestibular Syndrome.
He is eating well, his back legs are very week with arthritis. Any thoughts????

So sorry about your English setter. I grew up with the breed, our female setter literally helped raise the four of us kids! But not every dog recovers so please do not be hard on yourself. It is likely the outcome would not have changed.
As for the ChowChow, canine vestibular syndrome is a strong possibility. As I have emphasized before, good nursing care and support are the most important things for helping a dog through a vestibular syndrome episode. I would check in with your veterinarian to ensure that other health issues are not contributing to the problem. Best of luck!

My english spaniel/golden retriever mix of 18 years had "this" happen to her last december. One of the tragedies here is that to get a true diagnosis differentiating this from stroke, brain tumor, vestibular disorder is that you need to get an MRI. Has anyone else experienced this dilemna? They are over $2500 easily. Anyway as for my dog she got better within a week and we took her on a family vacation. Then it happened again in late July. She's never been the same since. Yes she can walk in the front yard, but has a significant tilt to the right, she also has lost weight, and has recurring bouts of urinary tract infections that we fight occasionally. So basically we have a soon to be 19 year old dog that we love to death, but who is basically. This memo doesn't even begin to do justice to how much time and effort we've put into caring for her (a couple thousand dollars, daily dog walkers when we are at work, countless pee and poop episodes, and a number of half days off from work in the early stages) since August. In any case, if it's any consolation, the vet "thinks" we have a neurological thing going on and not vestibular, but both he and his partner even say there is no way to know for sure without an MRI. Has anyone else had to deal with this? Has anyone gotten an MRI?...ah yes, 1 other irony is that she is slowly getting better, but just soooooo slowly. Nothing like the 1 week it took last year. Even the slightest progress is measured in weeks not days or hours like last time.

Hi all,
I just found this site, and after reading the success that many have had after treatment, I now have a glimmer of hope.:)
My 13 1/2 yr. old dog Buddy (a mixed breed), had an episode approx. two weeks ago. This is the very first time this had happened so I was very worried, as I had never seen a dog go through this before. Buddy has all the character symptoms of Vestibular Syndrome (loss of balance, eyes moving uncontrollably, head tilt to one side, vomiting etc.).
When his episode occurred, it was late in the evening on a weekend, so I didn't know what to do as I wouldn't be able to see a vet until Monday. After reading online that dogs were put on antibiotics I figured I'd try that as I happened to have some PenG penicillin on hand. After the second day on the PenG he appeared to be doing a bit better, he was starting to eat and was walking without falling over.
Since he was responding to the penicillin, I continued it for a week. By the end of the week he was pretty much back to being his active happy self. But now after 5 days being off the PenG he has had a relapse with all the same symptoms all over again.
I took Buddy in to the vet and after examining him the vet concluded that it could be Vestibular Syndrome, or possibly a brain tumor. He took Buddy's temperature rectally and found that the temp was a degree lower than normal. The vet prescribed 68MG Baytril Taste Tabs and Otibiotic brand ointment for his ears. Just so you know, my dog has a history of inner ear problems (since he was around 3).
Do you think that the Baytril tabs and ear drops will (might) be enough to treat the Vestibular syndrome? Or do you think Baytril along with Prednisone would be recommended? I asked the vet about Prednisone but he didn't comment on using it. Because if it will be beneficial in helping treat my dog, I will see about getting the vet to prescribe it.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.

Thank you "very" much for your reply. ;) I now feel a bit better knowing that not getting prednisone from my vet wasn't a negative thing.

I'm happy to report that my dog Buddy is showing some signs of improvement. His eyes are no longer jerking and his balance is starting to come back. He still has a pretty aggressive head tilt, still walking pretty slow and is a tad wobbly when he urinates. His appetite is coming back though,and he is now starting to eat some solids again.

I now feel so much better knowing that he seems to be on a road to recovery.

Thank you once again for your most helpful info. :)

Thank you so much for your informative article and message board.
Our dog suddenly developed all of the classic symptoms of this syndrome two weeks ago. The emergency vet diagnosed CVS, as well as an ear infection and high blood pressure, and prescribed an anti-nausea drug, blood pressure medication and antibiotics for the ear infection. During a follow-up visit with our regular vet, we learned that the symptoms might have been brought on by: 1.) the ear infection; 2.) idiopathic "old dog" CVS; 3.) stroke; or 4.) a brain tumor. The only way to diagnose a stroke or brain tumor is to do an MRI, but this requires general anesthesia and doesn’t change the course of treatment for the first three possibilities. Our vet’s advice was to wait a while and see if our dog improved before subjecting him to additional medication or tests. Improvement was slow but steady and our dog is now (almost) back to his old self.
It is absolutely heart-wrenching to watch a beloved pet suffer, knowing that you can’t do much more than keep him warm, fed and hydrated while you wait for improvement. If it is CVS, though, improvement will be steady and relapses are apparently (please God) uncommon.
Hope everyone else here has the same positive outcome that we did.

Thank you so much for your informative article and message board.
Our dog suddenly developed all of the classic symptoms of this syndrome two weeks ago. The emergency vet diagnosed CVS, as well as an ear infection and high blood pressure, and prescribed an anti-nausea drug, blood pressure medication and antibiotics for the ear infection. During a follow-up visit with our regular vet, we learned that the symptoms might have been brought on by: 1.) the ear infection; 2.) idiopathic "old dog" CVS; 3.) stroke; or 4.) a brain tumor. The only way to diagnose a stroke or brain tumor is to do an MRI, but this requires general anesthesia and doesn’t change the course of treatment for the first three possibilities. Our vet’s advice was to wait a while and see if our dog improved before subjecting him to additional medication or tests. Improvement was slow but steady and our dog is now (almost) back to his old self.
It is absolutely heart-wrenching to watch a beloved pet suffer, knowing that you can’t do much more than keep him warm, fed and hydrated while you wait for improvement. If it is CVS, though, improvement will be steady and relapses are apparently (please God) uncommon.
Hope everyone else here has the same positive outcome that we did.

Our 11 yr. old German Shepard suddenly was not able to stand. We took her to the vet who diagnosed the problem as "old dog vestibular syndrome". We are keeping her in the hospital for a few days to see if she improves. She is alert and seems fine, except for being disoriented. The vet said she is probably suffering from motion sickness due to the stroke. Hopefully we will get her back.

Restricting her area should help. That will prevent her tripping over things, falling down stairs and things like that. Sometimes holding the head steady when the dog is getting up helps control the dizziness that gets worse with movement. Hopefully by the time you can bring her home from the vet clinic supporting her with a towel under the body will be enough to help her walk.
Just letting her rest as much as possible will speed the recovery. And, yes, although 3 days is a common time frame, every canine vestibular syndrome case is individual. Recovery time will vary.
Good Luck!

My chi has had this for 2 months and is still on medication for this. I hve not heard of any dog having this for this long, is this normal?

It is fairly unusual to have Canine Vestibular Syndrome symptoms go on for more than a few days without improvement. If you are seeing regular but slow improvement that is ok. If you are not seeing improvement, it is time to consult with your veterinarian again

Three weeks ago my 10 year old rottweiler had an episode of vomiting with yellow frothy stuff, dizziness, head tilt, and unable to walk. She went to the vet and he thought she had a stroke. After some research my husband and I found out that she had vestibular syndrome. The vet agreed with us. After three days of being at the vet, we were able to bring her home. She is taking prednisone, one pill t.i.d After about a week of TLC she started to improve. We have also been taking her on short walks two times a day to help improve her gait.
She still wobbles sometimes and is uneasy on her feet.
This morning when I let her out to potty I think she took a tumble, because she is not putting any weight on her left front paw. I think her front left paw came out from under her. I also noticed that she was shvering a little bit after I had taken her outside this afternoon. She was shivering as if she were cold, her teeth were even chattering. She has never done this before. Is this part of the vestibular syndrome? Will she continue to have episodes of not being able to hold herself up?
Thank you for any advise.
Belinda

One of the problems with determining what symptoms are vestibular syndrome and what are not is that older dogs often have other degenerative issues-arthritis, hip or elbow dysplasia for example.
You also don't mention where you are-if the weather is cold where you are the shivering may be normal-older dogs will often be more sensitive to cold.
But since shivering can also be an indication of pain and you mention trouble with the left front paw it would be wise to check with your vet and ensure that the problem with the foot is not severe.
As for continuing balance problems, if you read through some of the other comments you will see that some dogs have chronic problems while others will have one episode and be fine. It is impossible to predict how an individual dog will react.

Dear Dr. smith
Our 14.5 year old Australian Shepard mix is having his second bout of CVS. Last Aug he started falling down and our vet in NH told us to keep him comfortable and help him eat with baby food. He had a full recovery over about a month and was his old self going on long walks even running up hill. A couple of weeks ago he started losing his balance again, panting a lot and vomiting. We took him to the vet in FL. and he did blood work and said he had very low blood sugar. He wants to do a lot of tests to rule out Addisons disease, or pancreas /insulin problems, etc. Do you have any idea about the low sugar and what to do? Also he is not able to defecate. What is best for constipation? Thank you, Susan

Our little papillion,Kiwi, had an episode yesterday. I walked into the room where my 12 yr old was reading at the table and behind her Kiwi was laying on her side, on the floor. (we have 3 other dogs) I joking said, did you knock the little dog out? When Kiwi did not instantly get up hearing my voice, I called her name. Nothing. She was stiff, her tongue was turning blue, with the edges being white. Her eyes were slowly going back and forth as if looking from me to my daughter. We rushed her to the vet. (which is 25 mins from us as we live in the middle of nowhere) She was like this for approx. 15 mins. when she lifted her head, 5 mins later she sat up and was breathing in hard, short bursts. We had to simply leave her with the receptionist at the clinic where we were told the doc would need to watch her. Several hours later we picked her up. They said she was fine the whole time she was there and that he thinks she had a seizure. Her affect was very flat all evening. The left side of her face seems droopy. Her left eye is watering alot. the tip of her tiny pink tongue is sticky out. She looks like she has a major head ache. I don't think she had a stroke, which is why I am researching. Please give feedback if you have any. Thanks alot. Kiwi is only 3 yrs old.

In Kiwi's case, Canine Vestibular Syndrome is less likely but can't be ruled out yet. An epileptic seizure is a strong possibility. Animals suffering from epilepsy will often have 'aura' periods before and after where they are not themselves or seem 'out of it'. Unfortunately, epilepsy and canine vestibular sydrome are both difficult to definitively diagnose. You will need to work closely with your vet, possibly keep a log of any episodes-when, how long, what happens-to help pin down the problem. On the positive side, some dogs have one seizure (or seizure like episode) once in their life and that's it. Let's hope that's Kiwi's case!

I adopted a beagle/coon hound mix from the pound several years ago. My best guess is she's around 9 yrs old, but could be a bit older. In August 2008, we had our first run-in with vestibular disease. She was perfectly fine in the evening, but the next morning she woke up with many of the symptoms discussed here... no coordination or balance, falling over, wasn't eating well, seemed very tired, etc. She had an accident in the house, but in hindsight I attribute that to fear and confusion from the other symptoms. Fortunately, there was no vomiting, little to no nystagmus, and only a slight head tilt. I took her to the vet and they suggested the wait-and-see approach rather than immediately pursuing costly tests. Her improvement was slow but noticable over the first 3 or 4 days. For the next couple of weeks after that, she continued to improve until the only remaining symptoms were tiring out more easily, occassional trouble navigating stairs, and periodic "knuckling" (where a front paw would kind of roll forward, making her stumble). By November, she was pretty much back to normal, except she didn't seem to have the energy for the super long walks we used to take.
Everything was fine until now, when the same thing happened again. She was fine Tues. night but had most of the prior symptoms Wed. morning. I took her to the vet again since the fact that this was happening a 2nd time scared me immensely! My vet is even more convinced she is suffering from vestibular disease. She suggested I give her dramamine to help with the dizziness and balance issues, and a lot of TLC. She is already starting to improve. I went from having to lift her up the stairs yesterday to her cautiously going up them alone today. Still no vomiting or nystagmus, and she is eating ok (elevated food/water seems to help). There seems to be a bit more head tilt this time and her balance is very bad. I'm hopeful she will make the same type of recovery as before.
Thanks to all who contribute to this site. This is a heart-wrenching experience, but seeing how others dealt with it and hearing that other dogs recovered is SO encouraging. Also knowing other dogs have had a recurrance like mine gives me hope. Long live our 4-legged best friends!!

Our vet diagnosed our 13yr. old german shepherd almost immediatly. She went to bed fine & the next morning seemed paralyzed. She lay completly splayed out unable to even lift her head. She tilted badly to one side, her eye & mouth drooped & she was drooling. When I frantically explained that I thought our dog had a stroke the vet seemed to know. Apparently the symptoms are the same. Because she is 80lbs. & was not able to help us help her at all she needed to be hospitalized for 4 days. She was give fluids intravenusly in addition to "bonine", which is like dramamine without the sleepiness. Her recovery was amazing, although it took a full 2 weeks for her to be somewhat normal & 3 more for her to be her old self again. Unfortunetly she is now experiencing her 2nd bout with this. At least we are not quite so afraid this time & it doesn't seem to be as severe. We are able to care for her at home. I purchased a hip harness for her & it greatly helps with her balance for walking & going to the bathroom. She will use the harness to walk while she wouldn't even budge when I tried to use the towel around her abdomen. The harness wraps around each of her back legs with a handle for the human. It's a bit like working a marionette when she's on her leash for a walk. The harness doen't replace the regular leash, it aids her ability to walk & balance. But she can walk & take care of business, so it's so worth it. We are hoping for a recovery from this latest bout.

Our little 12 year old Bichon Roxanne suddenly became lethargic, sad and did not want to eat or drink and only wanted to wander and walk around the house aimlessly - pacing back and forth and not really interacting with us at all. After a day or so she is now walking in circles along with the pacing and head tilt. The first couple of days if she laid down she would cry and moan like she was in pain. After 3 vet visits and a number of blood tests - ruling out kidney failure and other things our vet thinks it is canine vestibular syndrome. Her eyes do not appear to be moving but she stares vacantly into space. She needed intravenous fluid and our vet gave her an antibiotic shot along with pain and nauseaus/anti-anxiety shot. It seems like if we can confine her to her crate or hold her next to us on the couch she has finally started to relax without crying. She prefers walking in circles however. She has not had any vomiting. It has been about 7 days and while she appears a bit better - she is still circling and does not want food or water. Can she have vestibular syndrome and not be having all of the symptoms?

Yes dogs can have Canine Vestibular Syndrome and not exhibit all of the symptoms. While nystagmus (the eye movement) is common it is not always seen in vestibular syndrome. The fact that your bichon is making slow but steady progress would suggest that your vet is on the right track.

Our 14 1/2 yr old Bichon Frise had an episode on the morning of Jan 19/08. He was walking in circles, confused, head titlted to one side and falling over when he walked. His eyes were moving side to side, and he would roll over in our arms when we lifted him up to do the stairs. He had tremors and didn't eat or drink for four days. We had to feed him soft food from our hands, and bring him a bowl of water to encourage him to drink. We were devastated, and thought he was having a stroke. The vet diagnosed him with Geriatric Vestibular Disorder, however some young dogs get it as well. The vet said they did not know the cause, but placed him on prednisone. The vet , and everything I read on the internet alluded to the fact that most dogs recover from this on their own, even without the prednisone. Well, it has been just over two weeks now, and I wouldn't have believed it, but he is walking without falling, takes the stairs inside and out, although carefully, and is back to eating and drinking normally now. He still has some residual dizziness, and his head tilts to one side but he is pretty much back to his old self. He can jump up and down off the couch again, but has some difficulty coming down a long flight of stairs. He seems to have less energy for walks, but we take him out anyway, and he loves it. It is a miracle, but if you just wait it out, your dog will probably recover. We were so scared we would lose him,my husband and I cried. WE were not ready to say goodbye. We can now leave him alone in the house and not worry that he will fall down the stairs. Mt vet said that what function he doesn't have in 6 wks, he will never have. He seemed to start showing improvement 8-9 days after the episode. If he never gets any better than he is now, it is good, and he is living a comfortable and happy life. I sure hope this helps anyone whose dog has this disorder. Apparently it is quite common. Good luck!

I have a 1yr, 9 mnth old female Avant rednose pitbull. She had 7 puppies in August 2008 and had an infection that was corrected through a spay. In the midst of all that, she began to lose her sight and as of now she is totally blind or that is what it seems. She has spiratic behavior such as waking up as if she was living in a nightmare she was having. Retreating as if something was after her. She also twitches her mouth and nose alot as if something was stinging her in the face and mouth. Does anyone have any advice or clue as to what is going on with my "Reeses?"

My 13 y/o Princess Head (poodle), Melissa... when she walks down the steps, it's almose like she "leans" against the wall on her way down. I haven't noticed the eye irregularities, but she certainly does have balance issues and vomiting a few hours after she eats. I just noticed all of this yesturday and have an appt. w/ her Dr. tomorrow. Being anal as I am, I need to arm/brace myself with as much (sometimes too much) information. She is very uneasy on her feet and walks oddly, she also arches her back tremendously when she walks. There is only a slight head tilt. Again, no nystagmus or facial disorder. I (as much as it saddens me) can't really afford an MRI or CT scan. Are there any other diffinitive tests the Dr. could perform to resonably diagnose CVS -v- stroke?
Thank you so much!!
CJM

While the tests can rule out some possibilities, in the case of both Canine Vestibular Syndrome and stroke, the most important thing is that dogs often can recover to a great extent from either. So, while it is would be great to know the diagnosis, if your funds are limited your efforts should concentrate on making the dog as comfortable as possible, providing supportive care (nutrition and hydration, massage/acupressure and the like).

It has been so comforting to find this site. Last week my 14 year old springer spaniel out of the blue started to stumble around, fall, had the eye nystagmus and my first thought was a seizure. When it was apparent to me that he wasn't having a seizre my next thought was a stroke. Within 5 minutes the episode was over and he was acting totally normal. A quick search on the internet led us to believe it was Vestibular Syndrome, although he didn't experience any vomiting. I called my vet the next day and they told me that no it was likely a seizure which could be a reaction to an antibiotic he was one for an anal gland infection. I'm an RN so I was skeptical that this had been a seizure, but they are the animal specialists, they should know. Now a week later he has had more of these episodes although not quite as bad but at this time still has trouble with balance, falling down, head tilts to the right side and he's terrified to go down the 6 to 7 steps to get outside and has to be carried. And he won't take any food or water. I have a call in to my vet to explain the situation further, let them know that I think this is the problem he's experiencing, not seizures and get their take on it. It seems like I'll need to wait it out for a couple more weeks. Thanks for all the info.

I have an 8 year old Min. Pin. About 2 years ago she had this systom with stiffing of the legs eyes wide , loss of balance, It lasted abiout 10 minutes. Then she shook alot and layed down for 45 -60 minutes. Then she seemed normal again. This happen about every 4-5 months untill this month. She has had 4 of these episodes in the past 3 1/2 weeks. They only last 10-15 min. then she gets steady again. But now she is vomiting some too. We thought it was seizures but now that I have read all this on your site, I'm pretty sure it is Vestibular.
I can not afford all the tests the Vets here want to run and they do not seem to know what it is. I think because she is always fine when we take her in as I said they only last a short time but are getting more frequent. She eats fine acts fine . We have changed her diet but it has not seemed to have helped. I think it is in her ears , she does not scratch or wine when you rub them and she really does not have a head tilt. The articals I have read suggest a bacterial antiboitic and a sulfur drug. I do alot of my own treatments as I have horses and keep alot of meds on hand. My Vet for the dogs passed away this year and my horse Vet said to find out what I needed and he would get it for me. Can you help me with what the names of the drugs that i Need.

Hope in Waco, Tx

Thanks for the most comprehensive article on CVS on the web. My 15 year old Shepherd mix Jolly likely has vestibular syndrome. He collapsed on the street and couldn't walk. When we got home I noticed the rolling eyes and turning to the right. The vet thinks/hopes it's CVS and not a stroke. It's been 4 days. The nystagmus is gone. Yesterday he held up his head. But we've also had some setbacks: the first 30 hours, he ate fine. Then for 2 days he threw up everything. Today he won't eat, but he at least can keep water down.
I hate to see him suffering like this. He's alert, but miserable.
Does the above count as progress?

For Jolly, yes that is progress. The willingness to eat will vary with the level of nausea. Try adding some baby food or bouillon to the water to add some nutrition. While it is difficult to watch our pets struggle with canine vestibular syndrome, as long as they are making progress, it is worth it.
For the Min Pin- while I am not a vet, it does seem more like seizures than vestibular syndrome. Perhaps your horse vet can help with this. There are no specific antibiotics for vestibular syndrome, just supportive care.

Dear Dawn,

I have a 12 1/2 year old female Border Collie and she has all of the signs of vestibular disease, including the sudden onset, nausea, vomiting, nystagmus, and head tilted to the right. This started two weeks ago tomorrow and while her nystagmus has subsided and she is taking food and water by hand, her head tilt is still very bad. I am becoming concerned that this could be a brain tumor and not the self-correcting vestibular disease because she is still debilitated after two weeks. Is it abnormal or unheard of that she might still be suffering from vestibular disease and not correcting her head tilt after two weeks. The head tilt causes her to circle to the right and to bump into things. Most websites say that dogs show improvement after 3-5 days and are fully recovered within two or three weeks. She is being treated by a vet and has been taking prednezone (but, i would like to wean her off it as it seems to cause unpleasant side effects). Should I be getting more concerned or just give her more time to recover? Any advice you can offer will help. This has been an extremely traumatic few weeks.

Thanks, Tracy

Since you have seen improvement, canine vestibular syndrome is still a possibility. Remember that recovery from vestibular syndrome may take more than two weeks. The numbers given are averages. Some never completely recover from the head tilt but that does not seem to concern them (only us). Many who have a permanent head tilt lead pretty normal lives, although your dog's tendency to bump into things is a concern. If you are able to afford testing for possible brain tumor that would go a long way in determining what is going on in this case.
If you are unable to do the testing right now it might be worthwhile to wean her off the prednisolone and see how she does. That may give you some insight into whether her progress is linked to the anti-inflammatory drug or whether she is progressing on her own. That may also help you and your vet to plan a course of care.
Good luck!

My maltese is probably about 12 (she's a puppymill rescue and we're not really sure of her age), but about two weeks ago while she was in the yard I noticed her falling down, then I noticed drooling, and her eyes twitching from side to side. I rushed her to the vet and they did all the blood test and everything and think it was either Vestibular Syndrome or a Brain Tummor. The drooling stoppped slowed then stopped after a few hours the rapid eye movement went on for a couple of days but slowly got better. She wouldn't eat for about 5 days, then she started getting better and got to the point that she only had a small head tilt (that all took about a week and a half), then 3 days later the head tilt got much worse, though she was still eating and eating like she felt fine, then I noticed she was having trouble seeing out of one eye, but still acting like she was well. Also I was out of town for a few days before she had the seizure and my roommate said that one of the dogs had been throwing up, but she couldn't pinpoint which one (I have four). What do you think?

While Canine vestibular syndrome is certainly a possibility in this case, the seizures may be an indicator of something else. But it is not unusual for dogs to relapse (see some of the comments above), especially having the head tilt return.
It would be good to consult with your vet to get input on these changes.

My 13 year old Bichon Frise started with this last Friday. My vet suggested
one half of a Drammamine tablet in the am and a quarter of a Drammamine tablet in the pm. This has stopped the vomiting and he seems to be improving. He does still suffer from the side to side eye movement and his gait is still unsteady, he falls over when he tries to shake his head/body. He doesen't seem to want to up or down stairs either. He also was diagnosed with cancerous mass on his lung about a month ago. We've tried rice and boiled chicken with a little chicken broth and he can tolerate it in small portions. Some of the time the food drops out of his mouth and he doesn't seem to be able to chew. Anything more we can try? I'm just sick about this!

If your dog is having trouble chewing and swallowing (coordination may be slow to return even though the dramamine is helping with the nausea) try baby food or put his food in the blender to make a puree. Get a feeding syringe and squirt small amounts into his mouth, making sure he is swallowing and not taking the liquid into his lungs. It may also help to hold his head up slightly if he is unable to do so himself. It may take some time to recover from canine vestibular syndrome but supportive care goes a long way to shortening that time.

i have a 5yr old Shih Tzu and she is haveing problems the vet seems to be guessing as to whats wrong. first i noticed she was drowlling alot, the next day she was having trobles walking, seemed to be circling abit, now she is falling all over the place and noticed that her spine seems twisted and that right rear leg seem real weak and is turned under her. her left eye is buldging and sagging,the right seems fine. she can't use her tounge well, she eats strips of food out my hand and most of that ends up falling on the floor. the vet has said it could an ear infection, a stroke, brain lesions, neurological problems, he did no blood work or x-rays,

The symptoms you describe your lab as having might be associated with canine vestibular syndrome but given the variety of symptoms it is hard to rule other things out. As the neurological testing is out of the question for you, time will be the best help in figuring out what happened to your dog.I am not a vet but if it were my dog I would think about waiting until she has finished the medications (antibiotics and steriods)before starting a course with the chiropractor as it would be difficult to tell what helped her if you do everything at once. Once she is off medications, if the problem persists then a chiropractic (or other alternative medicine) evaluation might be of value.

My 14 yr Chow/Huskey mix had vestibular syndrome about a year ago and recovered the worst symptoms after a week 1/2. The vet told us it would not come back, and that she learned to compensate for the unsteadiness. Well she is worst now, the vet said she either had a stroke or the vestibular syndrome is back. Either way there was no treatment to suggest except TLC. Her head is almost sideways, she is falling over and so scared of the stairs. She was eating well the first day but was sick last night. The vet told us her heart was not strong. I guess my question is do dogs always recover with vestibular? I just a little scared this time that she won't get better this time. We are going to build her a ramp for the front door.

Unfortunately, canine vestibular syndrome can recur and sometimes dogs do not recover enough to lead a healthy life. If the relapse has just occurred I would suggest giving her some time to see how much progress she makes. Usually the most significant progress occurs within a few weeks. Give her the supportive care recommended by your vet and see how she is doing in a week or two.
Good Luck!

I have a 14.5 year old female sled dog who has gone "down hill" in the last 9 months. She has had lower energy and withdrawn from socializing with people and the other dogs. She is thin despite eating more than twice the food she would need when she was younger. She also has some fecal incontinence. We tried Anapryl for two weeks and it made her more energetic but she is spending a lot of time walking in a circle (always to her right). When she is standing or laying down sometimes she will just move her head back and forth from center to right as though she was still mentally going in a circle. She will stop circling if she has something to focus on, for example if someone enters the room. It is mostly what she does when her mind is idle. We stopped Anapryl and giving an antibiotic to clear up an infection in her mouth. Again she is more active but spends the energy walking in a circle. She eats great and rarely throws up and there are no urinary housebreaking issues. She is still very physically strong.

My vet suspects a brain tumor but with the mouth infection (which may have been for a long time) and the fact that she *can* stop the circling I am wondering if she has some sort of infection in her inner ear or brain. I get labrynthitis sometimes and my Dr gives me a small dose of diazepam and it helps a lot. I am wondering if that or a dose of steroid could give us a hint if the circling is being caused by some infection/inflammation. Is there any hope that this is not a brain tumor? What kind of treatments can we try to explore other explanations? She gets eye discharge (more in her right eye) and her face has gotten a little droopy.

Thanks so much.

Amy

In the case of your sled dog the concerning thing is that fact that she was going downhill, losing weight and had behavioral changes (withdrawing from contact, none of which is consistent with canine vestibular syndrome. Since infection is a possibility it would be worthwhile talking to your vet about a course of anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. Unfortunately your vet is right, given the symptoms you describe, to be concerned about a brain tumor. Let's hope that's not the case

Otis, our 5 year old cairn/lhasa mix just started with mild symptoms of vestibular disease yesterday. He only has a few of the symptoms: nystagmus, lethargy, loss of appetite. He is not showing any signs of head tilt, circling, he is able to walk, maneuver up and down stairs just fine etc... I have two thoughts: either this is a mild very mild case of peripheral vest. disease or are these signs indicative of the more serious central vest?
Thanks for any input you can provide!

Not every dog will have every symptom of canine vestibular syndrome. Because we don't know a lot about the etiology (cause) of vestibular syndrome it is hard to say that this is or isn't just a mild case. However, as a habitual optimist, I would lean toward mild case and just see what time brings. Chat with your vet and see what his/her thoughts are as well.

Our 14 year old sweet female black lab had a bout of vestibular syndrome in June which we initially feared was a stroke, arriving home to find her incontinent, drooling, trembling,nystagmus and unable to sit up. IV fluids and an antiemetic enable her to walk out of the vet's office 2 hours later. Just this morning we witnessed another attack, exactly as the first and once again after the same treatments she has recovered enough to get to her waterbowl and outside. I will give her subq fluids and meclizine the next couple of days, but it is amazing, the onset of crisis and rapid recovery (even after 32 years as an R.N.) I have witnessed in her with each episode.

I have a three year old pitbull that had a severe inner ear infection that caused her head to tilt and she showed other symptoms such as rapid eye movement, falling down, and loss of appetite. When I took her to the vet she said she thought it was an ear infection and put her on pretnesone and tribissen 960 for a week. The next day she got worse and couldnt stand or eat and drink at all. She would roll over constantly and whine. I hand fed her and gave her pedialite to hydrate her along with the medication and by the end of the week she was back to normal. About two weeks later I noticed her face drooping and she was walking in circles when she was outside. I called the vet and told her the infection was coming back and she put her on the tribissen for 3 more weeks. Its been 4 days now and the condition hasnt changed. Is the tribissen an appropriate antibiotic for this and should she be placed on a longer course than 3 weeks? Thanks for any information you can give me.

Your vet is the best person to determine the appropriate antibiotic for an ear infection.If you are concerned about the possibility of canine vestibular syndrome, you should have a talk with her. It is more unusual in younger dogs like yours. If there has been no response at two weeks into the antibiotics, then you again need to talk to your vet about whether a longer course of tribrissen or a change of antibiotics would be best for your dog.

My 14.5 year-old basset came down with this syndrome February 13. I had her to the vet the following morning. Like many others, I thought certain I was going to lose my old girl to a stroke. I was relieved to hear that it was likely this condition. After a terrifying first few days of spoon feeding canned food and forcing snow into her mouth, Lady began to return to normal. Walking was tentative at first, and then better. However, she seems to be recovering in fits and starts. During the second week or so, she seemed almost like an Alzheimer's patient in that she didn't really seem to recognize me, had to be led to her food and water, and had forgotten all of her daily rituals. Gradually, most of her personality has returned.

I am concerned, however, because she now seems to be having trouble with her legs, particularly her hind. She will not go down stairs or steps, she just freezes. At first I reckoned this to be anxiety. However, she will now climb up stairs to come looking for me if I am away too long; this seems to cause pain however, as she will usually cry for a good half-hour or more after doing this. I have seen no mention of these types of symptoms on here. Also, it has now been a little more than four weeks- is this too long? All of the symptoms until now have been pretty much spot-on with this diagnosis. Thank you for this great forum

The initial description does seem to be like canine vestibular syndrome but, as you noted, the hind limb weakness (or pain) is not typical of vestibular syndrome. One possibility is that her lack of activity during the recovery period has left her stiff and sore. Or that there was back or rear leg arthritis prior to the vestibular syndrome episode that has now worsened from the lack of movement.
Talk to your vet about this new development to see what can be done to make her feel better.

Hi, We have a 13 yr old terrier , he been diabetic for 2 yrs ,we give him insulin and is stabilized,so thats OK he also got blind , apox 6mths, but has found is way around the house, using the walls, and different feels of tiles /carpet, so thats OK and doing great
last week notice head tilt and symtoms of vistibular syndrome, hes eating great, and drinking water , we have to lift him outside to do his business, Vet has him
on medication and have seen improvement ,Hes in NO pain and normally doing great question does the swaying go away, and would he possible walk straight again ?

As you can see by some of the other comments, in many cases the balance problems do go away but it may take some time. Be sure your dog is eating and drinking ok and help him get around so he does not waste energy that he needs for recovery. Good Luck!

Our dogs ["the girls"] are both approaching 13 yrs old this summer. they are mixed breed aussi-shep mid-sized, approx 60-65#'s. Easter Sunday on our way back from a short hike (2+ miles, with elevation gain and hills) one of the dogs appeared to trip up herself as we completed the trail. It took her a moment or two to eventually stabilize herself. Since we were on a slight slope on natural terrain/trail, I thought she had simply lost her footing, since she was also looking up behind us at a few kids who were just above us on the trail. Yet, as we watched her, we started to think she maybe had a stoke, as she seemed a bit disoriented, stumbling some. It took her a few moments to regain her footing, and we could see it was one-sided, she was listing left. After approx. 1-2 minutes she was steady, appeared fine, and we were on our way home (another1/2 mile walk neighborhood). The rest of the day she seemed normal, eating, normal movements, etc. However, Monday morning when the dogs came to the kitchen to eat, she involuntarily peeded on the floor while standing at her dish. this was out of character and I felt that it had something to do with her episode on Sunday. During the day she appeared fine, walking stairs, etc. Then by Monday lat afternoon she went down the steps to the landing by the front door, she often likes to sit there and watch the world thru the glass. Yet she never sat and was moving in circles and again had involuntarily peeded on the floor. Ironically, I was just finishing a conversation with our vet as this was taking place. As it was very late afternoon I was not sure we could get her in to be seen. I hung up, and let her outside and watched her behavior - again she was disoriented, stumbling as she tried to walk. We took her in that evening, and they diagnosed her with Vestibular Syndrome. The vet ruled out middle ear infection, though this could cause the same condition/symptoms, the vet pointed out the tell-tail eye movement,they move like windshield wipers, and her head was clearly tilted to the left. Unfortunately, her condition degraded so much while we were there that when we we left she could no longer walk by herself, she literally would just fall over. With assistance from the vet tech, we carried her into the car, then I carried in from the car into our home and set up a space for her downstairs in our home. Good signs were that she is alert, coherent, and recognizes us. She wagged her tail when my husband came home that evening. By comparison, those are examples of behaviors and awareness that one would not necessarily see in behavior of an animal who suffered stoke.

It's important to know this is a sudden onset type condition, it's symptoms can worsen at alarming rates, and while prognosis is good, it's duration and recovery time vary from animal to animal, without any rationale. The best thing we can do for our pats under circumstances is be patinet, make them feel the love we always have for them, care for them best we can, and keep them in a smaller contained and "safe place" while recovering. In our case, as example, we took all potentially hazardous objects from the room and placed pillows where we could not move things. If/when she tried to get up she staggers and stumbles into things so we want to minimize any risk of physically injury she could cause to herself as best possible as she tries to regain use of legs and body.

We've also learned there is not really much they can do for Vestibular Syndrome, each dogs situation is handled slightly differently. In our case, the vet has suggested Benadryl daily to assist with any potential vomiting and dizziness (she had/has not vomited and actually has a good appetite through this). It can also cause drowsiness, which in this case can help calm her down. Pets under these circumstances are afraid, panicky, and need calming. The balance is effected by inner/middle ear, but in this case, it is neurologically driven symptoms, not driven by infection, but treatment is similar. As for prognosis, we were told that it could be a few days to a few weeks for her to overcome this episode, but no no really understand this syndrome and it effects dogs differently. Though prognosis is reasonably good, we won't know if she will fully come back or be left with balance/head-tilting issues (apparently very common, but permanent residue effects) until we wait it out with her.

Though she has a very good appetite, we cut back her food quantity to a 1/3 to1/2 of normal amount in morning, then add in few small treats afternoon and evening. She has not evacuated bowl yet, and one concern the vet had was not to allow her to become constipated. I am wondering if the Benadryl possibly causes this. I am giving her also, a dog multi-vit and 250mg of vit-c to encorage things to move as normally possible. My husband carries her to the lawn morning and night holding her up and encouraging her to go. She has peeded, and we clean up as we go with that. I keep a folded towel under her during day and change it out if/when she goes. She has not gotten up on her own in 2+ days now. I had considered baby diaper, but realize there may be move mess if things are loose than if she just goes on the towel and we clean up afterwards. Plus, she's the type of dog who would try to get a diaper off her body.

She is eating and drinking with our assistance of bringing her bowl to her face, I set it up higher using a folded towel to her left side, as she is better at getting tot he dish that way. And, today [Wednesday], we see her slightly beginning to lift her head up using her forepaws to do so. She tried to sit up to get a cookie/dog treat, so those are encouraging signs.

Through all of this we try to make her feel like it's business as usual, not to upset the daily routine any more than necessary under circumstances. Her sister (they girls are litter mates) has been right along her side, camping out with all of us downstairs. Of course they both are being pampered, and that's perfectly fine by us. We just want her to have every opportunity to bounce back from this. And we are on the take it one-day-at-a-time plan until we get there, with understanding she may not make full recovery. We know we have to deal with things as we go.

It is nice to read everyones stories as sometime you find things very useful/ helpful and good insight to the situation. Thanks to all of you who have posted.

A few days ago, my parents brought their 15 year old dog to the vet for her annual shots and also to check out a skin problem she's been having. The vet gave her some antibiotics for the skin problem and also a cortisone shot. He also cleaned her ears. When he was cleaning one of the ears, she yelped and he said the ear looked inflamed. He gave her some ear drops and also eye drops because her eyes had been watering. She was fine for a few hours when they got back but in the evening she suddenly fell over and was experiencing all of the symptoms in this article - darting eyes, vomiting, not eating or drinking, inability to stand or walk. They brought her back and the vet said it could be Vestibular syndrome or a brain tumor or a number of things. The next couple of days, my parents forced her to drink and hand-fed her chicken and she has gotten a lot better. She's eating and drinking on her own and can walk (although not straight). She still gets dizzy and stumbles. She also tries to shake her head a lot (like there's fluid in her ears?). They have stopped giving her both the ear drops and the eye drops in case one of those could have brought it on. Could it have been brought on or made worse by the drops or by the vet going in her ear with the q-tip? Also, she has not had a bowel movement since this first happened 3-4 days ago. Is that something to be concerned about?

It is hard to know what role the treatments your dog got might have had as we know so little about what causes canine vestibular syndrome. The fact that she is shaking her head may indicate that there is still inflammation or infection in that ear. Your parents should talk to their vet about putting her back on the ear drops (if she has another episode then the ear drops might be a problem) or trying a different ear drop to clear up the problem. She may not have had a bowel movement because she is not eating much and is less active but again have your parents talk to her vet about this.

My 8 year old springer spanial was diagnosed with vestiblur Syndrome last year. She continued to have her dizzy spells every now and again, however in November she had her first seizure. I took her to the vets after she had about 3 fits in one month. The vet suggested Epilepsi and she is now on medication. The problem is she is still very dizzy on every walk we have, although the fits have decreased. The research I have done suggests that vestibular syndrome only lasts a few weeks, however my dog has had symptoms for over a year. Thank you for any advice you can give.

In the case of your springer spaniel, it would seem that this is more than canine vestibular syndrome. Seizures are not considered a part of the syndrome. Epilepsy, as suggested by your vet seems much more likely. It often takes time for epilepsy medication to reach therapeutic levels. And doses often have to be adjusted or different types of medication tried before an epileptic dog is stabilized. You will need to work closely with your vet on this.

This past Tues morning...9 yr old Shih Tzu Andy ate breakfast...came downstairs to the family room. Jumped up onto the ottoman for a snooze and soon after started to whine. I picked him up and he seemed a bit limp so I put him down and he had no motor skills...just flopped over. I noticed his eyes darting from side to side and rushed him to the ER at the vet hospital within 5 minutes. Dr. gave Andy a shot of cortisone and valium...put him on IV and meds for stomach coating. Within 1 hr...Andy was sitting up in his cage watching all the goings on in the surgery where they keep all boderline animals for constant watching. Next morning our vet called to say Andy could come home. Andy is on clavamox for the next week. The vet said he was very shocked that Andy came around so quickly and his thought was that this episode was not an inner ear issue but more something on the outside? Once Andy is off the meds time will tell if he reverts. He is perfectly normal as tho the episode never happened. After reading all the comments by others I wonder why Andy is not and has not shown any other symptons as most all the other animals have. We are so frightened that something is going to happen to our Andy. Has anyone else out there had their pet respond so fast with no ill effects. It has been 4 days now and we are still very frightened.

I have a 12.5 yr old shepherd/pincher/hound mix. He's had the start of hip problems over the past year. Saturday, after taking a nap on the cool garage floor, he awoke when my husband came home, and he had trouble getting up; when he did, he stumbled around like he was very drunk, walking into things, had trouble keeping balance. He still took a treat, though, and we rushed him to the vet. He was a little better by the time we got him to the vet, and the vet pointed out the darting eyes; said it was most likely a small stroke, and possibly even a brain tumor. He gave him a steriod shot, and prescribed a round of Dexamethasone. It has been not quite 48 hours; he still has trouble walking - his eyes are still darting, and he is still eating small meals of softer food. He seems to still have vertigo, and outside of staggering out to do business, perfers to lay on the floor in the garage for hours . . . doesn't even want to come in the house. I found this website, and am cautiously hopeful that maybe it is the condition you describe herein. I see that some improvement is typically seen in 72 hours. Are there cases where it takes longer to improve, and should I try Prednisone if there is no improvement? We are very very worried about our friend, and any comments would be most appreciated. Thank you!!

For the shih tzu, its hard to say right now what happened. This is not typical of canine vestibular syndrome. I don't want to worry you but one other possibility would be a seizure-that does not necessarily mean epilepsy (where he would continue to have these episodes)-there are many dogs who have one episode such as you have described and never experience anything like it again. Another thing to check into is where he was just before it happened. Is there any possibility he could have gotten into something mildly toxic? Have a check around the house and yard just to be sure.
For the shepherd mix, yes in some cases it takes more than 72 hours to see real improvement but if it has been a week with none at all it is time to chat with your vet about other possible causes and potential treatments just to be sure you are doing everything you can for him. Remember too that when a dog is disoriented(vertigo/stumbling)he will be reluctant to move and possibly to eat so it is important to help him get up (if he is struggling) and to eat (soft foods may be easier to handle for example. Good luck

can this affect wiener dogs because my dog has the exact same symtoms

Canine vestibular syndrome affects all breeds (and mixed breeds) of dogs

Kristen,
It is not usual for canine vestibular syndrome to be so suddenly reversed. I would talk further with your vet about the possibility of epilepsy- seizures can take many forms so it is a possibility. And the sudden onset and recovery are more like epileptiform seizures than vestibular syndrome. Chat with your vet and good luck
Dawn

Our 14 year old Dobbie/Border Collie mix is having trouble standing up all of a sudden. She ate some food this morning and then got sick all over. She was wobbly in the hind quarters and drooling for about 2 hours. The drooling as since stopped but she still has the problem with her back legs and she looks drunk when she is up and walking, can't do the normal circle and plop down because she looks dizzy. She doesn't have and erratic eye movements or facial twitches. Could this be canine vestibular syndrome?

Hi...i have an 8 year old lab and she hasnt been well for quite a bit...she started almost 2 months ago with seizures that were caused from her eating some sort of poison. we started her on phenobarbital pills to stop seizures. that has worked but she still looked weak,head tilt but was eating and drinking and she looked to be getting better.from thursday she has looked worse now she cant walk seems to have lost feeling in all he left side, her eye is droopy, bites her lip hard and doesnt realise it i have to open her mouth and take it out. most worrying is that she doesnt eat or drink and she hasnt urinated for almost 2 days...what can i do to help her and what do you think she has? my vet said all we can do is wait and that she probabbly banged her head somewhere and caused bleeding in her brain.

Hello, my toy poodle Tiffany that is 14years old has been having difficulties and has brought this website to me...so thank you very much! About 4 days ago my dog woke up at 3am wed with constant vomitting for 1 1/2hrs. I just thought she had some sort of bug. She has been very healthy previously. Well...the vomitting continued but then the wobblyness and could not walk or stand up happened. I then rushed her to the ER at 5am. They stated that she could have CVS and or a tumor. The ER doctor gave her a antinausea shot. I had to transfer her to my regular vet at 8am. I left her at the vet for the day while I worked. I was ready to put her to sleep because of the heartache. I didn't want her suffering and didn't want to see her in this condition. A month previous I had to put my 12year old poodle to sleep due to Congestive heart failure. I treated her for a year then she started having kidney failure and after several hundreds of dollars later began to suffer. I had to put her down so that she would not suffer. Needless to say I am still heart broken from my other dog and now broke that I thought I could not go through this again. The doctor just said that we needed to be patient with this situation and see what happens. She has been getting sub q fluids and has had a antibiotic shot with antinausea shots given to her. I have actually started to see an improvement slightly. She can stand up now but doesn't move alot. I have kept her in a crate (which I hate...I feel like its jail for them and never have liked it) but was told that they really need that along with rest. I am really concerned now because my dog just started to drink a little water but will not eat at all!! The doctor has tryed to force feed her but she clamps her mouth shut and freaks out if anyone tries to mess with her mouth. I have heard of the babyfood trick and gave her chicken to eat but still no luck. I was not okay with her condition until I read your website and made me feel that there is hope with her. The only thing that I am concerned with is her not eating and don't know what to do at all??? Please help! I love this little girl so much! Thank you!! Tammy

My dog is about 13-14 yrs old, she had fallen down the stairs one night and I checked her out and everything seemed fine. About 3 days later she was starting to fall her back legs would just give out. I took her to the vet and he did some blood work and x-rays and the x-rays showed she had arthritis in both hips, her blood work was good that was on a Thursday by saturday my poor dog could not even stand and was shaking, I rushed her to the vet and the vet thought she might have vestibular disease and sent me home with ear medicine, antibotics and dramamine. She started doing better but when her antibotics were all done which was 5 days by the Saturday her head is tilted to the left side and she is back to fallen and leaning to the left. Her vet said maybe she needed to be longer on antibotics so we are on another round of medicine. I have read the comments people are leaving but I'm just wondering if anybody has had the same experience with a dog getting better and than seven days getting worse? My dog is eating and drinking but sleeps most of the time and is hard to get her up or less she hears me in the kitchen. It is very hard to see her like this I don't know if she is in pain or not, I have pain medicine I can give her but I don't want to drug her if she isn't in any pain. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have an 8 1/2 year old cocker spaniel female, Twinkie, that started out about a month ago with a head tilt. Since I have struggled with ear infections with her, my vet and I thought that's what the problem was. There was no nystagmus in the initial episode. We put her on a week long course of Baytril and pred. She seemed to steadily improve and the head tilt was very slight at worst. Then a week after the improvement, she got a worse head tilt, overnight, and within a day I noticed the nystagmus, with her pupils falling from upper left to lower right, diagonally. We put her back on pred, antibiotics and a baby aspirin, thinking possibly stroke or CVS, although she has never lost her appetite or vomited. It has been about 4 days since the second episode. She will not go down stairs, just stands at the top and has her head tilted all the way up and down, looking down, wagging her tail. We carry Twinkie down. She goes up stairs great, bounding up. When we carry her, she seems more disoriented and struggles for a couple of seconds when we first put her down to get her balance back. After that she trots away, fairly straight but with her head tilted. She seems happy, and like I said, never misses a meal or treat! Do you think this is CVS, stroke, or inner ear infection. Her ears are not red or painful and have no discharge or smell at this time. We are baffled and want to follow the best course of treatment for Twink.

Hi,

I need help with diagnosis please. My 11 yr old golden retriever had a pyo and was operated on 7 days ago. She recovered well from the op but last night when I cam ehome from work she could hardly stand on her left hind leg and her right eye had 'dropped" ( the eyelids) and this morning she even slightly walks funny on her front left foot. She is sitting and puffing a bit too occasionally like in a sort of distress. She ate and drank this morning ( from my hand) . Is this the vestibular syndrome or stroke. My vet has no idea!!! Also, what would be the treatment in either case if any.

I would appreciate a comment please, Thanks a lot ,


Silvana

I have an 8 1/2 year old cocker spaniel female, Twinkie, that started out about a month ago with a head tilt. Since I have struggled with ear infections with her, my vet and I thought that's what the problem was. There was no nystagmus in the initial episode. We put her on a week long course of Baytril and pred. She seemed to steadily improve and the head tilt was very slight at worst. Then a week after the improvement, she got a worse head tilt, overnight, and within a day I noticed the nystagmus, with her pupils falling from upper left to lower right, diagonally. We put her back on pred, antibiotics and a baby aspirin, thinking possibly stroke or CVS, although she has never lost her appetite or vomited. It has been about 4 days since the second episode. She will not go down stairs, just stands at the top and has her head tilted all the way up and down, looking down, wagging her tail. We carry Twinkie down. She goes up stairs great, bounding up. When we carry her, she seems more disoriented and struggles for a couple of seconds when we first put her down to get her balance back. After that she trots away, fairly straight but with her head tilted. She seems happy, and like I said, never misses a meal or treat! Do you think this is CVS, stroke, or inner ear infection. Her ears are not red or painful and have no discharge or smell at this time. We are baffled and want to follow the best course of treatment for Twink.

This is truly a helpful site. My 8 yr old heeler cross started acting wierd yesterday, this morning would not eat, disoriented, turned around & fell twice. Very healthy, ball-driven dog. Head tilt, dizzy,back legs out of synch. I went thru this once but with an 18 yr.old,which never got better. I will watch & post. Thanks to all.
Tony in Albq.

The symptoms described for the Dobie/Border collie could be vestibular syndrome but your vet should be consulted to rule out other possibilities.
The situation with the lab is different as there may have been permanent damage from the poisoning,there may be idiopathic epilepsy or there may have been a stroke.If there is no improvement in a few days talk to your vet again to see what else you might need to consider.
For Tiffany, the poodle,if she is drinking any fluids or if you can drip fluids into the corner of her mouth, try using clear soups-chicken or beef. If she takes that, then try adding a little of the baby food to it-keeping it mostly liquid. She may not want to eat because she is nauseous. You can also try holding her head steady while offering food to see if that helps.
For the 13 yr old dog who has had a slight relapse, yes it can happen. Give it a little more time to see if there is going to be a good recovery.
For Twinkie-do have the vet check her ears and give her a once over just to be sure it is not something else but it seems very like canine vestibular syndrome. She is probably reluctant to go downstairs because that requires more balance and she can hold her head up when she goes up stairs. Good Luck.

Hi - this is the owner of the Shepherd/Pinscher/Hound mix. You were so kind to quickly respond to my comment (4/27), and I thought it might be helpful to give an update on my dog. It has been a week and three days since he had his episode. I must say, the first three days things looked bleak - he was extremely lethargic; head-tilt; darting eyes; barely walking; would eat, but unenthusiastically. He seemed confused and frightened. By day 3 there was a glimmer of hope, and although it has been a slow process until today, he is much, much better. I discussed the possibility of peripheral vestibular syndrome with my vet, and although he did not rule it out, he still leans towards a stroke. While there is a slight head tilt, and he still sleeps more than he did, he has retrieved the paper twice now (his most favorite activity), is excited once again if my husband or I come home (there was no enthusiasm towards anything in the beginning), he is demanding treats between meals, and wagging his tail. His happy demeanor seems to be returning. I am thankful for this website that stressed time is something that should be exercised - the same advice given by my vet, who said in cases such as these he likes to take a ‘wait and watch’ approach, provided the dog is eating, and not in pain or extreme misery. We feel hopeful and are so very thankful to have our stinky old man working his way back into a creature that enjoys life and brings us constant laughter and companionship. Thanks again.

A week ago my 9-year old golden retriever mix seemed lethargic and was worse the next day. In the evening she stumbled and had a hard time getting up. Up to this point she has been in great shape with no arthritis issues. I took her to the vet that night and they took a blood test which came back normal other than her potassium was low. She did not improve over the next week, wasn't really excited about food which I had to hand feed to her. On Monday she had a seizure so I took her to the vet again. That night she had another seizure. They put per on prednisone to reduce inflamation. I picked her up Tuesday afternoon and between 10:50 pm and 2:45 pm the next day she had three seizures. She is now on phenobarbitol. I have spent alot of time reading and came across vestibular syndrome. My dog has the classic head tilt, she had a sudden loss of balance. She walks sideways at times. She also has some sagging on the left side of her face (eye is not normal). She has not had a siezure since starting phenobarbitol. I noticed alot of brown discharge in the ear which she tilts her head towards. Up to this point my vet never mentioned inner ear infections or Vestibular syndrome. She has only suggested bleeding in the brain or a tumor. A second blood test after the first seizure came back normal. She appears to be more alert and not as unsteady today, but how do I know if this is the result of the drugs or because she is recovering from vestibular syndrome? Any input would be helpful because the drugs have the unfortunate side affect of making them thirsty....therefore they drink and pee more. Thanks for the info

In the case of the golden-it may be time to consider visiting another vet for a second opinion. Whether or not it is related to what is happening, the discharge from the ears should have been noted and treated-inner ear infections can result in some of the symptoms you describe. You do not say whether the low potassium was addressed either. Since vestibular syndrome is often diagnosed by elimination-ensuring that no other possible cause is present, it would seem you need to get further help in knowing what is going on.

Dawn,
I have done a lot of on line research on Vestibular Disorder over the past 2 weeks. Our dog (13 yr old Chow\golden\ Sheltie mix) has been diagnosed with this problem. The signs are all there. We have ben giving him Rimadyl, tramadol and solixine (Kindney rx) for the pain. My question is this. I see there are some so caled "remedies" on line. Do any of these really work to treat this condition? Second, has anyone you know of tried acupuncture to treat this problem? We are considering it as an possible treatment if it has been shown to work? Please let me know.
thanks,
Alex W.
Roanoke,VA

I would be very wary of 'over the counter' or 'online' remedies as it is hard to know what is actually safe to use.
But as for acupuncture and other aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating vestibular syndrome- go for it. This is where TCM comes into its own. Western medicine can only treat the symptoms of canine vestibular syndrome but a good Chinese Medicine practitioner can work on the root of the problem based on the sign/symptom complex the individual dog shows.Find a practitioner that does herbs as well as acupunture-they should also address diet in their evaluation of your dog. Good luck!

My 15 yo Yorkie CIRCLES 24/7 (literally) and has been SINCE AUGUST 2008! Is it possible it could be Vestibular Disease if he's been circling for almost a year now? Plus I never noticed the eye nostigamus that Vets say to look for. I have taken Chewy to numberous Vets and Specialists in Missouri, Kansas and Florida and no one can come up with any answers. I have done extensive research online and read books, etc. and I'm assuming it's either Cognitive Disfunction or something to do with his inner ear....as he always circles to the left. If anyone shares this same situation with their baby...please post! I figure we have to be our own doctors these days and be proactive. I'll never give up on my Chewbud. Note: He seems completely content circling all day & all evening every day, he eats well and does his business on his walks each day...so he's almost normal (despite that he's fairly anti-social these days, but I attribute that to being 1) 15 yrs old; 2) blind and 3) deaf. Any comments would be much appreciated! ~Shelby

While canine vestibular syndrome is one possibility, inner ear (as you suggested), canine cognitive dysfunction or brain injury are all possibilities. What matters most in a case like this is that there are no health problems that could be solved-infection being the only likely one at this point. Once you have ensured that you have done everything medically possible then making his life as easy as possible, given his advanced years is what you should concentrate on. As he is blind and possibly senile, make his life as routine as possible so he has little to worry about.

Hi there. I have a 15 year old Boston Terrier who started pacing the house about 3 weeks ago. Then Tuesday 5/19/09 she started stumbling, falling down, walking in circles and tilting her head down and to the left. I took her to the vet because the first thing that came to mind was "stroke". Her vet looked her over and said that it could be a few different things, but he thought it was her vision. She is completely blind in her right eye and sees little out of her left eye. He also mentioned Vestibular Syndrome. She doesn't vomit and her eyes don't really move around erratically, but stay fixed and to the left when she is up walking. Also, she is compelled to walk around for hours until she gets too tired to stand anymore. My question is --> how long do the acute symptoms last? It's been almost 7 days. She seems strong in the morning, but by 3 PM she is full panic mode.

About the little Boston, The symptoms can last several weeks. You should see some improvement but it might be tiny increments.If she is getting agitated in the afternoon you might talk to your vet about something to calm her (Rescue Remedy has helped some dogs) as she needs to rest to recover. Not all dogs have all the symptoms so the lack of vomiting or nystagmus-eye movement does not rule canine vestibular syndrome out but stroke or other neurological problem are still possible. Continue to work closely with your vet until this is resolved.

Dawn: I wanted to give you a sincere thanks for your response regarding my 15 yo Yorkie "Chewy". We certainly appreciate your time. Bless you.

I have a 10 year old German Shepherd dx with epilepsy at 1 1/2 yr - has lived a quality life on phenobarb and pot. bromide but periodically has seizures-I came home tonight and noticed she could not stand up and thought it was the after math of a seizure but had a gut feeling this was different-I noticed a head tilt and wondered about a canine stroke.
I got ready to observe her overnite; comforted her, hand fed her soft foods and brushed her. I was amazed when she eventually stood up and walked, although unsteadily. Got her inside, where she eventally ate dry food on her own, and climbed up on her dog sofa. I got on the internet and right away saw the articles on old dog vestibular disease-there were several pictures of German Shepherds with the tilted head and she was a dead ringer for this....I am going to watch her over the next four days but I suspect she will improve. I know she has neuropathy in her hind legs and I've noticed she is really slowing down and feeling her age-yet she has quality of life-will play with her toys and be happy to see me when I get home and see her companion rat terrier. At this stage of her life I don't plan on running a bunch of tests or treatments on her-she does get her routine annual health check up with rabies, distemper, heartworm and blood levels, but due to her age and health issues I think more in terms of doggie hospice /comfort care than subjecting her to hospitalizations or more intrusive measures.......Thank you for all the helpful comments and responses.

I have a 10 year old German Shepherd dx with epilepsy at 1 1/2 yr - has lived a quality life on phenobarb and pot. bromide but periodically has seizures-I came home tonight and noticed she could not stand up and thought it was the after math of a seizure but had a gut feeling this was different-I noticed a head tilt and wondered about a canine stroke.
I got ready to observe her overnite; comforted her, hand fed her soft foods and brushed her. I was amazed when she eventually stood up and walked, although unsteadily. Got her inside, where she eventally ate dry food on her own, and climbed up on her dog sofa. I got on the internet and right away saw the articles on old dog vestibular disease-there were several pictures of German Shepherds with the tilted head and she was a dead ringer for this....I am going to watch her over the next four days but I suspect she will improve. I know she has neuropathy in her hind legs and I've noticed she is really slowing down and feeling her age-yet she has quality of life-will play with her toys and be happy to see me when I get home and see her companion rat terrier. At this stage of her life I don't plan on running a bunch of tests or treatments on her-she does get her routine annual health check up with rabies, distemper, heartworm and blood levels, but due to her age and health issues I think more in terms of doggie hospice /comfort care than subjecting her to hospitalizations or more intrusive measures.......Thank you for all the helpful comments and responses.

Dawn I wanted to thank you for being so kind in answering everyone's questions. I am the one who posted about my 15 year old Boston Terrier (5/25). We are coming to the conclusion that she has a tumor or something much more severe than Vestibular Syndrome. The vet gave her a steroid on Tuesday and we've seen no improvement. The one thing I was happy about was the fact that she is eating and drinking. Three days ago she started to lose control of her tongue. Now eating and drinking are very difficult. I don't think we can hold on to her much longer. Again, Thank you for your help. This webpage is a wealth of information.

Vivian

My 9 year old rottweiler was diagnosed yesterday by our local emergency vet. He has not had nystagmus and only vomited once since this began saturday night. My concern is he is progressively weaker each time I get him up to go outside (he has not had any accidents in the house) he is eating bland foods by hand only but will not go near anything that has any smell to it, our vet started him on cerenia today and he was able to eat a fair amount and actually seemed interested in food for the first time but we are on day 3 and so far he seems to be getting worse rather than showing signs of improvement, I was wondering if this is normal to see such a decline before the actual recovery begins?

It is unusual to have a decline in dogs after the initial vestibular syndrome occurrence but each animal is individual and can react differently. One thing to check for is whether he is actually weaker or just more dizzy/disoriented, making it difficult for him to get up an down because of balance problems. The reluctance to eat, aversion to smells would make this a likely situation.
It would make sense to discuss this with your vet as well to see if anti-nausea medication of some type would be a consideration in this case.

My 14.5 year old malmute/lab mix was perfectly fine last night. He was up and around and eating and then about an hour later, he had all the symptoms you have all shared. I panicked and of course nothing is open at 11pm. I called an emergency vet and they told me he had Vestibular Syndrome. I of course googled it and found these blogs both comforting and sad as well. I had never heard of this before. It amazed me that it is so common in older dogs. I stayed with him through the night. It broke my heart watching his eyes. They were making me sea sick. I can't imagine how he felt.
I took him into the vet this morning. All 90#'s of him. He was unable to stand so it was very hard getting him there. Surpisingly, the vet said his color looked normal and his ears looked good. She was going to send me home with nothing and told me it would pass in a few days and it would never come back. I kept all of your messages in the back of my mind because you all have experieneced this. I made the painful decision to put my poor dog down. I am typing this as I've just returned from the vet. His name was Trooper and let me tell you, he sure held up to his name. He's got bad hips and I live in a quad level so the stairs have been an issue for some time. He still marched up and down them w/ me spotting him of course, got on the waterbed at night and even tried humping my other dog fresh back from the dog park. All this w/ bad hips.
It was a painful decision but I just couldn't take him back home in that car again and watch him completely not himself. I stayed w/ him as he passed. I thank you all for your courage and your endless love for your "old friend" going through this. For me personally, I felt I was buying time. I know he's running around up in heaven now playing w/ his friends that passed before him. I am heartbroken and miss him dearly. This part of having animals is the hardest. Had I have known this was going to happen last night, I would have spent the day before differntly.
Give your dogs a little extra attention today for Trooper's sake. He was worth it!!!!
Take Care,
Trooper's Biggest Fan

I HAVE A 13 YEAR OLD MIX BREED DOG. TUES WHEN I CAME HOME I FOUND HERE VOMITING AND HER EYES FLICKING AND HER HEAD TILITNG TO ONE SIDE. SHE HAVE DIFFICLTY STAND UP. AT IT SEEM LIKE SHE CONFUSED. BEING A NURSE I THROUGHT SHE HAD A STOKE. I TIRED TO GET HER IN TO SEE OUR VET BUT SHE WAS OUT OF TOWN. NONE OF THE VETS IN THIS AREA WAS WILLING TO HELP ME. I BEEN OF WORK DUE TO A BLOOD CLOT IN MY LEG. EVERY ONE WANTED THE FULL PAYMENT UP FRONT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. AFTER READING ABOUT STROKES IN DOG AND THEN I READ YOUR ARTICLE. THEN I REALIZES THIS IS WHAT HAPPEN TO MY BABY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SHE IS GETTING SOME BETTER. HER EYES HAVE STOPED FLICKER, AND THE HEAD TILT IS ALMOST GONE. MEDICATED HER FOR NAUSEA AND NO VOMITTING TODAY. SHE NOT EATING MUCH AND DRINKING MUCH. BUT THEIR HOPE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

We have chihuahua who is about 5 years old and experiencing many of these symptoms, particularly the head tilt, spinning in circles( slow & quickly), Nystagmus:eyes moving side to side quickly, excessive consumption of water & frequent urination (clear in color). The only time he appears calm is when he is either eating or sleeping.
He first experienced this problem in January of 2008 & was taken to the vet, examined and given antibotics which seemed to have fixed the problem. A year later his symptoms returned, he was taken back to the vet, recieved the same treatment & antibotics but still facing these symptoms 5 months later.It was first diagnosed as an infection but immediately ruled out.The vet is unsure what's causing this or how to treat it & suggest we take him to a university vet center for a CAT scan to specifically identify whats wrong.
We have already spent thousands of dollars in pet care this year alone and are looking for less-costly alternatives as soon as possible. At this point we have no idea what else to do help & are looking for some sigh of relief because not only do we hate seeing him like this but caring for him & making sure he doesnt get injured takes a great deal of time that we just dont have on some days.

While canine vestibular syndrome is common in older dogs, it is more unusual in younger animals. Also the fact that the symptoms keep recurring suggests something other than vestibular syndrome. A full neurological exam would be the next logical step. One other thing to discuss with your vet is whether they think, given that antibiotics seemed to help the first time around, that a long course (a month or more) of antibiotics would be a sensible option. I hope you are able to find some answers and help for your dog.

Our dog has the head tilt and sideways walk....eyes are normal. Vet gave prednisone - no change. Gave her antibiotic - no change. She has had these symptoms for at least six months. She eats normal. Do we do anything else?

My 11 year old German Shepherd, who is like a son to me, fell over the other day. He was alert, but disoriented, but wouldn't sit up right away. When he did, it was in a weird position. He wouldn't take a treat, and Ringo never passes up a treat. The next day he peed without warning. He did that twice, but hasn't done it lately. He doesn't feel like eating much. He tires quickly. Doesn't want to go up or down stairs. Lays down with his "arm" tucked in a position that must be more comfortable.

I thought he may have had a stroke, but it sounds like Vestibular Syndrome is more likely. I don't want to take him to a vet who is going to tell me exactly what the net tells me to do. He's alert and doesn't look like there is any brain damage. He did have a bit of a shiver to him yesterday while laying down. I'm nursing him, making sure he has attention and affection, hand feeding him small portions of tasty foods, and trying to wait this out unless I see him take a turn for the worse, which I haven't seen yet.

Any advice?

My 15 1/2 yr old Silky Terrier, Pippi, awoke the other night for her 3 am bathroom break and when taken outside fell to her side and started to violently twitch. We thought it was a seizure as she had her first seizure 10 months ago. After the first seizure we brought her to the vet and they said for her age she was in great health, even with her old age ailment of blindness, and that seizures are common in older dogs. This episode was different because afterwards she was very disoriented and had lost her balance and couldn't walk. Her head tilts to the left and she has no appetite, except for the occasional treat. Water seems to be ok. Her eyes were moving side to side but that has gotten a little better. She sleeps alot. She occasionally attempts to walk and when doing so has difficulty and sometimes walks in a circle. I live 2,000 miles away and she lives with my parents. Bless their hearts for taking care of her and the difficulties that come along with it in old age. As noted earlier, she is completely blind in one eye and can barely see out of the other. Her hind legs often fail her even before this happened. I am flying home tomorrow to spend some time with her and we are taking her to the vet to get her checked out. With her age and other ailments, now this, it seems her quality of life is not great. This website and all of the people who have posted have given me a glimpse of hope when there wasn't any. But it has also made me realize that there comes a time when your old friend is tired and keeping them around may not be what is best for them. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. But I am happy that she lived a long happy life and that she chose to be with me. She will never be forgotten. My sympathies to Troopers biggest fan. And for those that are experiencing this I wish you strength and courage because it is never easy to see a family member struggle.

This site has given me hope. My dog has all the same symptoms. The only additional symptom is he can't urinate. The vet had to give him a treatment to empty his bladder and a very hardy antibiotic. But she insists he needs to eat today and urinate. We hand fed him chicken and rice and he drank allot of water, but still has not urinated. We are walking him with a towel holding him up waiting for him to urinate. The vet has us taking him back tomorrow but the urination seems to be a problem. Is this a part of the problem with this disease? Please give me hope.

The inability to pass urine would be an unusual symptom for canine vestibular syndrome but because the syndrome is not completely understood and because there can be neurological reasons for the inability to urinate, it is possible.
Hopefully with the treatment your vet has given this problem will resolve.

This site has been very helpful. My 15 year old Yellow Lab Mutt scared me to death this morning. I woke and he was stumbling around crazily and falling everywhere. He was totally disoriented and then started vomiting. This went on for hours and I stayed home from work as I thought he had a stroke and this would be his last day.

He has started improving. Better balance (although still looks "drunk"), not drooling anymore, etc. However, his eyes are still rapidly moving.

The one thing that really scares me is this is the most vocal dog I've ever seen. He constantly barks and wines; literally he wines all day. However, since the incident he hasn't made a sound at all. Not a bark, wine, whimper, nothing. Is a sudden silence associated with CVS.

The incident happened this morning and it is now 7pm the same day.

Thanks!

Much of what you describe for Mutt fits well with Canine vestibular syndrome. His silence may be part of the disorientation, especially as he still is suffering from nystagmus(eye-movement). It is likely his vocal activity will increase as he feels more 'with it'. If you have not yet had him checked by his veterinarian, it would be wise to do so, just to be sure you are doing everything possible to help Mutt recover.

Dawn, I have a 16 year old male lab/shepherd mix. In June of '08, we woke up to find that he had vomited in the middle of the night and he couldn't stand. He had the head tilt to the left, and had the eye ticks. The vet put him on prednisone and after a couple of weeks he returned to normal. We were told that he had a stroke. Last December, it happened again and again he was put on prednisone. A week after the 2nd 'stroke', he suddenly lost the use of his back legs and was completely immobile for two days. We purchased a dog 'wheelchair' to help him move. After two more days of trying to use the wheelchair, he began walking on his own but definitely favoring the hind right leg. His hind right leg also looks like it has severely lost some muscle. He returned to almost normal, just having some balance issues and cannot take the stairs on his own. Two days ago at bedtime, he started whipping his head from side to side and the eye twitches were up and down instead of left to right. This episode lasted for about twenty minutes before he was normal again. I took him to the vet who said that it was a seizure, and it was okay as long as he didn't have more than one a month or so. Well, he had two more of the same type of episodes that same night. We had a liver panel done and now the vet has prescribed phenolbarbitol. My dog is even more unsteady and gets up and lies down like he's stiff. Are seizures common for dogs with PVS? Is there any way to determine if my dog was having strokes as opposed to PVS. Thank you for your time. ~Lianne

Lianne- Seizures are not common in canine vestibular syndrome cases and it is often difficult to determine whether a dog has had vestibular syndrome or a stroke without extensive testing. The main thing that will matter as a dog owner is how well the dog recovers.
Some of what you describe the first time seems more like vestibular syndrome but the second episode seems more stroke-like, especially given the hindleg weakness. The last episodes you describe seem to be true seizures as your vet suggested. The phenobarb may be contributing to his unsteadiness or the previous stroke/vestibular sydrome episodes may have left him with some damage, reducing his balance. Talk to your vet about whether modifying the phenobarb dose might help. You may also want to consider acupressure or physical therapy to help with the stiffness. Good Luck

We have a 13 year old pug/cocker spaniel mix dog. His name is Frisco and I believe he has "Vestibular Syndrom." Last week, I took him to our vet because he was showing signs of back leg weakness. The vet took X-Rays of his hip and said for an older dog, his hips were in good condition. She gave him doggie glucosimine and ibuprofen for any joint pain since he was showing tenderness around his tail area. Although now, his symptoms have gotten worse! I noticed that his head was wobbling even when I took him to the vet, but now his entire body wobbles just when standing in place. So far he has not vomited, but he's so not interested in food. I did get him to eat a little this morning (about three bites of wet dog food), but he also had an accident (went poo-poo) by the back door as I think he was waiting for me but I didn't get to him quick enough. I called the vet again this morning and have an appointment on Monday morning. Does this sound like I'm on the right track as to what he has? All the things I'm reading about Vestibular Syndrome are almost exactly what he's displaying. Now, I can't even get him to come out of his crate. I know he feels safe in there, so I hate to make him come out and hurt himself. I do need to get him outside soon so he can go potty again. Can animals get worse before they get better with this disease? What are your thoughts? Thank you sooo much! Leslie :)

Leslie- In Frisco's case you might be looking at vestibular syndrome or canine stroke. Stroke cases more often get worse before they get better but sometimes vestibular cases get worse over a short period of time before recovery begins.
With plenty of supportive care many dogs do get better. Best of luck to you both!

My 9 year old springer has recently developed symptoms. We've been battling a very tough pseudomonas infection in her right ear. One month ago, our vet. dermatologist sedated her and did an ear flush. Since then, she's been on prednisone and 500 mg of Cipro once a day. Her ear is looking great, but 3 days ago I noticed a bit of clumsiness in her walking. Her front legs would slide out from under her while seated on our wooden deck and she would stumble here & there. Also, I noticed trembling in her rear legs when she stood to eat. The next day, she was showing some facial paralysis on the right side - her face is drooping and she's not able to blink her right eye. She is also tilting her head to the right. She hasn't had any vomiting that I'm aware of and she hasn't done any circling or had nystagmus. The specialist thinks CVS seems too coincidental, but admits that there is no bulging of the eardrum to suggest a middle ear infection . Any comments in this situation would be appreciated.

You might also want to talk to your vet about a possible stroke-the facial paralysis and lack of nystagmus or nausea/vomiting reduces the likelihood of canine vestibular syndrome but does not completely eliminate it. In either case the main treatment is supportive care.

My 14 yr old golden/wheaten mix has had several vistibular syndrome attacks. Some full blown where he can't get up and once when he was hospitalized because of dehydraiton. Others barely noticable. But they only last a couple of days the most. Now we are going on the seventh day of him not being able to stand. I hand fee him, clean him up like I would a baby (he soils where he's laying)He seems so sad. Recently he had a cancer diagnosis with only about 4-5 months left if the doctor is right.

It may be the cancer has as much to do with how your dog feels right now, depending on where the cancer is. Savor the time you have left with him and let him go when it is time.

A few days ago my dog went to go out side and fell and got up and the fell again I was out of town so I did not actually see it, my dog sitter did. then on monday I noticed that when she was panting that the right side of her face was drooping so I took her to the vet yesterday and they said she is not showing the signs of a stroke but that most of her sigs are of an ear infection but the vet said her ears look fine, and she is also off balance and she wont blink her right eye, they gave her an anti inflammatory and Antibiotics and did a blood test but I wont get the results until tomorrow but said they dont know whats wrong with her, and she is only 3 1/2 years old. do you think it could be the syndrome?

Canine vestibular syndrome is certainly a strong possibility in this case. Did your vet discuss inner or middle ear problems other than vestibular syndrome with you? If not you may want to talk to them further about these possibilities. Most importantly with vestibular syndrome you should see improvement over time. Good Luck.

My 15-year old Aussie mix developed nystagmus and balance problems suddenly, went on a long course of antibiotics which did not help, and continued to have poor balance, walk in circles, run into door frames, and seemed disoriented all the time. She walked outside in circles all night, her choice (we have a dog door). After nearly a year of this, she fell into a large hose container and died there during the night. I wish we'd had her euthanized before that happened since she did not respond to antibiotics, did not get better, probably had a brain lesion or a stroke. It was heartbreaking.

I am so sorry about your Aussie mix. It is often hard to decide to euthanize a much loved dog. But in cases where there is little or no improvement, the most important thing is to look at the quality of life. This will vary from animal to animal and the owner is really the best person to decide as they know the dog best. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It may help others make the right choice at the right time.

One week ago today, I came home from work and fed my healthy australian shepard/golden lab mix as usual and let him outside in the backyard. When I went to let him back in he was laying in the back of the yard between the fence and the garage and would not get up. On the first day he had drunken staggering and vomitted. He was very lethargic and could only lay down. He would drink water and vomit immediately. The next day he was keeping down water, refused any food. Could only get up to move if I helped him. Just laid there all the time. Had these symptoms for about 4 days. On the 5th day he began to eat somewhat, needed to hand feed him. Day 6 ate a little more. Still just wants to lay around most of the time, but will get up with prompting. Seems very depressed. He did not have the head tilt. I'm not sure if he had the eyes drifting from side to side at first, but his eyes did seem to have a glaze over them. He is much better than the first few days, but still needs to be hand fed and only lays around. Do you think this is vestibular syndrome? Thanks.

This could be vestibular syndrome (not every dog has every symptom) or canine stroke syndrome-a consultation with your vet may help determine which it is. In either case, continue with the supportive care (hand feed, help him get around, etc) and see if he continues to improve.

Thank you for replying to my question about my australian shepard/golden lab (posted at 8:17am on July 30). After visiting your site I am hopeful it is vestibular syndrome. Unfortunately, I'm reluctant to take him to the vet because I figure they would need to do blood work and xrays, etc. I cannot afford to have this done. Doc is 12 years old, but he's my baby and I love him dearly. All I could do was lay with him the first night because I thought he would be dead in the morning. When I called my vet, all they could say was bring him in for an emergency visit. What would the symptoms of a stroke be and what would be his outcome? Thanks so much for any answers you could give me.

Symptoms of canine stroke can be very similar to vestibular syndrome, which is why it may be worthwhile to bring him to your vet to have him checked over. Let your vet know that you can't afford lots of diagnostic tests and see what his impression of your dog's condition is. While he won't be able to give you a definitive answer without a workup he may have some idea based on just the initial exam. Good luck

I have an eight year old dauchsund that just developed the vestibular syndrome yesterday and on many websites it says that there is no known treatment for this disease yet our veternarian gave us a prescription for meclizine which is a motion sickness pill and i just want to make sure that this is ok for my dog? i would really apprieciate any advise you could give me about this problem.

Your vet gave your dachshund the meclizine for the secondary effects of the syndrome. Because the ear is affected the animals may be nauseous from the imbalance this causes. By taking the motion sickness medication he is more likely to eat and rest (the drug may make him a bit sleepy but rest is good for helping the body to recover). Many dogs are upset when they have vestibular syndrome because they don't understand what is happening-this may cause them to be restless and agitated. The meclizine helps with this as well.

We just took our dog of 16yrs to the vet. she is a siberian husky mixed with black lab. large in size, but not in weight, definetly a lean dog.
her syptoms in order of occurance:
got up to walk outside, excreted bow movement as she walke to the door
once left outside (did not bark to come in unusual for her)
found laying on patio, did not get up, caried inside
layedon the floor, panting, kinda sleeping like,
noticed she tried to get up and faceplanted, vomitted
vet believes she has this vestibular syndrome. but she is already 16, anything else i could be?

It could certainly be canine vestibular syndrome. At her age other possibilities include stroke and brain tumor among others. With both canine stroke and vestibular syndrome you should start to see some improvement over the next couple of days. If not, or if she gets worse then a more serious neurological problem may exist. Work closely with your vet on this one.

My 13 yr old dog was struck with CVS today. Reading all this and it seems "inner ear infection" is the main culprit for this ailment. What signs should dog owners be looking for. My "love muffin" vomit yesterday, I notice he was sneezing after sniffing around for a that perfect spot (but we still have cottonwood and alot of dust around)and a couple of days ago he acted as if he had something in his ear but nothing was found. His back end was a little wobbly yesterday, however he is arthritic throughout and he hadn't been to massage therapy for a month. If/can the inner ear infection be treated? If so, will this stop another attack?

Inner ear disturbance is commonly considered a trigger for vestibular syndrome. It does not have to be an infection. Speak with your vet about treatment/management of the inner ear but there may be other things triggering the problem.

I came home from work last night to take my 9 year old Pomeranian out for a walk. When I first walked in the door, he was very calm, which was unusual. As soon as we got outside, I noticed and he was leaning/stumbling to the left, as someone would that spun around in circles then tried to walk. After about a block, he actually started falling. I carried him home and he fell again trying to get onto his pillow bed. I took him to the emergency vet, but while waiting over two hours, he had to go pee and I realized that he was fine. I made the difficult decision to leave the emergency vet, as it's very expensive, and took him home. I've also brought him to work with me today. I plan on taking him to his regular vet tomorrow, but wanted to do some research. This vestibular syndrome sounds like it could be the culprit, but a few things make me unsure, such as his episode lasted only a few hours with no nystagmus, that I could see. He also didn't throw up and had a normal bowel movement in the middle of all of it. As soon as we got home from the vet last night, he ran to his food bowl and chowed down. I'm worried and it could be neurological and I should have left him at the emergency vet. Is it possible that it's still VS?

You are probably safe to take a wait and see approach to your Pomeranian's episode. While canine vestibular syndrome is a possibility, the other thing to be aware of is epilepsy. But if you have not had your dog in to the vets recently you may want to go ahead and get a general check up and discuss the situation as your vet will know the dog's history better and will be able to guide you in how to proceed.

MY girl is 14 years old with kidney disease and has also suffered from pancreatitis. A week ago I had to hospitalize her for the pancreatitis and two days later she had all the symptoms you have been describing. For the last two days I have been battling with myself to put her at peace but as you know it is such a tough decision to make. I brought her home to spend a few last nights with her but she seems to have an appetite again and no longer vomiting but still to weak to stand. Do you think vestibular is something she might have and she could get better or it is probably related to the other problems she has had? I just don't want to give up if there is any chance that she could get better. I'm heart broken and sick over the thought. Please any advice would be so appreciated!! I don't know what to do for my baby.

With kidney disease and pancreatitis to complicate things it is harder to say how your 14 yr old will do. The vomiting can come from any of the three problems and toxicity from kidney disease can cause all sorts of secondary symptoms.If you have been working with the same vet for most of your dog's life it would be worthwhile talking to them about the situation as they will have a better idea of the severity of each problem and any other issues that may affect your decision. This is always difficult. Good luck.

We have a 5 year old black lab. Last Thursday she came bounding into the house and within 5 minutes she was walking toward me like she was drunk. I immediately called the vet and took her in. She walked out to my truck, but laid down and refused to even try to get in. Thankfully the neighbor was home to lift her in. She stayed at the vet all day and came home in the evening. She couldn't walk at all. She went back in Friday and stayed all weekend. The vet thought it was vestibular disease, but she did not have the eye movements and she is young. She started walking Sunday for him and has improved since she came home. She's still a little wobbly and her head is still tilted, but can get up on the couch and make it down and up the 3 steps to get outside. Her mental state has remained unchanged, she's still the same sweet, needy, happy dog as before. She is currently taking antibiotics and a steroid since the vet is still unsure exactly what the cause is/was and wanted to cover all the bases. From what I've read, the mri is really the test to run to rule out other causes, but that is just to expensive. We saw no other signs of illness before this happened. From your experience, does this sound like vestibular disease, or could the drugs be masking another problem? We'd like to be able to exhale this breath we've been holding waiting for the other shoe to drop. Thank you.

My 14 yr old Shih Tzu was diagnosed with this in July. After three weeks his symptoms had not decreased, and a vet neurologist was fairly certain he had either a brain tumor or encephalitis -- unwilling to put him down without knowing for sure (I didn't want to put the poor guy through chemo, radiation, etc.) I did a (very expensive) MRI and Spinal Tap. Turns out there was nothing there - no tumor, etc. So the diagnosis was still Old Dog Vestibular -- the next day he stood up and started walking. Now, it's about three weeks since then and, while he's still able to walk and pee and poop without help most of the time it's very rocky. He goes out for regular walks but I have to keep a close eye because he topples regularly so I keep the harness ready to catch him. To make matters worse, he's mostly blind due to cataracts and pretty deaf. I'd do the cataract surgery but my vets are worried he might not wake up. He's still very disoriented much of the time. His barking is not nearly as bad as it was but he does wake up periodically barking. I love my little dog but I worry about what kind of life I'm buying for him with all of this. Does blindness make this condition worse? Is there some diagnostic information I should glean from such an atypically slow recovery - our vet said it could be months and yet everything I've read seems to indicate that this usually resolves is a few weeks. Is it worth risking the cataract surgery so at least the poor guy has some quality of life? Right now he's blind, deaf, and disoriented. I can't imaging what that must be like. I don't truly know if I have it in me to put him down, but at what point do you ask, "am I just doing this for me?" Any advice or experience would be really, really welcome. Thanks!!!

isFor the last month and a half, my two year old Lab has been dispalying some bizarre symptoms. My lab seems somehow "sedated" or "Drug" The symptoms seem to come and go away and would last for a day or a bit longer. such a Symptoms include circling (when circling he would bump into things and his head would always be down to the right side), digging holes and eating the soil, Excessive drooling,tail down, a little shaking of his body,depression and lack of energy (when he is not having an episode). I took him to the vet twice already and at first,the vet thought my lab had been poison. Vet run some blood test and the test came back all negative. Now, the vet has suggest an MRI and some other neurological analysis. Could this be Canine Vestibular Syndrome?

Chris-the blindness will definitely add to your dog's difficulty with balance. As for deciding about quality of life, you and your vet know best how much of his time is good and how much is suffering. It is never easy to let a dear friend go but if you are starting to question it is time to chat with your vet about what might be best for your dog.

for the lab-the soil eating and some of the other symptoms suggest it might be worth talking to your vet about the possibility of exposure to some type of poison or a type of epilepsy in addition to canine vestibular syndrome. I hope you are able to find some answers.

My 13 year Golden Retriever hadher first attack last January. She was in the animal hospital for three days with little improvement ( She was unable to stand on her own). I brought her home and was able to help her walk by looping a towel under her to help her stand. She would not eat any dry food and would eat soap food only out of the side of her mouth. Her head was severly tilted. Over the next few weeks she recovered slowlu but it was a month and a half before she was nearly totaly recovered. She still had the head tilt for several months. She has had two more attacks each being less severe and recovery was faster. So be patient and enjoy your pet for whatever time she has left.

Hi Dawn, I don't know if you're still active on the comments, but I'm kind of desperate. My 13-yr old German Shepherd mix has been tentatively diagnosed with CVS. She hasn't stood, much less walked, for over 8 days now. I've been hand-feeding her & administering fluids through an IV tube.
My concern is that she's STILL immobile after over a week. She's been urinating on her puppy pads, but it's hard to keep her clean & dry. When you say improvement usually occurs in 3 days, does that include mobility?? The nystagmus is gone & she hasn't vomited, but she still has the extreme head tilt & only wants to lie on her left side. Can you give me some insight? I don't want my baby to suffer indefinitely, but I don't want to act prematurely if there's hope.
I would greatly appreciate your advice.

Yes I'm still active, hoping to give some help and insight when I can. For your GSD what you want to see is steady improvement. If it has been some time since you last saw any improvement it might be time to chat with your vet-you and (s)he know better than I how your dog is doing and what else may be affecting her recovery. The extreme head tilt may make her hesitant to stand and walk.If there are other factors such as cauda equina or degenerative myelopathy involved they will also affect her recovery.
Another factor to consider is how she seems-if she is not constantly struggling against her situation it makes more sense to continue. And you do have to weigh your ability to continue to function as intensive care nurse.
Good Luck

Dawn, thank you so much for answering. We visited Rosey (Cocker Spaniel who's 6 1/2) today and she is much improved. She can walk but is still a little unsteady and she went outside to the bathroom. First time since Friday! We hope to get to bring her home sometime later this week. Your website has brought me much comfort; thanks for taking the time to maintain it and respond!

For those of you wondering what symptoms to look for regarding CVS, let me tell you.

Look for your dog being disoriented (for example, if he goes outside, see how long it takes for him to find his way back inside.

Look for chewing or eating food on one particular side of his mouth.

These are just some of the symptoms I noticed my 14 year old toy poodle doing earlier this year and I just thought he was old and had bad teeth.

Well, like many of your stories, my dog also was find one Sat night and the next morninng had CVS.

My dog never recovered and I had to have my vet euthanize him on Aug. 25, 2009.

I am very sad and miss him so much.

CVS is not something to take lightly. Trust me I know and now I am grieving :(

Hi, woke up at 3 am my 5 1/2 year old GSD was trying to stand and jump up onto my bed but couldn't, I jumped out of bed to see what had happend he was just lying there with his head tilted to one side sort of taking little licks of nothing (hard to describe) he also seemed confused like he was still half asleep. I thought he had fallen and maybe paralized himself, just sat down next to him and held his head and stroked him. After about 5 minutes he half sat up and seemed okay but a bit shakey, 5 more minutes and he managed to jump up onto the bed with me lifting his back legs. 5 more minutes and he was running down the stairs outside for his business. All seems fine now. was this a CVS attack?

Hello there
We have a husky farm with 81 huskies. One, of fairly unknown age, started to go off his food earlier this summer. We thought at first that he was just getting old and started to give him tastier snacks than the others. We then moved him from the farm to the sick dog area by the house since he seemed to be becoming disorientated and was circling a little in his chain. At the house, we put him in a cage with some yearlings, thinking that, if old age, they might stimulate him. However, over time, his circling has gotten progressively worse and I would say that he has been circling to the left a lot now, for at least a month. He gets hand-fed dog / cat food from tins twice a day and sometimes eats OK, sometimes not. We would take him inside like other sick dogs but he circles even more obsessively in the house since he isn't used to it. Our vet suggested that it was probably neurological and suggested we put him down. We decided to give him one more week and self prescibed some pain medication in case he was in pain. And then I found this sight. Is there anything more that you think I could try, medication wise?

for the GSD canine vestibular syndrome is certainly a possibility. It might also have been a stroke but either way a work up by your vet should be considered if this recurs.

for the husky you might discuss the possibility of using steroids for a few days to see if there is any improvement. If he has had a stroke there is not likely to be any change. If there is some other neurological disorder it might help.
Good Luck

After reading ALL these posts, I believe our 12 year old Australian Shepherd/Bordie Collie mix may have CVS. She started out being very disoriented on Sat. nite; by Sunday she had slight head tilt to the right and threw up twice. She could however walk with assistance outside to go to the bathroom. By Sun. nite, she was much worse. Definite back and forth eye movements; more significant head tilt and, while she could stand, she would not walk. I have been giving her small amounts of water with chicken broth and sliced cheese (her favorite) and she has kept that down. She eagerly eats and drinks, but I don't want her to get sick. My problem is that she is so heavy that my husband or I have to physically carry her outside (the towel thing freaked her out). Once we get her outside she will not use the bathroom. It has been over 24 hours since she urinated. I know she is traumatized from us carrying her out and being so disoriented. I have postponed taking her to the vet because it sounds like if it is CVS, then she should improve.....HELP?

Your Aussie mix might benefit from a visit to the vet to see if things like anti-nausea medications might help as 24 hours without voiding is not good for her. The medications may calm her a bit, reduce the disorientation. The herding breeds suffer particularly as they do not like to be unable to 'manage' their world. Good luck

Thank you for this informative site. I now have a lead that I can pass on to my vet. 2 months ago I rescued a boxer from county shelter. they sent her home with anitbiotics saying it was kennel cough..she was 'hot' so much so that I knew it had to be something more, turns out it's distemper. Well my 1st vet immediately started treating her with Clavamaxx and demamaxx but didn't sound to hopeful.. I did a lot of research and have felt devestated for many reasons I worried about my other dogs and the possibility of having to put the new girl down. long story short in doing more reaerch i came across a you tube video [I can't access it from work or I would give the link , but look up distemper + homeopathic remedies and + dr. palmwquist and it will come up] so I saw this wonderful man on Saturday and he is now treating daisy - I am very hopeful that she will recover and if not I am know she is getting the best care- he is compassionate , a great listener, , extremely thourough [I wish I could see him as my own doctor/for myself]] he is one of an elite few who practice western and homeopathic meds - anyhow on monday I notice daisy back legs were giving out and it was like she was walking on hardwood floors with long toe nails [like the movie happy feet] - I panic thinking it is neuological damage due to distemper and called the vet with this new update - they assured me that while distemper could be a connected to this latest thing , that a lot of people who have a dog with distemper automatically assume the worse with any new symptoms etc, I am going in to get the required blood test xrays muscle test tomorrow and am to keep watching documenting everything , go to the nearing emergency if the condition changes [ palmquist is 80 miles from me]- as I am reading all these post I am sure she has CVS -- the vet [palmquist is out of town] his collegue who is also very thourough gave me a lot of time on the phone and was able to calm me down -- told me to the importance of talking to my dog and telling her not to be afraid , that I care about her etc.- the way these vets at Centinela Animal Hospital communicated their love for animals and compassion really moved me. anyhow I googled distmper and wobbling dog and this site came up - thank goodness. Knowledge is a powerful thing. I know this isn't a distemper site but if any of you get a chance check out that video , I think anyone will be encouraged by the story. Thanks for listening donna in the mojave desert

My chow chow Grizzley, was diagnosed with canine vestibular syndrome on Friday Sept 11th. He was being treated with a double ear infection for the past 3 weeks, he also has hypo thyroid and take .5ml of solaxine every 12 hours. Grizzley is eating and drinking without any vomiting, my concern is he has not had a bowel movement since this happened. He wasn't eating for the first 2 days, then slowly started eating small quanities of tuna fish (2.5 oz). Now he is eating 2 - 3 10 oz containers of Beniful soft food. I called my vet and she was not concerned about the lack of bowel movement. She said that he needs more to go in to push out the small amounts he was consuming. I am worried about this. He is urinating fine. As of today, Thursday 17th, his drinking has gotten less but he is still drinking. Any advice would be appricated. Thank you

Your vet is right about the food-he should start to go soon. In the meantime if he is not showing any discomfort there is no need to worry. Make sure he keeps drinking as that will help ensure the stool is easy to pass. If you feel he is not drinking enough you can try giving him broth-chicken or beef-to tempt him to drink more. Good Luck

Dawn,
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question from August 25.
Just want to let you know that my 13-year old German Shepherd mix began walking after over 3 weeks of immobility from vestibular syndrome. Her prognosis seemed bleak; I had to hand-feed her, give IV fluids because she couldn't drink on her own, & she was unable to even stand for 3 weeks!

So for anyone out there in a similar situation, I want to let you know it MAY not be hopeless, even if your dog hasn't walked for a long while. I don't want to encourage naive optimism, but here's what I did & what I suggest...keep giving fluids (subcutaneously, if necessary), encourage walking by lifting from the tummy using a towel (only when the vertigo seems minimal), and try to stay sane despite feeling heartbroken.
Only you know how much you & your dog can handle, so the duration & probability of "recovery" is certainly case-by-case. I'm just terminally stubborn! & have a very lucky dog.

So she's back to her normal self, despite some "drunken" clumsiness. I hope she doesn't experience a relapse, but at least for now I have my girl back.
I wish everyone the best.

I have a 15 year old Aussie/Queensland heeler mix who came down with CVS on September 20th. She can't stand and her head is beyond tilted. She sleeps a lot during the day but not much at night. When she is awake, she is very restless. She rolls and flails her legs getting herself in to weird positions. I've been sleeping with her at night so I can calm her down. She is deaf, so I think the dark (plus the spinning) disorients her. She will drink water from a honey bear and she will eat small amounts of baby food. I'm also giving her antibiotics, anti-nausea meds, and benedryl.

My husband wants to put her down but I want to give her a chance to recover.

How long from the onset of the disease should I expect to see some improvement? I'm worried about her.

As you can see from other comments recovery can take several weeks. But if you are not seeing any progress after a week, the likelihood of improvement decreases. Good luck

Am reposting this comment as it came attached to a couple of others:
A message for this poster:
Guest : I have a 15 year old Aussie/Queensland heeler mix who came down with CVS on September 20th. She can't stand and her head is beyond tilted. She sleeps a lot during the day but not much at night. When she is awake, she is very restless. She rolls and flails her legs getting herself in to weird positions. I've been sleeping with her at night so I can calm her down. She is deaf, so I think the dark (plus the spinning) disorients her. She will drink water from a honey bear and she will eat small amounts of baby food. I'm also giving her antibiotics, anti-nausea meds, and benedryl.
My husband wants to put her down but I want to give her a chance to recover.
How long from the onset of the disease should I expect to see some improvement? I'm worried about her

I am the woman who lost her 14 year old toy poodle to Canine Vestibular back on August 25, 2009.
I don't want to sound harsh but the older the dog, the less likely they are to fully recover from Canine Vestibular.
I tried accupunture for my dog as well as steriods and he was just too old and too sick to make it.
It really sucks to have to make that decision to euthanize them, but in all honesty, I did my dog a favor by sending him to Rainbow Bridge.
I still miss my dog and it's been one heck of a lonely month but seriously think about giving your pet eternal peace in one month if you don't see any improvement.

Had to repost this as it came attached to several other comments but will add that massage or acupressure (see my article about canine acupressure) may help and it make take some time for her to start walking again as the balance sometimes recovers most slowly. Give it a bit more time before you make any decisions.
Good Morning Dawn:

My Bouvier, had this episode on Saturday, 9-26-09. She can't walk and her head is tilted. She has been at the Vet since Saturday. I plan to bring her home for recovery this Saturday. What can I be doing for her at home? Massages? I spoke to the Vet and he said she seems comfortable, relaxed and barks, but still can not walk. Is that a bad sign. I don't want to throw in the towel yet. Your website is the best, I don't feel so alone.

Hi Dawn,

I am the one with the Bouvier, she had an episode last Saturday 9/26. I thought she was dying so I took her to the Vet to be put down. The Vet told me it could be Vestibular syndrome and he has seen many dogs recover. Today I went to the Vet to take her home for recovery and the Vet said it does not look good. Zowie can not stand and he thinks it is due to problems with her spinal cord. Before the snydrome she couldn't stand for a long time. Her hind legs would start buckling (folding like GSheperd), then her stand would turn into a sit. Zowie is 13 3/4 years old. The vet said he is going to try her on predisone and if we see no results in 4 days ......well then chances are she will not recover. Do you think it is time. I love her so much, she is a big loving sweet girl who loved people and her pet therapy job. Therese

For Zowie- I think your vet has given you good advice=try the prednisone for a few days and see how she gets on at home.Spending time with her will help you make the right decision. You and your vet know Zowie better than I.
Good luck
(and by the way, make the best of these few days in case she doesn't improve)

Hi Dawn,
I am the one with Zowie,the Bouvier. You mentioned BTW make the best of these few days if she doesn't improve. The doctor does not think she should come home with me because she needs her rest. He does not think it is a good idea if I even visit her at the Vet because she will be very sad and agitated when I leave. So I have not had any contact with her since September 26. My heart aches. He does not think she would get her rest at home because it is only me, 2 indoor cats and Zowie's four year old dog friend. Thank you for listening.

For Zowie's mom-please have a long talk with your vet. You need to see your dog to know what is best for her. A short visit will tell you more than all the words in the world.

I so happy I found this site. My 12 y.o. Chow mix is going through much the same. She's also been hospitalized since last Friday nite when she started circling and trying to vomit. The vet thinks she has a brain tumor as everything else has mostly been ruled out. I cannot afford the ultimate diagnostic tool, MRI. It would also be a 2 hour car ride with a very sick dog. She's also been dx'd with pancreatitis so cannot get steroids. She is responding to that treatment but the neck tilt seems to be worsening. She cannot walk. She was able to stand at least the other day. She was supposed to have a spinal tap today or early tomorrow. I will talk to the vet about this possibility. He has not mentioned anything like this at all. He's an ortho surgeon though. I will also talk to our regular vet as he seems to have an open mind and will research. I've not seen her since Sunday and left her in good hands but sobbing uncontrollably. Her brother misses her as well and doesn't quite get it. Any advise / thoughts?

I have a nearly 15 year old corgi who had a CVS episode Thursday last week. He seemed to take a flying leap from the second bottom step on to the back patio embarking on our evening walk. He has cataracts, but still some sight and he is deaf. On landing, he fell/wobbled and was very disoriented on our walk. I was very worried. I gently led him home and when we got inside I noticed his eyes flickering/jerking just as described by so many here.

The next morning his eyes were still darting and when I carried him down to the back yard to toilet, he went around in circles (to the right). I thought he'd had a stroke. I took him straight to the Vet and he dx CVS and said to give him lots of TLC and make sure he can't harm himself if he wobbles or falls. At that stage he hadn't vomited and was eating well and drinking enough water.

He started to vomit 2 days later and the Vet put aside some Stemetil(anti-nausea) and Nandoral tablets for me to collect for him. He's been having 1 each of these morning and night wrapped in a little cheese (he loves cheese). He also has been having 1 dexamethosine morning and night...cut down to half morning and night yesterday and 1/4 morning and night today because the Vet thinks these might be causing him to be drinking a lot of water and needing to urinate every time he wakes up. The extra thirst seemed to start 2 days ago (day 6 after the episode).

He does not seem to have a "tilt" of the head but he turns his head to one side to eat. I have been giving him the suggested bland diet of rice and poached chicken which he loves (putting a little of the liquor in to keep it moist). He sleeps most of the time. He doesn't give his friendly hello when family members come home, but does "acknowledge" them. He looks down in the mouth...but he's still very much looking for food treats. Today is Day 9 after the episode. He is wobbly but not nearly as much. His eyes stopped the darting after Day 2 and my biggest worry now are his kidneys (with the thirst). I am keeping a watchful eye over him and making sure he's as comfortable as possible. I carry him up and down the steps..thank goodness he's only 13 kilos.

This site has been a wonderful resource. Although I can't bear the thought of life without him because he's been through so much with me over the past 15 years, I don't want his quality of life to be compromised and the comments here have helped me know that I won't let him hang on for my sake. God bless.

Hello to all!!
We just returned from the vet who stated my 16 year old eskie did indeed have old dog vestibular syndrome. It started yesterday with confusion/disorientation, walking in circles, eyes darting back and forth, etc. She vomited last night and had a bit of diarrhea. would not eat or drink. The vet gave her iv fluids, an anti-inflammatory injection, anti vomiting injection, plus nausea meds" Cerenia 60mg," to be started tomorrow.
she is resting now and she seems to be snapping out of this. Her tail is up and she started barking a bit. Although she still seems a bit dazed, I believe she's doing better.
Good luck to everyone out there!! God Bless

My dog has just been diagnosed with Vestibular Syndrome, unfortunately just over 7 months ago she was also diagnosed with lung cancer (metastasized from the lung) so she has a two-fold problem to deal with, she is an 11 year old Chihuahua. She eats very poorly & vomits every day, however, on her good days she still likes a little walk in the park & a chew on her chew toy, we have 4 other dogs too. Vestibular Syndrome is very alarming but I am worried that it will be just too much for her as she gets a little distressed when she can't get up, which makes her breathing more difficult due to the stress. I am trying to make what is left of her life as good as possible so any tips from anyone who has experienced this unpleasant condition would be great. Thank you.

We have a 15 year old poodle mix. About 3 weeks ago she became very sick, her eyes were going back and forth rapidly, she was vomitting over and over, falling over whenever she tried to stand or walk, and her head was tilted way out of character. Took her to the emergency clinic as it was after normal vet hours where little Mandy was diagnosed with vestibular disease. As sad as it was for us to watch our little puppy go thru this, her turnaround was amazing. After just one night at the vet clinic, she was almost back to her normal self by 7 the next morning. She was still weak, had to be coaxed to eat but got progressively better day by day. This same thing happened to her 3 years ago when we first thought it was a stroke. The first time this happened to her it took her nearly 5 days to get where she could walk. She's 15 now and is pretty thin, around 13 pounds ( she normally weighs around 17 lbs ) but the vet says being thinner at her age is a good thing. I can tell you the first time you see a pet you love get sick with vestibular disease it will break you heart.. very hard thing to watch and not really much you can do other than have the vet give her meds for the nausea and sedate her so she would lay still and quit trying to get up only to fall again. Thank goodness our little mandy is doing well now...

Roland

Dawn M. Smith
Our lab Rascal was playing in the backyard with are other lab Buddy and my neighbor said he sall them collide while running. I then noticed his left eye was all red and upwards in his head. I took him to the vet and they said he had a herniated disk but now just his left side is losing mobility. and it seems to be getting worse. The predisone prescribed was 20mg after the first day I gave it to him he had diareha and blood in it. I imeadiatly took him off it and went back to the vet. The vet said after all the blood work that she thought he had Granulomatous meningoencephalitis and said she has seen this before in other cases. She never metioned canine vestibular syndrome to me. His symptoms are a droopy left eye he has a hard time gaing mobility on his left side including his front leg and back leg. He is always shaken his head for some reason and sometimes his head trembles and he makes a purring noise like a cat. Today I noticed he seems to be improving alittle bit but I am still feeding him soft dog food because he seems to have trouble eating hard dog food. My wife said he had a hard time standing up this evning. What is going on with him is my vet right? should I consider puting him to sleep? he is only 6 years old. He doesnt bark anymore and is very latargic. He is just not the same dog he used to be. Will he get better over time?
Thanks, Jason

If you are unsure about your vet's diagnosis, it may be wise to get a second opinion before making any decisions.

Dawn M. Smith

I agree with a second opinion on my dog Rascal, I have an appointment for Monday next week. Today I noticed an improvement in him and I feel like he is getting better. What is your opinion on what I am looking at by the symptoms I described earlier about him. His head is no longer trembeling and he finally had a normal bowl movement, however he is still lathargic and no barking at all which is out of his norm, he also has a little balance issue but not as bad as it used to be.
Thanks, Jason

The fact that Rascal is improving is a good sign. It would require specialized testing to know whether it is canine vestibular syndrome, a stroke or something else. Good luck- let's hope the improvement continues

I have a 4 year old Peke-a-poo who has recently suffered the symptoms the website has described. Shes not an elderly dog and shes in very good health otherwise, so im very concerned when the vet told me just to monitor her behavior. she started out with the head tilt and shaking and twitching of her legs. now its to the point where she cant even jump off the couch without her limbs giving out or walk to the door without cramping up in her back legs. her head still shakes really bad. is there any advice?? i will do anything to help her out. thanks.

for the little pekeapoo -you may want to talk to your vet about canine epilepsy or spinal column problems but vestibular syndrome can happen in younger dogs as well.

Excellent site. Yesterday my 8 year old sheltie lost control of his legs, head tilted to right, had nystagmus and we went immediately to the vet. Within an hour he was much better. Today he's walking eating and barking at the mailman as though nothing happened. Blood work came back normal. Is it possible for the symptoms of Canine Vestibular Syndrome to clear up so quickly? Thank you.

I have a minature toy poodle who is 17 years old and was recently diagnosed with Canine Vestibular Syndrome 3 weeks ago. He also has abssess teeth which are going to require surgery. Farley responded well to the prednisone tablets and antibotics the vet perscribed. My problem is after he ran out the vet didn't give me anymore for him and farley relapsed. His head is tilted almost completely sideways, he is circling again and can't walk well.

Is it possible he might never be the same again or that he may need medication for the rest of his life?

It is unusual for Canine vestibular syndrome to resolve so quickly but it is possible. The other possibility to discuss with your vet would be epilepsy.
for the poodle there is the possibility that medication might be needed longer term. Talk to your vet about how to manage this situation.

Joy Lawrence Nov 2, 2009 HELP. My 9 yr old cairn suddenly started walking funny, and is favoring the left side of her face, ear and neck. There has been no head injury to my knowledge. I have already spent $600 at the vet for x-rays, ultrasound, bloodwork and checkup, and still don't know what is wrong. She is having most of the symtoms that you all mention only she is acting as if there is pain on that side of the face. Is that possible with vestibular syndrome? She ate or drank very little at first, but is doing better now, only she is very picky about what she eats wanting mostly table foods. At this point if she will eat it I have been giving it to her. Could someone please comment on this for me. Thanks

Dawn:
This site really helped us out with our dog Shiba, a 14 1/2 yr old lab mix. She came down with CVS on Sept 28th while we were traveling in So Lake Tahoe. The Vet there diagnosed it right on spot (REM and thrashing around if moved). We had a rough time of it for approx 3 weeks, Shiba couldn't move without severe convulsing. She wouldn't eat and we tried many of the suggestions on the site. I just want people to know there's hope and the 72 hrs recovery time may take longer than expected. But after 3 weeks she could stand w/assistance and now is walking w/assistance.
Here's what we found that was helpful: Time - just let your dog recover at their own pace..Imodium - for the diarrhea - Benadryl - for the nausea. Tums - for gas & some calcium.
We saw incremental changes in Shiba and never gave up.. Today is her 5 week after the CVS. We purchased a walkabout harness that slips around her hind legs and helps her get up & walk as she around 70lbs and all the inactivity has played havoc on her.
So there's hope, and this site really gave us inspiration as I must of re-read all the post 10x the past 3 weeks..
Don't give up, as we're in the process of getting our family member back.. (she even lost the head tilt!)
thanks again for this site!
jeff, liana & shiba

My 14 yr. old Springer had an episode yesterday a.m. Rushed her to the vet and dx was CVS. Has anyone had any dogs that started exhibiting incontinence? She seems to want more water than usual-I don't know if that is from the benadryl which the vet RX 3 x day for a week. She eats and drinks--no vomiting, thank goodness she is a lucky one to be able to eat and keep the food down. I keep her confined in the living room with a big stand alone pen--and take her out and she always does urinate, even when wetting on her diaper pad. Also, does anyone know if it is better to keep them up and walking around or just let them lay until they are ready to get up. She seems to sleep alot, but is aroused when her breakfast and dinner is being prepared. Should I take her on short walks--she has started the head tilt today to the left and doesn't seem to fall as much as she did yesterday--she snoots around outside. I've called and left messages for my vet, however, I thought maybe some help could be out there for me. After reading everyone else's situation, I realize all are different. I have 6 other animals and just lost two in the past few months. I want to do everything to make her comfortable and any tips for her would be greatly appreciated. I have started massaging her neck and shoulders too--just how long is a good time to do this every day? Thank you all and I wish everyone the best of luck too.
Deb (and Katie)

for the springer-check with your vet re secondary bladder infection given the incontinence and thirst. Massage is good-you can continue down the spine in addition to neck and shoulders. 10 minutes twice a day would be enough. Exercise should be limited at this point as rest seems to be important in the early stages. Short walks, if she doesn't get tired are ok

P. Wagner - update from original post 10/8: Unfortunately I did not receive a dx of CVS with my chow Brandi. She was dx'd with pancreatitis and what my vet thought was definitely a brain lesion as she did not exhibit most of the other symptoms of CVS. She was hospitalized for 1 week over which time she rapidly declined and also developed vasculitis and started to bleed out. We had to make the ultimate sacrifice for her own good and send her off to the Rainbow Bridge to wait for us.

I'm terribly sad as is her brother. I wish the best of luck and happiness to all of you who are having more time with your kids with fur. I know in my heart that I gave her the very best life but it doesn't make it any easier to get over. Again, all the best for you with good outcomes.

Our 8 year old Boston terrier suddenly began to have balance trouble. It came out of the blue. He began to walk like he was drunk and fell over a few times. He seems to have the greatest trouble when circling to get in his bed. He also is hardly eating. The vet gave him an exam and said the heart seemed fine,temp. ok, breathing ok, etc. He sent us home with no answers, but to watch him and call if there was no change. It has been close to 48 hours since the first occurance and there is not much improvement. (The dog seemed almost himself at the vet, even jumping and very little balace trouble) We came across this syndrome while reseaching and it sounds like our dog may be suffering from this. He is constantly drooling however and no one has meantioned this side effect. He normally does not drool. Can anyone tell us if drooling is common with this problem? We love Rambo very much and would appreciate any help on how to help him most. Thanks so much! DWC

Drooling can be related to nausea from the head tilt/dizziness, may also be one reason he isn't eating much.

Thank you Dawn, I had thought about the urinary infection, however, it just seems weird that it happened right after this episode. She isn't drinking as much (maybe because I decreased the dose of benadryl to 1 caplet (25 mg) two times a day) and if I keep taking her out every couple/few hours, she is okay during the day. When I get up, she has soiled her diaper.
I just wonder if I should continue the benadryl as she does not have the rapid eye movement any longer, is walking pretty good, does stumble when she shakes her head. She has made good improvement.
The vet is over 1 1/2 hrs away one way-- and my husband has called and left a message with him too, (in addition to my message) and we have yet to hear from him. I do have antibiotics on hand for UTI in the dogs and cats that I take in.....I've checked to be sure there is no blood in the urine visible to sight--as in the past I have had another dog that had blood when urinating and it was a UTI. I wonder if I should give her the antibiotic or wait a couple more days to see if she continues to improve with the incontinence.
The vet didn't even suggest a follow up--I probably will take her back in a couple of week as long as she doesn't go down hill, then I will take her back asap. When these dogs have CVD, do they ever get back to their "normal" self? I know the head tilt will always be there, but will she ever be able to jump up on the couch again or get up and down the stairs without assistance? Thank you so much, I cannot tell you how much you have helped me. Deb and Katie

Try slowly weaning her off the benadryl (go to once a day then if she is still improving stop giving it). I wouldn't start her on antibiotics without talking to her vet.
As for improvement, it varies from dog to dog-some recover nearly completely. Only time will tell. But her steady improvement is certainly a good sign.

Dawn, just re read your responses--and wondered, have you ever heard of a dog having incontinence issues with CVD? Has anyone else had this problem with a dog that had the incident of CVD or am I the first?
Thank you,
Deb (and Katie)

I have a 14-year old shepherd mix who weighs about 40 pounds. Very active and looks a lot younger than what she is. As with almost everyone else who has commented, Bella was acting perfectly normal. All of the sudden, she was stumbling, lost control of her bowels and her eyes started a horizontal twitch. The vet told me that it is possible that she had a stroke or has vestibular disease. I was able to take her home that night, but I had to have my brother carry her up the stairs for me (I live on the 2nd floor). She has her head tilted to the right. I hand feed her and she does eat. This all happened two days ago. Her symptoms haven't changed except that she cannot stand on her hind legs anymore. She doesn't give a warning when she has to urinate so she has urinated several times on her bed and on herself. I gave her a half a can of food yesterday and today she has eaten another half a can. She has not had another bowel movement. Should I be concerned or is this normal since she is eating so little.

Hi Dawn, I also thank you for your article. We have a Mini-Schnauzer that was a Puppy Mill Rescue at 10 yrs old when we rescued him 2 yrs ago. He had been horribly abused for years & is now mentally challenged. Which was one of the reasons we kept him from fostering - we just love our Quinnie so much! He was "fine" on Friday (11/27) afternoon, taking his nap as normal in his chair. But when we got him up to go outside before dinner, he couldn't walk, head tilt, circles and kept falling over to his left side. We immediately thought stroke & the crying began. The only "quality" of life Quinn has is he LOVES eating, can drink on his own, wander around our main level on his own, and can "run" in our yard. (He had never been out of a cage & had NO idea what grass was, so he can't really run, he kinda moves like a rocking horse. It is very sweet.) But with this stroke, we felt his quality of life was no longer worthy & were ready to let him go. Then, I found CVD on the internet & then your article & we have hope! We will be at our Vet's office at 7AM Mon, 11/30 & are hopeful we will have a few more years with our Quinnie. Goodness knows he deserves a few good years, being carried up&down stairs, fed, warm, safe and HUGELY LOVED to try & make up for the horror's he lived through. He had such bad plaque on his teeth & they had abscessed so badly he had a hole in the roof of his mouth that went up into his sinus' & had a massive ear infection.He also had a severe bladder infection & enlarged prostate. The rescue vet said he had to have been in unimaginable pain for a VERY long time. Thus, the mental/emotional impact. All his teeth were removed, the hole "fixed", prostate removed & neutered-along with massive antibiotics for several weeks to get rid of all the infections. He is good now, and we love him so much-and were devastated at the prospect of losing him too soon! Our other 3 Mini's take good care of him, too. So we are all so hopeful we will have him "back" with us after we see our vet tomorrow. Thank you so much for the information - and to all your guest's who've posted their stories. We now know it is not a given we'll overcome this, but we have HOPE! Thanks, Jean & Lee for our Quinnie!

Our 15 year old mixed breed just came down with symptoms Saturday morning. Thankfully the vet we took her too seemed knowledgable about Vestibular Syndrome so we had a probable almost positive diagnosis almost immediately. After reading the statements here, I am even more thankful as it seems it could be much worse. Dispite the fact that I am a Registered Nurse for people, it is still very hard to go thru this with our "best friend". She has improved some within the last 24 hours and since it would not as severe as some of the stories here I am hopeful she'll be around a bit longer.

No need to worry about the bowel movements just yet but stay in close contact with your vet as questions arise.

Hello, On Tuesday December 8th My family's golden retriever of 13.5 years old started falling over we were shocked because he was fine just earlier that day and we got him when he was a puppy and hes been in my life for as long as i can remember but were moving in a couple days due to foreclosure and the vet we called wont tell us anything without money, On the 9th i found that he wet his bed and struggled trying to get up through out the night when we first saw him fall the night before we got him in his bed and brought his water bucket to him, he drank quite a bit of water then proceeded to spit it up but now on the 9th we comforted him he didn't try getting up at all and we get him to sleep for about a hour and a half then he started changing positions a lot seemed to be unaware he was laying on his back legs then he started making loud crying noises with every breath he took which went on for about 20min he seemed to calm down and feel better when we petted him and comforted him we finally got him to sleep around 4PM on the 9th and his breathing got a little better but its very faint and he has a history of skin and ear infections from a past ear mite case this probably didn't help him much, He still hasn't woken up since yesterday at 4PM and it is cold we live in a spacey house that is hard to keep warm his legs are very cold regardless he has been under 2 blankets since he fell asleep he seems to be in some sort of coma and wont wake up he just sleeps there with his mouth open breathing its sad because were poor and can't afford to get him help from a vet especially since we have to move in a couple days which will take up any money we might have had i mean it costs 200$ just to put him down alone and we can't afford that we don't want him to die but it seems its the only path for him now as he sleeps if we move him with us not only is he sick the new place has 3 flights of stairs and hes a pretty heavy dog were running out of options and we don't what to do if hes still hanging in there when we have to move, at least for now he is at peace in his sleep and not in pain like it seemed earlier when he was crying its so hard because i can tell he wants to live but just doesn't have the strength to fight it off and now he has to slowly die because we can't afford to put him to rest and we don't want him to die but if he is going to we hope he does before we move so we can give him a proper burial we don't know what to do, please try to shed some light on these dark days. :'( (In my opinion i think they shouldn't charge you to put your best friend out of his pain and suffering he was such a awesome dog to.)

Check with your local animal shelter or humane organization. Some of them offer assistance for people like yourself who cannot afford veterinary bills.

Thanks for your advice but its sadly too late he passed away this morning December 10th at 6AM in his coma like sleep R.I.P. D.O.G. The best family dog you could have.

Glad we found this site. Our 13 yr old Golden was diagnosed with this, but we are being told to put him down by the vet. We don't want to let him go, of course. It's only been less than 48 hours since symptoms started and less than 16 hours since he started his course of meds. He stayed overnight in the hospital, but was unresponsive and also sedated, so they said we should think about just putting him down. Well, we brought him home and he chipped right up. He's eating bread out of our hands. He drank a bowl of water and kept it down. He still can't stand yet, but he keeps trying. He keeps his head up now for long periods of time, is wagging and seems to focus on me and my husband without the drunk look. He has the head cock every once in awhile, but his eye shifting seems less and less. I don't understand why they would not give it more time to see if he gets better. Seems like most of you on here are saying it takes a full 72 hours to a week or even more for them to recover. They did think is was more brain tumor related, but couldn't tell without MRI if that makes a difference. Which I guess it might, but I need some encouragement here. Any thoughts? Thank you

Do some dogs just never get rid of the head tilt? My dog had what we think was Vestribular Syndrome almost a year ago and the head tilt never went away, she still is a little wobbly and still seems to circle whenever she needs to change directions. She never had any of this issues before her episode. My vet is torn between VS and brain tumor. What do you think?

Some dogs who have had vestibular syndrome don't ever lose the head tilt. Brain tumor is still a possibility but if there has been no significant worsening of symptoms, it is less likely

very informative article just what i was hoping to hear and i will mention this to my vet when i take her tomorow.Her ears are not doing good,they were full of wax the other day and i cleaned them out.I put medicine in the one ear.I thought i poisoned her with flea spraying the house.Still this sounds like the diagnosis.

Hi Dawn - Our almost 8 y/o Golden came home from the groomers yesterday with a pronounced head tilt. I immediately thought stroke. I called the groomers and they said they also noticed the head tilt, but she was able to correct it when they talked to her so they dismissed it. She is having trouble walking, sort of side-stepped, but she has not fallen down and has been going down the stairs OK, not great, but OK. She is eating fine, and using the bathroom, but you can tell something is definitely off.

I brought her to the vet this morning and the Dr. thinks it is vestibular disease. She checked her ears and said that one side was fine and the other had some gunk in it, so she cleaned them out and checked for bacteria. There was a small amount so they sent her home with abx, and I was told to call back in a few days if the symptoms haven't improved.

The part that has me scared is she titlting her head to the right, but the bacteria was found in her left ear. The vet thought she would be tilting to the affected side. She also has rotational nystagmus. Can you have a mild form of vestibular disease? I am praying that it is not a brain tumor. She is a 3 year survivor of hemangiosarcoma, so she is already defying odds. We adopted her from a rescue at 9 months after being abused for the first few months of her life. She has had a tough road, and I am hoping it is vestibular disease...

Thank you in advance for any input.

The ear infection may be completely unrelated. If you see improvement over the next few weeks it is likely vestibular syndrome. A brain tumor usually results in worsening symptoms

Dawn:

Just a quick update on Shiba, our 14 1/2 collie mix who came down with CVS on Sept 28 this year.. She can now get up by herself, if we're not around, otherwise she looks at us for help..which of course we do.. she now can walk by herself and I would say she's about 95% back.. We are so blessed and just want to again thank you & this site for it's suggestions and just knowing there's hope.. So for all of you in this situation, there is hope and try to hang in there..

We have an 8 year old Pomeranian who came down with what the Vet is calling CVS on Christmas Eve. At first she was just having some issues with her right hind leg, and then her head began to turn to the right. We started her on anti-nausea meds and anti-biotics on Christmas night after a trip to the emergency vet. My concern is that she has more than what I would describe as a head 'tilt'. Her little head is turned so far to the right that her right eye is basically tucked right up against her body. She will only eat and drink via oral syringe and cannot sit or stand upright at all. When we pick her up or put her back in her crate she twists violently to find a position that works for her, but looks incredibly uncomfortable. Today we noticed her right eye is very bloodshot and is looking down to the right most of the time. I'm also concerned that she has not had a bowel movement in the past 2 days, but we haven't been able to give her a lot of food either as she spits it out after we've given her a bit. Has anyone experienced these symptoms? It breaks my heart to see her like this and my Fiancee is so stressed about it. Thank you for any help you can offer.

Our Lab was diagnosed with possible vestibular disease in August and made a full recovery. She was on steroids and antibiotics. She had a recurrance two months later and we did a short course of steroids. It wasn't as severe as the first attack where she couldn't walk for 3 days, she just had a drunken gait. Two weeks ago she had a bladder/urinary tract infection which was treated with antibotics. The night of Christmas she got a nosebleed. There was no sneezing and it only bled a little, it wasn't pouring out and no blood clots. Then the next day she had the drunken gait again, but she seems to be getting steadier today. With the second attack we thought it was a brain tumor, but the vet seemed to think it was too long in between attacks and non-steroid use. He thought the symptoms should have shown up sooner. Without the mri, they really don't know what is going on with her. Do you have any ideas? Could the vestibular disease recur? If it is a tumor, would the symptoms go away and come back? Or would they just keep getting worse? Thanks.

A big hello from The Netherlands!
I was absolutely thrilled to find this article and can't thank you enough Dawn, for clarifying the terror we've been going thru this past week.
Our (nearly) 2 year old Spanish Water Dog - no not the Obama one, they have a Portuguese Water Dog! We called her Hojita and she came to us at 9 wks. She developed an allergy as she was growing, markd by little red bumps on her tummy, armpits and ... left ear etc - all the marked places. Took her for allergy skin and bloodtest, results are 2-3 mites and a herb (all Dutch names that I can't translate jsut now). Will start desensitizing therapy in January.
Anyway, she was flapping her ears quite markedly the last 2 wks. I know to keep regular checks and how to clean with special gel from vet. Brought her to groomer last Saturday and the gunk was really thick and heavy. The groomer cleaned it out too. By Sunday she was tilting her head to the left, the bad ear side. Took her to our vet on Mon, ear was examined and abx was prescibed. By Wed evening she kep falling over. Back to vet for emergency examination, external ear cleaned up, vet cannot quite see the ear drum yet. Xmas eve she couldn't walk, eat or drink and had convulsion like ' attacks'. Xmas day another trip to vet, Cefaral abx was changed to heavier dose Baytril and Synulox together with anti inflammatory Carpodryl (all Dutch names!!) Nothing worked and Hojita had started shaking all over het body, not closing her eyes at all. She can't sleep and her head seemed to pull to right side (other side of bad ear). Shaking left front leg and nystagmus in left eye. We were frantic by now and I thought it was maybe an allergic reactions to abx !!?? Vet stuck with CVS diagnosis. No sleep for Hojita at all and we're helping her with all the attacks all during the night. Vet is great but has never sen such a hefty reaction what with the shaking all over the body etc!! Last night (Sat) he IV Prednisone and prescribed Diazepam rectally to let her get some rest. She's obviously affected but still keeps eyes open en shaking does NOT quite stop. But after another frantic night she got up this morning + wanted soem food and water. Her eyes are brighter too and she waggs her tail even more. Forgot to say all neurological tests were OK (almost) ruling out RMSA etc etc. So this has given us some hope but the shaking will NOT subside, even after another Pred IV today.
So, we're so happy with all your CVS info and all the repsonses. But we + the vet are worried about the shaking not subsiding. She still has those circling and curling up spasms too.
MY hubbie + I now understand we have to be patient and we take turns sitting with her, feeding her by hand etc. Any thoughts on the shaking and not sleeping/closing her eyes (for 3 days and nights now)??

Kindest regards from Leiden in Holland! Vera for Hojita

For the Pom, a return to the vet for a further workup is indicated- there might be other neurological issues.
For the Lab, CVS can and often does recur. Tumors often result in progressive worsening of problems, not intermittent episodes.
For the Spanish water dog, you might want to work with your vet on sedating her more heavily at night for a couple of days. The shaking is unusual for CVS so you might want to talk about reducing/stopping the various meds to see if she improves.

My mom's 12 year old mutt seems to be suffering from this syndrome--today she was vomiting, falling down, has nystagmus and head tilt and perhaps some facial nerve problems. After she rested and slept in one position for about 6 hours I tried to move her to get her to go out and empty her bladder and she wouldn't/couldn't stand up. The nystagmus continues, but she will not get up. I have given her water and no food. Will hope to see some improvement in the morning.

We are currently dealing with diagnosed Vestibular Disease in our nearly 13-year old Border Collie mix. Her onset was on the way in the door from a leisurely walk and presented with stumbling, head tilt and excessive drooling. We were able to get her to the vet within an hour of onset, for which we were grateful because we were just positive that she had had a stroke. So glad we were wrong!!
She has had steady improvement in the first 72 hours, just as the vet suggested would happen. She can now stand and walk fairly well, though turning corners still causes some loss of traction and coming uphill through our yard is a strain that will cause her to lie down ASAP when she gets in the door.
Our vet suggested giving her Bonine or its generic as opposed to Dramamine since it doesn't usually cause the same acute drowsiness and I think this was a really good call. It encourages the dog to rest and relax without conking her out, so she still can feel a part of the family activities and not feel sick. Also, the drooling stopped within 90 minutes of giving her the Bonine, so I know that it addressed the nausea quickly. She was able to eat plain rice with chopped up chicken within 3 hours of getting the Bonine and kept it down, so another testament to the quick action of this medicine.
We were advised to feed several small meals/day instead of her usual 2xday routine and this has worked well for the most part; I gave her too much at one feeding on the second day and this brought on the nausea again and she upchucked the whole business.
The general instruction to let her rest, feed her small amounts of simple food ( even if it requires cooking for her), and the use of Bonine have really helped our girl. She now walks independently around the house and no longer fears being by herself - to the point that we could leave her alone for 3 hours yesterday ( 5 days after initial onset) with no upset to her at all...she got in her favorite sleeping spot under the desk and snoozed the whole time we were gone.
Patience is the key, for sure, so just hang in there.

I have a 4 year old lab cross with a history of uncontrolled epilepsy. I just recently started her on Keppra and we are now 5 weeks seizure free. But 9 days ago I noticed right sided facial drooping. We have been to the vet, she said her inner ear has no signs of infection. She thinks it could be idiopathic or possible brain tumor. I am giving her antibiotics, to rule out possible inner ear infection.
About day 5 of facial drooping, I noticed her getting wobbly and falling, depth perception seems to be a problem. But I haven't noticed any worsening of symptoms.
I am debating on getting her an MRI of the brain, but it is the expense and not sure if there would be much change in the course of treatment.
If this is a brain tumor what would be the timeline to expect to see worsening symptoms?

It is hard to give a time line for a possible brain tumor but with Canine Vestibular Syndrome you will usually start to see some improvement within a couple of weeks, sometimes sooner.

very helpful, informative, thank you!

Just wanted to give an update on the Pom from my post on 12/27. We don't have the money to get a full neurological work-up (MRI, CT etc), so we have just been caring for her daily feeding her via syringe, and giving her the meds the vet gave us. Good news is that after some tough days she has been steadily improving on a daily basis. We were scared the first week after watching her condition worsen, as we had read that if you don't see improvements within the first 72hrs or so than you may not see them. She is now able to eat more solid foods right from our hand, drink water from her bowl, balance herself upright, and last night we found her standing and walking when we returned home. We hope she will continue to get better as she still has a very pronounced head tilt, although she can put it straight when she tries. We were wondering if this is still a neurological symptom or a muscular issue at this point, given that her neck has been cramped in the same spot for 2 weeks now. Do you think there would be any benefit to massage therapy or would we just be wasting our money? Thanks you so much, this site has been incredibly helpful. I hope this story give some hope to people that have dogs that don't look like they'll ever recover.

Great news on the Pom. As for massage, you could even do that yourselves and it makes sense. Start with gentle pressure just where her head meets her neck, evenly on both sides. She will let you know if it feels good. If you are using too much pressure she will pull away. If she likes it she will push into your fingers.
Good luck

Our 15 year old bull terrier/border collie cross (Magoo) had an episode of CVS a couple of nights ago. Was incredibly distressing. He had made a full recovery 12 hours later. We went to the vets about it anyway as conveniently he had an appt that day for his monthly pentosan injection. He is also on deramax (quarter tablet) daily. Both the pentosan deramax are to help with degenerative spinal conditions which effect his back legs. With these treatments he does not have any mobility problems other than what you might expect in an older dog.

Four years ago we had another dog (same cross breeds) (Hayley) who passed away, aged 13. At our first consultation with the specialist vet we were referred to because 'something was just not right', I also mentioned some behavioural changes she had been experiencing. He said that although they could be caused by a brain tumour, that that particular type of tumour was very rare, and most likely her behavioural changes were the result of old age. In the end, after 10 days of testing, an MRI found an inoperable brain stem tumour. The behavioural changes I had noticed were the primary symptom for this tumour.

Here's where I'm worried. Magoo is also displaying altered behavioural patterns. Our vet has advised that CVS can be caused by something in the brain putting pressure on a certain spot in the brain (layman's terms). I want Magoo to have an MRI. However an MRI is not indicated for his current 'physical' symptoms. The thing is that if my concerns in relation to Hayley's altered behaviour had been addressed earlier, there is a good chance the tumour would have been picked up earlier and although still inoperable, within the limits to have a good success rate with chemo. If Magoo (I know the odds!) has the same type of tumour, I figure the sooner we find out the sooner we can make a decision about chemo. If we don't go down the chemo road, at least we will know what to expect in the coming months.

In Australia a canine MRI costs upwards of AUD $7,000.00. I think that is why the vet (the one we saw was not our regular vet, as she is on holidays) was reluctant to refer us to the specialist clinic for Magoo to have an MRI. We're not concerned with the cost. Hayley and Magoo have been and are our children. What do I do? Am I being over the top????

This article and comments are very reassuring that my 14 year old lab mix can recover. She started showing symptoms early to mid December and it took a week or so to dx and start treating the nausea as vestibular disease. My problem is she has lost a lot of weight and I am running out of things to feed her. We do chicken, cheese, cottage cheese, rice, and canned dog beef stew which she liked for a day. She drinks well, is happy to be around us and doesn't act sick just confuse. We can see her ribs and spine. She acts hungry but doesn't always want what we have to offer. Any other food ideas?

My eight year old German Shepherd (who was full of life and perfectly fine two days ago) suffered stoke-like symptons yesterday. It was devastating. He is my child. The back half of his body would not work, he could not stand. He could not see and had no idea who I was. As I lay crying on my vet's office floor with my "son" I debated all of my options. All I knew was that I could not let him live "this way". I told my vet to do whatever he could do to try and help him and make him better. I didn't care how much it cost. They said they wanted to treat him with steroids for the night and would call me periodically and let ime know his status. They said if there were no changes we could discuss other "options" in the morning. After returning home, I jumped on the internet to search for anything that might give me a little hope. The articles I read on this site gave me hope. Today, I walked into my vets office and everyone there had a smile on their faces! He was better!!! Yes, he still has problems, but he is better. He has trouble walking and eating, but he's trying. His sight has also come back. I know it will take time, but I'm so happy that I didn't do anything rash, especially after reading your articles. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

This helped me with what I went throuth this week. It is very scarey. Yet, my dog has vasitely improved. It is reassuraging to find out more.

Hi Dawn... our 13 year old female Border Collie suddenly started having stroke-like symptoms.... thanks to you and this forum I now believe it is CVS. Thank you and all the contributors for the info.

Scarlett my 13 year old GSD could not get up on Monday evening around 10.30ishpm, she was wobbling and shaking! We rang the emergency vet and they told me to give her metecam; which we did with chicken. Around 1.30am she woke up being sick about 3 times and was shaking and her eyes were twitching uncontrollably and her head tilting to one side! We rushed her to the vets and they told us she has most probably had a stroke and her chances were poor! We had the option of having her put to sleep there and then or sending to a Vet Specialist for an MRI, we opted for the latter. She stayed at our local vets overnight and they made a referral the next morning to the Vet Specialist. We drove to Hertfordshire (hour and a half drive) the next morning. The specialist confirmed after tests that she has Vestibular Syndrome; they did mention that they would like her to return to double check xrays for her chest! Also they done a spinal tap, we have not got the result yet but if it was meningitis she would not be getting better, which is. She is sitting up and moving her head. She will stay at the vets until she is able to walk. Which I hope won’t be longer than a week. This is great site and has told me a great deal about VS. Can you give any advice what will happen next when I get her home? Will her head tilt get better; will her walking return and how long will this take!
I’m worried as when I’m at work my elderly mother ((76 and is being treated for Cancer) looks after my two dogs while I’m at work! Any advice would be so appreciated.
Jan, Scarlett & Marley x

The safest thing to do with your GSD is to confine her to a small area with bedding on the floor and little or no furniture while you are away. Then your mother will just have to let her out to toilet.

my puppy is only 3 months old, he can stand but barley walk, almost like he is drunk. He had 4 episodes of drunk puppy like, vomiting, drooling, stiffness and head tilting to the side. It only usually lasted about 30 minutes and he would go back to cute playful happy puppy. Then a couple days ago he did it again but this time the vomiting and drooling lasted 3 hours. Its been 3 days and he stilll acts like a drunk puppy but he is really happy and acting normal.....i dont know what to do and vet is giving me the only option to put him to sleep. please help me

Same thing happen to my 13 yr old English lab. We woke from a night full of playing and rubbing her head and ears with her wobbling across the yard in complete confusion. What heart ache! Yes, we at first thought it was a stroke and took her to the vet and was told for the fist time of Vestibular Neuritis.
We always take her to the lake and thinking it was due to water in the ears but the vet assured that it was not the cause, but an upper inner ear infection that would be labeled as such. We took her home and seemed to have gotten better just with in hours but I still noticed the eye twitching to this day. As the twitching occurs she then almost falls forward but catches herself as almost coming out of it. And if lying down and her name called she does just as such, comes out of it. (If that makes sense) I really don’t know what that means but she has always had a great life and its killing me to see her go through this. Other than that she’s happy as she has always been except for less energy. Good luck to all and always love your pets! They are the one thing in life that will always be there for you during good and bad!
Complete Sadie Bell lover!

Our dog Hannah started with a head tilt and stumbling around the end of November. She was brought to the vet and given antibiotics and predisone. The ear drum was in tact and no sign of infection. Toward the end of December her head tilt improved but she was still stumbling and falling down. She also started bowing and Yelping in pain. She is still bowing down and yelping and stumbling around. Today she was diagnosed with vestibular syndrome. I am just wondering if these sound like vestibular symptoms. I was reading some of the other posts and it seems like the other dogs recovered more quickly.

I just sent a message about our dog Hannah I forgot to tell you that she is only 2 years old

my 9 yr old yorkie had shown sign of vestibular. took her to vet and diagnosed she has had 2 rounds of antibiotics and 21 days of steroids. the improvement has been very very slow. her right side has been mostly affected still not walking or standing and her right eye seems to be bulging my concern is how long can this last its been 1 month and 3 days

CVS is not a death sentence, but if your dog in not going to regain use of all four legs, it is not fair to keep him/her alive. My 14 year old Bouvier never gained use of her legs, she could not walk, and I had her put to sleep. It was hard, but she had no quality of life.

Hi my dog had what the vet called a stoke, she has not had a CT scan, but her head is tilted/turned she was very sick and had trouble standing. She is however much steadier on her feet now but her head is still tilted, she can't jump up as she did, and is very tired, she has a need to be close to me but I love her so don't find that a problem. She is however wanting to go for walks so I have been taking her keeping her on short leash and giving her lots of re-assurance. Do you think that I am doing right? She is only 6 years old and it has been a week since she took ill. The vet says to take her back in a week and if there is no change to the tilt I will have to make a decision on weather I think that is will have a good quality of life as she is. From some articles it says that it can take 3-6weeks to resolve. Do you think I should give her more time than 2 weeks?

As long as you are seeing some improvement, it would make sense to give her more time.

Have just scrolled through so many poignant stories about this mysterious and distressing disease. Our 13 year old border collie, Jack, has had CVS for a week. He's slowly improving - more able to navigate outside on a flat surface, less frightened but still needing lots of reassurance. Anti nausea meds stopped the vomiting but he has to be hand fed (scrambled eggs, baby food and expensive vet formula). He's losing weight and very weak but trying so hard to pull out of this 'tailspin'. Very useful to read these comments. My heart goes out to you all. Thank you.

This article has been a huge help to me,This just happened to my dog a few minutes ago,I googled his symptoms and this came up.It would seem I immediately did all the right things by instinct.

My daughters 1 yr old Shitzu mix had what the vet assumes was a Brown Reclus bite on her neck. It became infected and they did surgery 3 days ago and since then she has had what appears to be Vestibular Disease falling over and circling. He did a swab on her ears and found mites and thinks she may have an inner ear infection causing this. What do you think her chances of a quick recovery are? Shes pitiful but is eating when handfed and does go to the bathroom without problem. Thanks for any advice.

As you can see from all the comments, time of recovery varies but many dogs return to a good quality of life.

For the cavalier, the most important thing is whether he is making any progress. If in nearly a week, you are not seeing much change the chances for return to a quality life are lower.

Your article was a great help to me.

One the morning of Jan 15, my dog exhibited the 1st three symptoms of canine vestibular syndrome. I took her to the vet who gave her a shot of cortisone. She was dizzy and disorientated for a couple of days but seemed to be improving daily until today, the 2 of Feb, when she again exhibited the same symptoms. Could this be a relapse?

Relapses do occur with vestibular syndrome so it is possible

something very similar to these posts has just happened to my dog, i got up 2 let her into the garden, on her way to the door she kept falling into objects, her back legs keep going and she's been sick twice. And her eyes keep flickering from side to side. I was both petrified and heartboke to see my old friend like this (she's a 13yr ol cross breed) I've managed to get an appointment with the vet first thing in the morning, but after reading these posts i'm wondering if i should put her through this (she is petrefied of the vets surgery, she shakes and slavers whenever i take her for a check up and it usually takes her a few days to get back to her old self, she seems a little more settled now than earlier, although her eyes are still moving all the time. :(

I just rescued a 10 yr old Golden who's owner brought him to a animal shelter to be put down. He has severe ear infections (is now on Baytril) and head tilt. His balance issues seem to come and go. He angle of his head tilt coincides with his balance; the more tilt...the more he's off balance. At his foster home, she did say the vomitted twice. He hasn't w/us.....but we've only had him for 2 days. The vet wants to do at least a 2 mo. antibiotic course.

Thank you so much for this information. My 14 year old large dog had all these problems/symptoms this morning and I was prepared for the worse. She got better this afternoon and she's almost back to normal tonight; though she is a little wobbly still.

My 12 yr old boxer had a fit on me shaking and vomiting after he was unable to walk. Seemed to have loss of hearing and balance I thought his face had slightly fallen to one side and his eyes were slightly flickering to side to side. I didnt notice his head fallen to one side and he hasnt gone of his food not sure if he has had a stroke. At first he was walking in circles but over the last couple of days he is walking better and doesnt seem as distant.

I too very much appreciate your article and this site. My 3 1/2yr old pug/brussels griffon mix seems to have come down with this as well. I've not seen the nystagmus, but he is displaying all the other symptoms. My questions would be 1) is there a definitive test that can be done to prove that this is indeed what he has, and 2) are there treatments that have been proven to help? He is currently on antibiotics, steroids and vitamins, and we are just waiting and watching for improvement. At least he is able to walk, eat, and drink, but certainly not back to normal. His symptoms started 2/4. Thanks for your thoughts!

Unfortunately there is no definitive test for vestibular syndrome. Treatment is generally supportive care.

Thank you so much for the information on this site. My 13 1/2 golden was recently diagnosed with vestibular disease. He was hospitalized overnight, I had to hand feed him for a week before he would eat on his own (I still have to hold the bowl), and he is still unable to walk or get up on his own. We are in our third week and he makes very slight improvements each day so it has been an emotional roller coaster. After reading the comments on this site, I feel like we still have hope and that he may recover. Thank you!

Hi Dawn. Thank you so much for this wonderful discussion. Our 13 year old bearded collie was diagnosed with vestibular syndrome nearly a week ago. He is eating and drinking well and no longer has the nystagmus but he has not gotten up in five days. Is this typical with vestibular syndrome?

2 weeks ago today, our beloved 14 plus yr old poodle had all the symptoms (minus the vomiting) completely limp, couldnt even sit without falling over. unable to keep head up, took her to vet , and without tests diagnosed CVS. today I would say she is 95 % better, able to keep head up, walk better,etc. what a blessing, just hoping for continued improvement but is was so scarey, she is a fighter, and we will do anthying to help her improve!

Thinking my beloved dog had a stroke I wanted to look it up for symptoms and what to do for him. He is 15. He shows all the signs of Vestibular Syndrome and although it is heartbreaking to watch him I now know how to care for him and hopefully have more time with him. I have had him since he was 1 year old and I love him so. His name is Bubba and he is a Queensland Blue Heeler.

After some scary moments, I found this article! However, our little pug is only 10 months old. Everything was normal today, except for some peeing incidences, which happens once in a while, tract infections it seems to be. We have her on some natural remedies for that. But tonight she just started stumbling around , tilting WAY over to the left and her eyes are going crazy, even when her eyes are closed. The vet said to wait and see, otherwise a nearly $200 emerg. vet bill. I am feeling a little panicky! I have her in a quiet corner on a comfy bed and keeping an eye on her. The vet will be open on Monday, I plan to take her in. Any suggestions until then? Is this normal for a 10 month old? Thanks for your help!

Vestibular syndrome is more unusual in young animals. Talk to your vet about epilepsy and check to make sure there is nothing toxic she could have gotten into

Our 14 yr old plus poodle showed some improvement, but the last few days have appeared to have a relapse, today she didnt each much, are relapses common, she still shows no sign of pain, but just lays and sleeps, does bark, wags tail, and does her business, Thanks you comments, it helps.

Excellent. Succinct, easy to understand and extremely accurate. This has happened to my dog twice and this article describes the symptoms to a T. Short of with my dog, in both cases (years apart), the symptoms went away much quicker. The first time took about a day, second time less than 3 hours. The 2nd time just happened so I just got online to make sure it was what I thought and this article is, like I said, excellent!

Hi. My dog is an 11 year old Lab/Shepard mix. He has been pacing for 3 days and seems to be favoring the right side and tilting his head toward the right. My doctor gave us antibiotic, antiemetics, and NSAIDS. We are treating him for an ear infection but his ears seem fine she did mention he possibly had a stroke. My problem is I can't get him to lay down he hasn't slept in days. He is not throwing up and I can gt him to eat cat food. How can I get him to rest?

for the lab/shep mix, talk to your vet about using something for calming/anti-nausea to get him to rest.

I found it VERY informative, and eased my mind a lot.
Thank you

Our 14.5 year old Border Collie suddenly couldn't stand, eyes bolted around, vomiting and was terrified. After a really hard night we called our vet and he said it might be vestibular syndrome and prescribed meclizine. It's less than 24 hours later and he is 95% better. He may even be better than he's been for several weeks. Thanks for your article!

My 7 year old pug just has this diagnosis on friday night. I too thought he was having a stroke and we rushed him to the vet. The vet never picked up on his symptoms and told us he was having a "bad" day. When we took him to the Emergency clinic later that evening, they said he had Peripheral Vestibular Disorder which may be attributed to a bit of an ear infection he was experiencing. His symptoms match to a tee those above. It's been 2 days now and his eye's arn't moving as much and he's trying to walk more although still very unsteady. He does have a head tilt and paralysis on the right side of his face. He has yet to eat, but has been drinking well. It is encouraging that he should have a full recovery. It is very frightening to experience, my suggestion is to stay home with your dog or make sure they are in a confined safe area that is well padded. Our little guy is a big sook and was still determined to follow us around..

Hi Dawn,

Our Samantha is suffering with this problem, Idiopathic Vestibular Syndrome, old dog vestibulitis. She is a 12 years rot/lab mix. It seems so prevalent. Do you know if anything is being done regarding in-depth research with a hope of finding a treatment? Thank you.

My lab mix is ten and was diagnosed with this four days ago. Today she seemed far worse, barely able to stand. I haven't noticed anything with the eyes but she does drool. Also, her appetite is great, in fact probably better than normal. The odd thing is, while being dx four days ago, she actualyy started demonstating symptoms over a week ago. It started out subtly, walking into walls and objects. It then progressed into the falling down, walking in circles etc. Is it normal for experienes to be different? Our vet gave her melatonin to help her rest and an anti-anxiety med to help with other effects. Wondering if the deterioration is relasted to either of the meds. She goes back tomorrow; I'm just really worried about her.

Our bearded collie has this problem, which started on 3/5/2010, but also paralysis of the right legs. Vet said we might begin to see improvement in 4 to 7 days. I took her back in 7 days for an evaluation because she seemed worse. Our dog began to show signs of improvement in 10 days, only after we tried this technique the Vet told us about: to prop her weak side up against a wall and let her try to walk. Each step took about 5 - 10 minutes, sometimes more. She hasn't stopped walking since. She is still dizzy but is adjusting for it. Every day there is remarkable improvement. The current problem for Emma is moving from lying to standing. I'm online today trying to find a techniques so I can help her learn to stand again. Any ideas? I know it will have to begin with shifting her weight to her good back foot and 'pushing off' the good side. Thank you.

My Maltese Beau was 13yrs old..he was starting to cough a couple of days ago..im asuming he may of come down with a 24ht flu,my Beau was rushed to the vet..got told he had vestibular Syndrome..im so upset,its very lonely without him..my Maltese Beau passed away on exact date my husband passed away 14th March 2010 ..thankyou for excepting my comment kind thoughts Trish.

My female Bassett Hound had signs 3 mos ago but no full on symptoms just being clumsy ,so i thought .Yesterday it hit like a ton of bricks vomiting could do nothing but lay still couldnt get up or anything.Home from the vet today even worse constantly wanting to roll and fight you when you help cause she doesnt know whats going o.we padded her dog crate and gave her valume to keep her calm .hope tomorrow will show improvement

I am so thankful to have found this site! My Sotty is 7yo Dalmatian/Pit Bull mix had this happen in July, I FREAKED! Went to bed after a full day of play and hearty eating and woke up the next morning to a very very sick best friend. Immediately called the Vet and told them I was on the way, Spotty had suffered a stroke, he could not walk at all so I carried him and was directly taken into an Exam room. I met a new Vet at this office that morning named Mindi Metzler, and I can not tell you how impressed I have become with this young and beautiful woman. She at once said that she did not suspect stroke but Canine Vestibular Syndrome, which made me so happy, I can not bear to think of losing Spotty he was by my side thru 2 years of intense Chemo and Radiation for Cancer and never left my side, most days he was the reason I got up and got to my day. At this time Spotty was in the Hospital for a little over a week with a couple bad nights where Dr. Metzler actually stayed with him and kept me updated almost hourly. After he came home it was about 6 days until Spotty was PERFECT again, no head tilt, no Nystagmus, until last night. I went to work with a perfectly healthy boy and came to him curled up in vomit and poo, unable to stand. This is not as bad as the first episode but scary enough, I got him in bed and held him til this morning, Dr. Metzler met me at the office first thing, and called about 4:30 saying that he's well enough to come home, still shaky but eating a little and drinking alot. I am so thankful that this episode is no where near as bad as the last, not even a hint of head tilt and the Nystagmus is already dissipating! To everyone with best friends who are going thru this, I wish you all the best, don't give up, love them and let them know they are not alone and try a product called BRAIN/NERVE SUPPORT, your Vet should have it.
I wish all as WONDERFUL a Vet as I have found in Dr. Metzler! If you're reading this in San Antonio, TX, Dr Mindi Metzler at the Alamo Heights Pet Clinic IS THE BEST!
GOD BLESS YOU DR. METZLER, WE LOVE YOU!
Tim & Spotty Sullivan

I am wondering if this is what my Mini Schnauzer might have. I found this site while researching symptoms. Our Mini Schnauzer has had pancreas when she was under a year then she was anemic and has been on predisone ever since. She only takes enough now to keep her cbc checks normal. Then on Friday 2 days ago I noticed she wasn't standing right on our hardwood floor she kept slipping which I didn't think too much about it. Then yesterday started acting like she was getting sick. Today it got way worse and laid down all day. I noticed she is having problems standing up and is doing some weird head bobbing thing like she is having problems keeping up her head straight. She couldn't get up tonight to go outside and ending up peeing on me once and then on the floor. I feel so heartbroken just looking at her. I've been thinking about upping her predisone another quarter of a pill to see if this improves her condition. From reading this site it sounds like her exact symptoms except that she is only 6 years old not over 10+ like a lot of dogs are. She isn't vomiting either and is taking food and water if we feed it to her by hand. For her water we have a little measure cup that we have been putting by her mouth and she seems to be drinking that way. She ate some eggs earlier on too. We feed her healthy people food since her anemic problem as it is better for her and she eats it better. I am glad to read that after 72 hours she should gradually improve which would be tomorrow evening I think. Does her symptoms sound like it could be CVS?
Does not want to stand up - Head Bobbing - Laying down all the time - Just seems out of it. - Is not vomitting. - Drinks and Eats with help - Legs are not stable Thanks for your help.

For the mini schnauzer, although the symptoms seem to match, talk to your vet re Addison's, given that she has been on long term low dose steroids(prednisone). Younger dogs can develop vestibular syndrome. It is just more common in older dogs.

My Dog coltrane is an 11 year old pug. About 2 weeks ago he froze and became very stiff. He had his eyes rolling from side to side and couldn't walk , he was whimpering. We took him to the emergency clinic and by the time we got there he was all better. They diagnosed Vestibular disease at this time. The episode laster about 25 minutes. A week later he had two more episodes in two days. We took him back to the vet, they did xrays and stuff and thought he may be having a seizure. He had another episdoe this past Sunday, however it lasted an hour. Can Vestibular Disease come and go like that. As soon as he is out of the episode he eats and runs around acts like nothing ever happened. What could be causing this? Thank you

For the pug talk to your vet about epilepsy as well as vestibular syndrome

Dawn,
Regarding Coltrane the pug, I have already been to the Vet. They have said it isn't epilepsy b/c he is too old to have this start at this point and they are usually a different kind of seizure. They have also said that vestibular disease doesn't come and go that the dog would be sick all the way through. He has no problem eating, the episodes last about an hour and then it is like nothing happened. I have been told to take him to a neurologist. Is this a possible brain tumor or encephalits?

I came across this article when I was searching online for my dog's symptoms..
Our dog, Wendell who is a Yorkie/Maltese is 10 years old..
In September of 2008, my dad was home from work one day and let Wendell outside in the backyard. He noticed he was running into the patio chairs (as if he didn't see them there) and losing his balance causing him to stumble and fall down. My dad ran outside and began calling his name but he was completely unresponsive; looking in the opposite direction of where my dad was standing. My dad picked him up and brought him inside, put him down on the floor and his legs gave out and he just lay there. Luckily I got home minutes later with the car and we took him to the vet immediately, but when we got there he seemed to be completely fine and all the blood work came back perfect.
He's had these spells about three times since then, but they usually only last about 24-48 hours. When this happens he's just very tired, doesn't want to get out of his bed, and refuses to eat or drink.
Yesterday Wendell seemed perfectly fine before we left for the afternoon (he stayed at home). When we returned home last night he couldn't even get out of bed (he typically runs to the door to greet us with lots of kisses). You can see him trying hard but struggling to stand and support himself. My sister and I stayed up with him for most of the night to keep a close eye on him.. but it seems to be getting worse. He hasn't lost his appetite (in fact, he ate and drank more than normal last night) and when he can manage to stand up and walk he appears drunk. I've never seen anything like this.. it's quite frightening and I hate seeing him so distressed..
One thing I did want to mention was that when we first got him (when we was 6 months old) he had a lot of ear problems. He's never had any problems with his ears since then, up until about 2 weeks ago. When we noticed him itching his ears frequently and rolling around on the carpet I thought it may be an ear infection and so we took him to the vet and sure enough that's what it was. The vet gave us drops to put in his ears twice a day and they seemed to help, but I'm wondering if this could have anything to do with what happened yesterday?
If anyone at all has any advice or suggestions for what I should do, please let me know!
It would be greatly appreciated!

For Wendell, talk to your vet about idiopathic epilepsy(see the link above re neurological disorders) as a possibility.

I have a 9 year old GSD who seems to have symptoms of CVS--head tilt, saggy jowl, saggy eye and wobbly. Vet gave him low dose Prednisone for 1 week... nothing... no improvement. He then suggested MRI which we did and it showed only some inflammation around nerves 7 & 8.

He now says I have one of two options. 1. Wait and watch hoping for improvement. 2. Immunosuppresant Prednisone.

I know there will be side effects to the large dose Prednisone so I'm leery. Is the Prednisone worth the risk and does it give my dog better changes of recovery?

Annette

Thank you for this information and thank you readers for adding so much valuable descriptions. My dog Levi was just hit with this Sunday night. I am fortunate that both the emergency room vet and Levi's regular doctor were aware of this condition and listed it as one of the possible problems. Having completed various tests, we all are in agreement this must be the problem. What I have found troubling is that my vet is taking the stance this is the end of Levi's life. He had me convinced I had said my last goodbye to Levi as I left him to stay overnight receiving fluids and medication. But, from what I read here I have every reason to be hopeful. My question is this, Levi's doctor wants to keep him a couple of more days if he hasn't improved. I'm not sure this is a good idea. First of all, I have never put Levi in a kennel and I'm sure the other dog's and the noise is unsettling to him. Secondly, if the vet doesn't have much hope, how does that reflect on Levi's chances. My thought is that while the vet can give him medical care that I can't, I can give him 24 hour attention and give him his quiet in which to recoup. Is it your opinion that bringing him home would give him a better chance? Or are there risks that I'm not considering making it better for him to be there?
Thank you again,
TJ

For Levi,
the main consideration is his hydration status. If he is vomiting a lot then he needs to be at the vets on IV fluids. If they have stabilized him, it would be worthwhile talking to your vet about taking him home where he is likely to be calmer (may increase the chances of him making some recovery).

Thank you Dawn. I did talk to the vet and Levi is stable and now at home. He seems to be improving by the hour. What we are finding most challenging is his urinating. He will be laying down and start urinating. It is almost as if he doesn't know he is doing it. Is this common? He urinates outside and believe it or not, he recently cocked his leg to pee! A little shaky, but all the same! Thanks again Dawn. You're a life safer!

With any neurological problem the connection between what is happening and what is known/felt/understood may be damaged. Get some absorbent pads/towels to put under him to deal with this. It may also be a function of the fluid therapy and his difficulty getting up-he may know but be unable to stand quick enough to cope. Give it some time.

Dearest Dawn, Just Wanted to thank you for your Sight, You are an Angel. Our Buddy,13 yr. lab mix.- just got it again today. He had it about a year ago. Hes not throwing up, or peeing, cause hes on meds for old man bladder, already, & arthiritis meds for inflamation. This is a very sad disorder. I remmeber the first time, I thought, there was No Chance he was going to be OK. He doesn't want to go off the deck, but dad, got him out there to potty. But he pooped in the house, this evening. Which, is ok with me, cause, I think hes getting better. I was very thankful, to know about raising the dog food & water, & the massage. I have been massaging him, all day, & he seems to be getting alittle better already. The one thing that scared me was his gums got really pale, since I have been massaging his neck/shoulders, his gums are red again, thank God & you for that, cause I do believe your telling me about the massage helped. So, to all of you that are going through this, I am sorry, but there is alot of hope,though, it just takes time & lots of LOVE. Of Course. Thank You for loving your Dogs so much. There are so many dogs out there, that have No one to love them & give them all the love you folks on here are giving your pets. Once again, thank You, Linda

for the GSD, consider talking to your vet about some of the specific neurological issues the breed faces. If you finances allow it might be worth a consult with a neurologist. A short course of hi dose pred may need to be considered.

I would like to add my story to this website as I found it invaluable when I was going through this with my own beloved dog. Thanks to you Dawn and everyone whose optimism helped get us through it!
Our 14 year old Chinese Crested Hairless dog initially had a dizzy/vomiting spell in December 2009 and was very ill but this only lasted an evening and a night and by the morning, although exhausted she was on the mend. We called a vet during the attack who told us she suspected a stroke and to keep her comfortable and rested.
In January 2010 however she had another attack which was much worse and we now know this was vestibular syndrome. Unlike the first time she did not recover in the same timeframe. She could not get up at all, was vomiting and her eyes were flicking from side to side very fast (as though she was reading a book ) She became very distressed when picked up and her body would twist to one side. As she is a very nervous dog we wanted to treat her at home with us. The vet gave her an anti inflammatory injection (steroids I believe) and an anti sickness injection both of which helped calm her down and stop the vomiting from dizziness.
I want to tell people what helped us during her recovery period in the hope it will help other dogs and worried owners. I took the first 4 days off work and sat with her - she preferred no loud noise but liked having someone nearby talking, I made sure I didn’t get panicky with her so she didn’t pick up on how worried I was! She also didn’t like the dark very much as I think her eyesight was affected so keeping a low light on helped her. I kept her warm and every few hours I gave her 10-15ml of Lectade solution which the vet had given me (it dissolves in water and keeps the salts and minerals up in the absence of food) She was unable to stand so I did this via a syringe and also squirted it onto my hand so she could lick it off. We also had some anti sickness tablets from the vet which we gave her a half dose every 12 hours to stop her feeling so dizzy. (During her recovery she also had an additional anti inflammatory and anti sickness injection) Every few hours I would carry her to the litter tray and hold her up to give her the chance to have a wee if necessary. When carrying her she panicked less if I held her paws rather than let them dangle. Over a few days we gradually got her to lick mashed up food mixed with water from my hand. She couldn’t stand anything with a strong smell so only took mashed boiled vegetables and chicken as long as she could lick it as she still could not chew. We found little and often was the best approach! After nearly a week her eyes were not flicking so much and she was trying to get about on her own. I would help support her as she walked around. At this point we had to put padding over the floors and sharp edges of tables as she kept falling over as though drunk. If we had to leave her alone whilst shopping etc we kept her in one room, padded for her own protection! We kept her on the additional Lectade solution until her meals had gradually started to resemble normal eating. Although to his day she can not eat her old dog food and wants blander chicken type meals. We had to hand feed her for quite a while as she couldn’t bend down to the bowl.
Overall it took a few weeks and a lot of love and patience. As I write this (in April 2010) she is sitting on my lap as happy as anything! But if anyone had said she would recover I would not have believed them. So don’t give up with this illness - they can recover and be back to their lovely waggy dog selves! Good luck! Amanda x

(Update on Wendell): On Monday (April 5th) Wendell seemed to be feeling a little better. He was able to stand and took a few steps on his own and was eating treats and drinking lots, however he had gone over 24 hours without doing his business. Our family took him to the vet that evening to see what was going on. Unfortunately when we got there Wendell had gotten significantly worse. His entire left side was paralyzed and his right paws were knuckled. The vet checked his eyes and his pupils did not dialate (which she said is likely something going on in the brain). The vet suggested seeing a neurologist or putting him on Prednisone for 24-48 hours to see if there was any improvement, but if not, there really was nothing else that could be done. The vet was concerned that the side-effects of this drug however might make his condition worse. With all of Wendell's symptoms the vet seemed convinced this was likely a brain tumor or cancer, in which case the Prednisone would have no effect. It was horrible seeing Wendell suffering the way he was and we made the decision to put him down. It is so lonely not having him around; no barking when someone rings the doorbell, no one greeting you when you come home at night.. and although our family is having a very difficult time dealing with the loss of our sweet little guy, we know we did the right thing for him and that he is in a better place now. We're so sad to see him go so soon, but he was loved very much and lived a very happy ten years of life. I think of him everyday and he will be forever in my heart..
I wish all of you the best. Take care and God bless.

We have a 1 1/2 year old mix breed who was diagnosed with this disease. I have a hard time believing that a dog this young could contract a disease that is normally very common in older dogs. She has all the symptoms but when she goes to eat or drink her head and body shakes rapidly and ends up giving up on attempting to eat or drink. As she opens her mouth she shakes even more. We have tried everything to get her to eat and drink. We had success yesterday with roast beef, but she seems like she's regressed today. Is it possible that a 1 1/2 year old could get this disease?? Is the head/body shaking typical?? Thanks so much.

For the young mixed breed- while not common, it is possible for young dogs to have vestibular syndrome. At this young age, unless the symptoms improve fairly quickly, it would be wise to seek a second opinion with a veterinary neurologist to rule out other possible problems.

Wow- this has been so helpful. My 9/10??year old Standard Schnauzer (I rescued him so I'm not sure exactly how old he is) had his first episode today. He was fine, then suddenly couldn't walk straight. He got up to go outside and could barely make it to the grass. He leaned forward to pee and tried to walk closely to the fence so he wouldn't fall down. He didn't want to go on a walk or anything. His front leg was shaking and his back leg was turned out. He kept walking sideways. Both my daughters started crying. It was awful! He has had ear issues for a while ( I think, although he hasn't been diagnosed.) He shakes his head a lot and his hearing has diminished the past year or so. We were just about to take him to the emergency clinic because it was a Sunday, and he got up and trotted over to me just fine. My daughter took him on a walk and he did fine, just pooped out a little early. I thought he had a stroke, but it seems maybe he didn't. Next step? I'll call the vet tomorrow, but I don't think there's really anything else to do, but watch him. I'm worried. Poor guy!

My poor 13 year old dog had a horrible episode of what the vet says is vestibular syndrome 2 weeks ago. She was vomiting, couldn't even hold her head up had no bladder control. It was horrible! We nursed her through the weekend and after 3-4 days we saw a marked improvement! We thought it was gone and then she had a slight relapse, became wobbly again but able to walk with support. Then she was all better, no noticable problems and then just this past weekend unable to walk again without support. She's eating, although not her usual appetite and drinking water. My question is, is this normal to have the roller-coaster symptoms?? I've read a lot about it and it sounds like for some dogs it can take weeks, so I'm hoping that means the symptoms come and go during that time in various degrees of severity. Is this true?? I would assume that if it was something more serious the symptoms would not go away at all.....at least that's what I'm hoping!!

Yes, You would be unlikely to see improvement if there were more serious issues (tumors,etc). You should start to see longer periods of improvement over time, although this is not always the case
Good Luck

This is an excellent article and helped us discover our 16-year-old black labs problem as Vestibular Syndrome. THANK YOU!
Like others, we first assumed the tilted head, falling over, no balance was due to a stroke. He went to bed after eating and doing his normal routine. At 16, he is slow, but otherwise a very healthy and still active dog with some arthritis in rear hips/legs.
He awoke in AM falling over and dripping from mouth. Tops of paws were wet. Then he developed twitching eyes. One eye brow twitched up and down and the other eye itself moved side to side. He would not eat or drink that first day and most of second day. He also vomited twice and we found a couple backbones from a chicken--so then wondered if he had gotten into some bad garbage that made him sick (we now think the bones were just a coincidence, though may attributed to his nausea.) Vomit was frothy white, bit of grass and a bone each time.
He tried eating once on day one, but his control over head movements and mouth/chewing were jerky and uncontrollable.
Day two we went to vet at about noon. Wish Bone vomited on the floor--he's always anxious at the vets. This time frothy yellow only. He could not walk at all. Vet figured, due to age, his organs were shutting down and he was dying. So, we did the blood work. Wish Bone, our dog, had very normal and healthy ranges on all blood work. Puzzled, the doc wanted to make sure the chicken bones were not part of the problem. An x-ray of his stomach and digestive tract didn't appear abnormal. All his internal organs appeared normal shape, size, etc. We discovered he had two old 22 caliber bullets in his rear area (nothing that would have affected him now). He was a stray at 8 months with a gunshot wound, entry and exit clearly seen, when we got him. Guess a couple more were there too.
The vet noticed arhritis in the xray and he came to the conclusion that it was due to arthritis that he was having the current problems. I disagreed. It happened suddenly. Symptoms were identical to what is listed here and yet the vet. disagreed saying arthritis can snap dogs into this condition.
As a precaution because of the chicken bones he gave Wish Bone a shot of penicillin. For the arthritis he gave him equipose or something like that (a steroid for arthritis). I figured neither would hurt him. IF it was this syndrome, the ear infection is the most common cause, so the penicillin should clear it up and time will take care of the rest.
We went home and I slept by Wish's side all night. He started drinking water. I kept at it every 15-30 minutes to get him rehydrated. We offered boiled rice, he took a lick of peanut butter. That night he took a turn for the worse--thought he was a goner, but then very slowly he started to improve. We all kept the water going, then he started eating after 3 days. We fed mushy canned food vet. gave us to start out with by the tbsp. at first. Then gradually added more and more.
We carried him outdoors to pee and steady him on his feet. Slowly the eye twitching stopped. When it did he wasn't as dizzy, which made him less nauseous and able to eat and drink more.
It's now day 6 since this first happened and he is eating and drinking very well--almost normal. His head and other body movements are more fluid day by day. He is walking on his own, though looks a bit drunk. Not falling now except on slippery floors or stairs--so have to help him. His improvement has been remarkably fast-paced.
Are prayers were answered and we are blessed with keeping our best friend around for a while longer. I write this to help others understand and hope they don't make the mistake of putting their dog down without realizing dogs (even one who is 16 years old) can recover from this.
He certainly is his old self and we will most likely continue with the arthritis meds. because we do see improvement in his rear hips that were affected before he got Vestibular Syndrome. The vet did not diagnose our dog with this, but we have no doubts it is what he had. Sometimes vets can be wrong. The bloodwork and the process of elimination are key to reaching a sound conclusion.

Hello Dawn, I found your website this morning after a Google search on Jenny's (14 year old mix lab) symptoms of being unable to get up, paws curled in, eyes darting side to side. I heard her struggling to get up at 5:15 a.m. I ran to her side and knelt down and just soothed her and tried my best to calm her down. I woke up my husband and we formed a sling to carry her to the car. He drove and I rode in the back with Jenny - the entire time her eyes were darting back and forth but her breathing had calmed. The emergency room doctor told us she thought it was neurological and wanted to keep her to run bloodwork and other tests. My husband picked her up and she was able to walk on her own to the car. She is doing much better now at our own vet's office and I keep calling them and bugging to see how she's doing. I am almost 100% convinced Jenny has Vestibular Syndrome - all the symptoms. My point here is to say thank you for this article and associated stories. I thought Jenny was dying. My husband and I were crying. Even my rotten cat was upset. (Ok, Pitty's not really rotten...) I am beginning to feel like Jenny is having a Lazerus-like event. I love her so much, and I don't want her to suffer, and after reading this I really feel she's going to recover and be my old lady farm dog again. She's the best.

I just found my greyhound on the floor when I came home. She tried to get up to greet me, but teetered off to the side and fell down repeatedly. I noticed her eyes moving in some odd pattern, and thought she'd had a seizure.

We took the 14 year old to the vet, and they just diagnosed her with this. She has always been quite healthy, so we have to just hope for the best, with a speedy recovery.

I changed the nutrition to my 12,5 year old Australian Shepherd and he vomited a few times and ad a few diarrhea's. Though it was nothing serious, until he collapsed on the floor. His right thoracic limb became stiff, he lost his balance and turned his neck all the way to one side. Was taken to the emergency and hospitalized.
Never stand up on his own since that day. I have to help him to stand up. Balances when he walks.
Any ideas of what the problem could be???

For the Australian Shepherd see the link above to the article on canine strokes. This is another possibility to consider

My 3 1/2 year old Dobe has not been able to walk straight and has been bumping into things- all symptoms in article, except droopy face or weird eye movement. The vet says it MIGHT be Vesitulbar Disease. I am worried because along with being disgnosed with heartworm, as we waited for the vet to see my dog, she began seizing! The vet didn't give many answers, and definitely didn't tell me what to do if my dog begins seizing again. Is seizing normal with Vestubular Syndrome? Any reccomendations of what to do if she does seize again? She must be too dizzy because she isn't eating. Her sodium level was a few below normal, does this make her situation more dangerous if she isn't eating? Any advice would be so appreciated, thank you! -Catherine

There is a lot going on with the Dobie. Work closely with your vet to ensure that the low sodium is not causing the seizures and that all the health issues she is facing are being dealt with.

Hi,

I have a 14 year old Jack Russell/Terrier who had a fit on Thursday 29th April at 6pm.. I brought him to the vet who said he suffered a stroke. My dog also suffers from low blood sugar and is on heart and water tablets.. He checked his blood sugar and it was normal so he said it was a stroke and gave him phenobarbitone BP tabs .. My dog is eating loads and drinking lots of water but it bumping into walls and very wobbly and is sleeping alot but gets active if you bring him out with a lead.. Is this normal for an animal who suffered a stroke less than 48Hrs ago as im terrified he is gettin .. God bless

For the Jack Russell see the link above regarding canine stroke, it may take some time for him to recover. Good Luck

Our 14 1/2 year old collie cross just had her second incident a couple of days ago. Her firswt one was 9 months ago and she recovered quite well (a little stumbling but otherwise fine). The vet assures us she is in no pain so we are just trying to make her as comfortable as possible. First one is very scary.

Hi, thank you so much for your response to the post of the 3 nd 1/2 year old Dobe. I should add that she is actually my boyfriends dog, more his dog than mine.
With that being said, it is day 8 since this syndrome probably has been at it's worst. My very hard headed boyfriend decided that he would leave his dog outside even after the vet said inside would be better (its an outdoor dog.) Coincidentally, in the fenced up area the dog was left unattended from 8pm till 2pm the next day in 96degree weather (south Texas)!!! As we approached her in the backyard to see how she was, (the dog lives at his parents house-and they went out of town) I immediately noticed she wasn't moving, her tongue was hanging outside the side of her mouth, and her right hind leg was very cut up from doing circles so hard against the fence. I paniced and of course cried, and told off my boyfriend for not listening to me about keeping her inside for the night after her vet visit the previous day. I might also add that she had been acting weird and off balance for 3 weeks before the vet visit, according to his parents who are very busy and didn't realize the severity until 3 weeks later. Anyway, I literally had to squirt water down that dogs mouth with a tupperware water bottle AFTER we carried her inside because then she couldn't walk anymore. Her food and water looked like it had been knocked over immediately after we left her alone the night before, so she was severely dehydrated (she didn't have much water the day before because of her seizure). Then we threw her in the bath tub and although she couldn't walk, we had to do our best to move her around and clean up the blood from her cuts and the nats that were feeding off of them. Awful situation that didn't need to happen if she had been inside that night at our apartment, even though they do not allow dogs. We had to give her her meds in peaunut butter, and fed her only the gooey dog food in a can, because she wouldn't eat the hard stuff. My heart broke, and after that I've had a resentment toward my boyfriend for not being smarter about this whole thing. She's a dog, we have no way of knowing what hurts her-obviously we should do our best to baby her till she is better, afterall, she can't speak. I nursed her back to life that day. In the next few days following, the parents kept her outside, even that night after all my hard work! They made a new pin with wooden boards this time and a plastic thing on top for shade. The word was that she was actually doing okay out there. However, today we got a call from his visiting brother saying that the dog had a gash in her back and wasn't eating or drinking water, not even through a water bottle. She ran into the side many many times, and actually got out, while in the process her back got caught on something. It is common sense that this dog needed some babysitting and definitely needed to be INSIDE till she is better, she needed to get to this even worse stage than before for my boyfriend to realize he needed to take her to the vet again. Well, no vet is around Saturday evening. A friend of mine however told me of a different vet who actually practices from his house and that it would be cheaper. So FINALLY, we have restorted to this new vet, we have an appointment at 10am tomorrow, Sunday. Very nice of him. And once again, I have nursed the dog back to life, this time feeding her my older Min Pins food mixed with water, and water down the mouth with a syringe, also chiken broth through a syringe. She does not go to the bathroom when I make my boyfriend carry her out. she kind of walks but eventually falls, if she even stands. After her meds from the first vet she seems to calm down and get sleepy thank goodness otherwise she will stand trying to do circles into walls and chairs, tables... till she hurts herself so bad she can't get up. I hate to watch her suffer and I don't know what this says about my boyfriend who doesn't have to see her suffer everyday since he doesn't live with her :(.
The very first day we brought her home from the vet, when this syndrome or Vesitubular disease progressed suddenly, she hit a board with nails out in the back (his parents live in the country), probably within minutes of barely getting home, during her circle routine. She cut her eye and her gums. Hardest thing to watch happen. But now she is more under my care and I am going to do my best to take care of her. Today I thought she was in such a bad condition, shivering every 3 seconds, breathing hard, and legs doin this inward thing=freaky, sort of bold legged? I thought for sure since she hadn't eaten or had water all day, being that it was 7 pm for sure the vet would tell us to put her to sleep. But honestly, this dog just needs some love, babysitting, tender care to get her back, if that even helps, bc at 8 pm we finally discovered how to get food and water down her throat.
Basically, this awful stage of this disease began 8 days ago. But it definitely alltogether began weeks ago, based on his parents memory, it would be 4 weeks ago. Is this too long? Is she getting worse because of inadequate care and lack of pampering? At this moment, she is sleeping like ababy. She has a puppy pad under her which she has actually peed on (she didn't pee all day, fianlly.) But she doesn't go outside or move or let me know she needs to go, I don't know if shes in pain. How do i treat these cuts if she gets anymore??? I want to save her so bad, I'm just concerned that this has been on going to long. Mainly I do not like her twitching, which mainly occurs when shes asleep, and the fact that she doesn't cry. Although today she finally cried when my boyfriends brother gave her bath. Her flea situation was awful since they had her outside. But she didn't cry when we gave her a bath a week ago. She can not stand on one of her back legs, could it be broken from all this banging into things? Other huge concern of mine is that she had that seizure last friday (8 days ago at vet). Could this be mixed with distemper?? Some how the vet said she wasn't due for a heartworm checkup last year, and now she has heartworm. They made a mistake and now she has it, which can not be treated until this Vesitubular disease goes away. Any advice would help so much, with so much hope, -Catherine.

Hi Dawn,
Thank you for the information you provide. Watching my dog go through this is difficult and I have found the information you provide gives me hope. I have a 3 yr old mastiff who has been diagnosed with central vestibular disease through an MRI (and she displays all physical signs.) She has a lesion and swelling. The vet performed a spinal tap and the specialists at the vet school did not come to a consensus. They think that she either has toxoplasmosis or MGE (focal) and they are proceeding with treatment for both until further blood tests confirm whether toxoplasmosis is indeed the cause. I have two questions- if she has toxoplasmosis, is it possible that my dog will fully recover? Second, the specialist said that if the diagnosis is MGE, my dog basically has four months to live and the best that can be done is to try to preserve quality of life for that period. However, I have read elsewhere (wikipedia for one - I know never a good source) that MGE can be effectively controlled for longer periods now and the prediction that a dog will only live for months is outdated. Is this correct? Thank you for taking the time to help bereaved owners and their pets.

Our 14 yr old pointer just had this happen 3 days ago. We assumed it was a stroke.....our vet was 75% sure it was vestibular syndrome. He was 50% better within 12 hrs, and 85% better within 72 hrs. Still sways a bit, and has trouble eating from his bowl....seems to be licking the left side, can't get to the middle of the bowl. Was terrifying to see, but dog was in no discomfort. His tail wagged through the whole ordeal.

Love it. I believe our 12 1/2-year Golden Retriever has it now. Started Friday night and was pretty bad thru Monday. Today (Tuesday) she seems markedly better as she's starting to eat again (albeit not her usual appetite) and stumbling less. She's also showing more energy.

The only time she really stumbles now is when she shakes her head like she's trying to clear cobwebs. Since this seems more like dog vertigo, that shaking causes her to stumble a bit. That said, her head is not listing to the side as much and she seems to be improving.

Thanks for this insight.

Andy

Help - Unexplained Traumatic Event changed our dog overnight
We have a very nervous, timid dog who pulls constantly when on walks, loves to run free, and tries to KILL pedestrians and bicyclists that we encounter during walks. He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix -- he has only a light ridge and most of the time it isn't even visible. In the house, Enzo hides and cowers whenever we raise our voice at our 11-year-old boy. We adopted him from the SPCA when still a puppy, so we don't believe he was ever mistreated. Physically, the dog has always been strong, fast, and alert.
One morning, we awoke to a dog who was sitting and wouldn't move toward the kitchen to go out for his morning toilet. At first we thought he seemed 'guilty' of something, but after inspecting the house for a nighttime 'accident' or act of destruction, we found nothing. Then it became more apparent that he was physically unable to rise to a stand. He did not appear to have control of his hips. When he did rise, he was timid, weak, and unstable. He had lost any sign of alertness in his eyes and he seemed 'distant'.
Our thoughts went towards stroke, but there was no incontinence, no rigidity, no facial drooping, no indication that either side of his body was more affected than the other.
We rushed him to the vet, who examined him, found nothing, drew blood for testing (which later revealed nothing abnormal), and speculated that it could have been a seizure.
We brought Enzo home and nurtured him and kept him calm and cared for and loved. He recovered significantly, but still seems like a different, older dog -- like a human after a stroke, but without any indication of one side of the body differing from the other. He's physically slower, less stable (he falters and slides frequently when hopping off the bed or sofa). He's not even 3 years old yet and suddenly he's an old, feeble dog. Can Canine Vestibular Syndrome appear in young dogs -- most of the comments are about geriatric dogs?
What could this be? What should we check? How can we help him?

Thank you for this article.
A couple of weeks ago, my 14 year old shepherd husky cross had a seizure, rapid eye movement and twitches as described. He could hardly walk and we had to practically carry him into the emergency clinic. The vet diagnosed vestibular syndrome. He got even sicker the next day - not only could he hardly walk, but he had the head tilt, vomiting and diarrhea. It was most heartbreaking to see him in this condition, he could hardly walk or even stand even when urinating or pooping - and with the vomiting as well. He was really sick - we were beside ourselves with grief and worry. We took him to our regular vet - he was trembling (he is not usually afraid at the clinic) and had diarrhea at the clinic. The vet agreed that it was vestibular syndrome but was concerned about the diarrhea. He said the inner ear infection would go away on its own, but gave him some medication to help with the diarrhea (he had been sick with gastric problems a couple of weeks earlier, and does have a liver problem and arthritis). He also prescribed a mild antibiotic for the ear infection when the stomach issues were resolved (we ended up not having to give it to him). We were so worried about him. He did eat but not very much. He was extremely lethargic and his eyes were half closed - with the head tilt it was extremely worrisome. In a week's time, however, he had picked up completely. His appetite has returned fully. He has even started going up and down the stairs by himself, but does need some help (as mentioned he does have arthritis) and reassurance (he goes close to the wall while going downstairs to give himself support). He still has a bit of a head tilt, but is slowly becoming his own self - wants to go for a walk and has started barking again.
When he was first diagnosed, I read all the posts here and I was greatly encouraged - as mentioned by your article and the posts, the symptoms are extremely scary and it is so hard to see your pet going through this illness but it is so true that recovery does take place and fairly soon. If your pet does have this condition please be encouraged - it will get better. My dog did need a lot of care during the first few days and I am fortunate that my parents live with me and were able to care for him and watch him. I also realized that he needed encouragement and reassurance - I do believe it helped to keep encouraging him and trying to get him back to his normal routine helped to reassure him. About four days into his illness, my mother asked our other dog if he wanted to go for a walk - my sick dog actually ran from the spot where he was sitting as he wanted to go along - only a few days earlier, he had to be practically carried from the house into the yard. He has been going for short walks since and is getting stronger. Hopefully, this trend will continue. Thanks again.

For the ridgeback, vestibular syndrome is unusual in such a young animal, but not unheard of. Depending on how long the symptoms have been present, you may want to talk to your vet about other neurological problems (see link in the article above for more information).

I just brought my 10 yr old pug home from the vet ER and they wanted to run all sorts of tests on the dog, from MRI's to x-rays etc. to determine what is wrong with her. The bill would have exceeded 5k. While I love my dog, my wife would put ME down for far less if I spent that kind of money.
My dog is showing all the signs of what I'm reading here, walking around like she broke into the liquor cabinet, showing weakness in her legs, loss of appetite, kinda going in circles. She's trying to keep herself going, but falling all over the place. The wife and I thought maybe a stroke. She has had ear infections in the past and I tend to wonder now, rather than the docs thinking swelled disc, or brain tumor, or stroke etc, if this is more along the lines of her issues.
Obviously, if she's not better in a few weeks (was given predisone), something will need to be done. How can I best get the docs to understand that I naturally want to care for my pet, but throwing big expensive solutions in the thousands of dollars is just out of the question without seeming heartless if it ends up that this Vestibular thing may not be it?

Our 9 yr. old lab is suffering from canine vestibular syndrome. It is very hard to watch. She is such a part of everything that she still tries and has fallen down the stairs, fallen off our bridge, leans on all the walls and any person she can find etc. The vet told us that it may take weeks for her to kick this thing. He has also prescribed Tramadol for her hips and knees and I think it's making it worse.

For the pug please see the link above to my blog on neurological disorders for more on communicating with your vet.

This article was very helpful. I have a 12 yerar old dog with these symptoms and I thought I had to put her to sleep. Thank you.

our 5 year old female toy poodle apparently suffered a stroke. We were out walking when she went suddenly limp and collappsed. We rushed her to the hospital but apparently she was already dead. We were in total shock as she was part of our family and we loved very much. I just hope no one ever has to go through what we went through as our hearts are truly broken. Dont forget to tell your dog you love him or her everyday and to treasure the time you have with them. Simon

This article has been most helpful. Our 4 year old King Charles Spaniel was diagnosed with this yesterday. He has been drooling out of right side and has the head tilts and just has started to be off balance. Our vet recommended starting him on benedryl and taking the watch and see approach. The doctor also said his was not from ear infections but nerve in brain inflammation. Have you heard of the benedryl approach?

Benadryl may be used to calm animals who get upset by being disoriented. It also tends to have a calming effect on the nausea.

My 13 year old felame Yellow Lab mix has presented some of these symptoms. She has had an ear infection that has gone away and come back, she walks around clumsily, and her eyes dart from side to side. I have not been able to get her to eat as she used to, but we thought that was due to losing my mom. Is this vestibular?? Its just so scary to see her like this

my 14yeaar old english bullteriier was diagnosed with vestibular syndrome. she had to take cortisone and antibiotics for 10 days. day 4 she finally started to improve. every day it got a bit better. day 13 she wakes up with a heavily tilted head again, horizontal eye movement and balance problems. now she is back on the cortisone.
could she take this until she dies? was she maybe misdiagnosed, because even thought she made tide circles to the right and fell constantly nothing stopped her from eating.

For the bull terrier, talk to your vet about options-there can be relapses of canine vestibular syndrome and there can be other problems including strokes that result in similar symptoms. Long term medication may be the answer in this case but your vet will need to decide that.

My 6 yr old Norwegian Elkhound female has had similar symptoms 3 times (while I was present), but the episodes only last a couple of minutes and she is fine. Can this be CVS or is it likely to be anything else? The 1st two episodes happened within days of each other, but it has been months since the 2nd one.

My 14 yr old border collie recently developed a vestibular problem, with all the usual symptoms. One thing I haven't seen addressed: is it normal for symptoms to get worse over a week's time? She was seen by a good neurologist who didn't think she needed an MRI, that she would gradually improve. But her headtilt and facial/tongue "sag have gotten more pronounced, appetite was good not isn't, etc. Is this normal? Thank you.

We have a yellow lab who is extremely overweight. He was fine one day and the next couldn't get up. He was living with my ex, who brought him to me to try to help figure out what's wrong. This is his second day. He's 10 and his back legs just don't seem to work. He tries to get up with the front and we try to help with the back. His eyes are shifting back and forth quickly and his head is tilted. He's eating okay so far. Your article does say that being unable to stand is a symptom of cvs, do you think the hips just not working is considered a symptom?

For the yellow lab see the link in the above article re neurological disorders.It is unlikely that what you describe is vestibular syndrome

Our 12 year old black lab, Vladimir had all the classic symptoms of Vestibular Syncdrome last night. He fell down and then could not keep his feet under hi,. He acted like he was drunk. His head was wavering from side to side and his eyes were crazy. The "spell" lasted about 15 minutes. He drank some water and seemed to get his balance back. We put him in his kennel for the night. By morning he seemed completly recovered. While we were at work he vomited. It is now about 24 hours later and he seems pretty normal. He is still a little wobbly but much better than last night. My husband has been out of work for months so we just can't afford the vet. Vlad does not seem to be in painso I hope we can just keep him comfortable and this "spell" will pass. This article has been very helpful.

I know for a fact this happened to my dog at 3:15 am this morning. She is 17 years old. I was a sleep and I heard her moving all around and falling so I got up out of my bed and turned the light on. She was turned completely to the right side and her head was completely tilted to the right side. Her bowls moved on the floor and she was drooling a small bit
I picked her head up in mine hand and held it but her body kept pulling to the right. She couldn't stand up or control her body. Her head was jerking some and her eyes were darting from side to side non stop. She was confused and completely unaware I was with her. Her eyes kept darting side to sid, she seemed to be blind. I got on the computer and typed in strokes for dogs and didn't see anything in the symptoms about the eyes or the jerking head. So I then typed in darting eyes and jerking head in dogs and found this article and read it. It all fit her symptoms. Then I read the causes and I though of her ear how she head been shaking her head the last few days, assuming she may have an inner ear infection. I read on down this artical and did what it said to help her : Massaging the neck from the head to the shoulders will activate acupressure points that may help the dog regain mental and physical control. I did just that for over an hour and the more I did it the better she got. A couple hours later she was completely fine. I am thankful for this artical, it was very scary to see what I saw this morning happening to my dog with no way to get a hold of my vet on a Sunday morning. Tomorrow morning I will take her to the vet and I am sure he will give her antibiotics for an ear infection, middle ear. I am so Thankful to this artical here. Thank You!!!

Hi, My name is Jeff. My dog was diagnosed with Peripheral Vestibular this past Sunday morning. She could not even stand up by herself to begin with, and she had very rapid horizontal eye movement. Today is Tuesday and she is doing much better. She still has a head tilt , her eyes have almost slowed to no movement, she walks and drinks water by herself, but she still won't eat a whole lot. I have to feed her like chicken ,and deli meat for her to eat. Looks like she tried to eat some dogfood last night and threw a little bit of it up. Compared to what she was on Sunday , does this sound like a good start to recovery?
Jeff

For Jeff- this looks like pretty normal progress. The head tilt is often the last sign to disappear (some dogs retain a slight head tilt forever). Hope this progress continues.

Excellent thank you. We were very worried about our dog, as she was ok one night then yesterday woke up with all these symptoms. she is still eating/ drinking well and has as yet not been sick. At least the stroke worry is out the way. I just lost my father due to stroke and it was still heavy in my mind. Thanks again. From Don in the UK

I'm so thankful to have found this site. We almost lost our 14 yr old Boston with Auto Immune Hemlotyic Anemia about 5 years ago. After a number of blood transfusions and other things, he's been a blessing to us these past 5 years. He had an eye removed 2 years ago and the other has a huge catarac. He's always shaken his head, as if he needs to clear his eyes.

He's been gradually stumbling around.. and I assumed it was because he is finally getting totally blind.

That being said, a week or so ago, he started to go downhill. Couldn't keep his balance, walking in circles, etc. Whenever he put his head down to eat and drink, he'd fall over, so I raised both bowls and he's eating fine. We were worried that this may be the beginning of the end, so took him to the vet last weekend.

She said it looked like Verstibular Syndrome and started him on Prednisone and an antibiotic (in case he has an inner ear infection). He's been on it now for 4 and 1/2 days and we really don't see any improvement. Last night he even starting howling out of the blue.. it scared me. I think he was scared and didn't know where he was. I was up every two hours with him, trying to get him to go back to sleep.

All this said... thoughts HAVE been going through our minds as to whether or not his quality of life is diminishing. The meds don't seem to be working... he looks miserable when you watch him try to walk around.

I just called the Vet to see if they'd prescribe Baytril. When he had his auto immune disorder, he shook his head alot and the Baytril seemed to help. We're probably asking for it out of "one last thing to try", but after reading all these comments, just wondered if you had any other advice.

thank you for maintaining this website and for being a voice on the other end of our Internet connection.

Debra

Hi my name is Natalie, my cappone is an 11 year old english bulldog who weighs 55lbs. On June 21st my husband called me at work saying cappone's eyes were moving back and forth. So I met him at the vet. I thought inner ear infection since he always has ear problems from baby up. Dr. said he doesnt think its an ear infection he thinks old dog syndrome or worst case scenario brain tumor but he doesnt think thats that. LAst year we took him to vet and he was walking like he was drunk I thought inner ear infection they thought brain tumor God Forbid. So they did an MRI and it was negative. So I have been reading up on Old Dog Syndrome and this is definately scary. Cappone is our world he is our son. And I'm just curious since his first episode June 21st when he first went to vet he has had 3-4 more epsiodes ones lasting minutes and one lasting like 5 hours. When we see him starting to pant we start calming him down. He eats and drinks from his bowl but not when he is having an episode. We really feel bad and it breaks our hearts. Is there anything else we can do to make him more comfortable? Is this something that will come and go until he is over it? He is on prednisone and antibiotics right now with ear drops. We do massage him even before this happened. Thanks Natalie

My soon to be 13 yo german shepherd/bordie collie mix is currently in the hospital receiving fluids and steroids. The emergency animal hospital vet diagnosed vestibular syndrome while our regular vet is diagnosing a stroke. She has not had any significant improvement after almost 24 hours of treatment. She still cannot stand on her own. We were told if she does not improve in the next few days we'll have to make a decision. With the outcomes for these two very different diagnosis being so opposite how do I make this type of decision? One diagnosis gives her a chance...the other does not.

Thank you so much for this article and the following messages left. Our much loved 14.5 year old English Springer has just been diagnosed with this syndrome today. Where our vet was incredibly reassuring and supportive I have found some of the suggestions on here very helpful already. As many others have said this was very sudden onset and quiet scary but already within a few hours of seeing our vet and getting some anti-nausea medication, some anti-biotics and steroids my little angel is drinking without vommiting and sleeping like a baby. Thank you for the hand feeding tips, she is happy to eat lying down out of my hand but will not get up and stand at her food bowl, she seems to find it too exhausting ans stressful.
Again thank you all x fingers crossed my dinker will make a full recovery x

Thank you for this article. My 2 year old English Springer had what I thought to be a seizure on Monday, and after a trip to the ER and two docs scratching thier heads, they referred us to the in-house neurologist. After a terribly painful (for me) exam, they said she had this and put her on a pretty heavy dose of antibiotics, thinking it's being caused by an inner ear infection. The vet said to keep an eye on her and give her 48 hours before we do a spinal tap. I haven't seen a remarkable improvement yet, but she seems less stumbly than she was earlier in the week

Her case seems to be mild, she has the nystagmus in her right eye, and doesn't really fall, she just takes a wide leg stance and appears to brace herself for a few seconds when her head is tilted above horizon line or I open her mouth to remove something. (usually my socks.) Otherwise she's totally herself, albeit giving me the stink eye b/c I won't let her chase her ball in the yard. She's eating normally, and resting well.

My 14 year old dog Lady had a case of vestibular disease in November 2009, I came in from owrk to find she had soiled and been sick all over I took one look at her and new she was very poorly, she couldnt stand and her eyes were flicking very fast from side to side, I couldnt even get her down the stairs to get to the vets and I had to call them out, Lady was very upset and only found comfort from me talking to her and holding her still, the vet came out and she said it looked like vestibular disease, gave her 2 injections and said the next 24 hours were crucial, I cuddled her for those 24 hours and she survived, it was a battle for her to get better and she was very sick, couldnt eat herself as she struggled to lift her head up, she couldnt walk straight so I used a towel to lift up her back legs so she could go out to wee, gradually with much love from me she improved, she was left with a head tilt and seemed older and her hearing was affected, but I prayed for my old Lady to have some qualtity of life, she did almost get back to her old self, she has been the greatest gift in my life since I adopted her from RSPCA and she has helped me through some tough times with her unconditional love, I have spent the last 9 months worrying this may come back as the vet didnt know the root cause (maybe brain lesion) and wouldnt give her a scan as she was too old, I am sad to say on thursday I noticed her eye flicking and she seemed a bit unsteady, I cannot describe the dread I felt, I knew deep down I couldnt let her go through that again, I prayed it would be a small episode, she survived the night but was starting to be sick again and was very unsteady on her feet and head tilting from side to side, she looked scared and tired as if she didnt want it again, she was 14 and not getting any younger, we got her to the vets and she said she could treat Lady but we may have this again, I decided to have her put to sleep, it was the hardest decision of my life but I had to think of Lady first, this way she fell asleep with her mum holding her and kissing her head, it was peaceful and very much how i wanted it to be, no more suffering for her but I am truly broken and my life seems empty and had lost its shine, I hope she is with me, I decided to tell my story as I would not have changed the 9 months of time I had with her after her first episode and I read all of the stories on her at the time.
Nicola & Lady

I recently told my dog Ladys story, unfortunately she was put to sleep on friday as she was starting with her second episode of vestibular syndrome, she was fearful and scared and not the Lady we know, I couldnt put her through it again, but I forgot to mention things that helped her through the first episode, the first 24 hours she couldnt even lift her head so I slept downstairs with her and syringed water into her mouth with a childs medicine syringe, she was a big dog (boxer cross) and she was just soiling herself where she slept,she couldnt even give me a kiss so i knew she was poorly as she loved giving kisses, after about one week I used a towel under her backend to support her legs and gently took her in the back garden where she would wee, after a month she could stand but was wobbly and she was left with a permanent head tilt and lost balance when she shook her head and would fall over, it was a long road to recovery and took about 2 months for her to be able to walk properly again, and much love from me and my kids, I am so glad I had that time with her and wouldnt change a thing, I took time off work to nurse her and can say I saw my Lady recover, I value that time and selfishly wish I had longer but I knew this vestibular may come back, I hate that she was so weak and suffered from this, it was truly cruel to her, if you read these articles and your dog has vestibular, with love and time they can recover, I just worried from the day she got it, that she would get it again and be on her own, when she started with it again she fell down the stairs, I knew I never wanted this for her for her sake she deserved to be at peace and not to go through this again, she was in my arms, I have struggled with my decision and perhaps think she would have recovered again but deep down I know she wasnt happy suffering with this, she gave more to my life than she could ever know and my heart is broken but I hope she knew how much she was loved and that my decision was based on her life not mine, good luck to other posters who are suffering, give your dogs a chance for recovery and love them every single minute they are with you
Nicola & Lady

i have a dalmatian and she is about 14 yrs old, this problem just began yesterday, out of no where she was running around and suddenly when she got back inside the house i notice she began walking wierd and also her eyes were moving rapidly. i thought she was having a heart attack. but as i did my research i found out that it is vestibular disease although not diagnosed yet, but she has always had problems with her ears and now i understand that the infection has reached her inner ear and explains how everything happened. today she seems better she finally ate after a day and drank water. tmrw i will take her to the vet and hope to get some kind of medication so it wont happen again. I wish goodluck to everyone with their dogs and hope they all recover! the good news is it is not life threatning and it is curable

My 14 yo Lab has the symptoms of Vestibular Syndrome. Unstable on his feet. Drifting when he walks. Stumbles a little. Because he is older and arthritic he is having increased difficulty getting to his feet.
This is the second time he has experienced this. As per my Vet, I am giving him BONINE each day. It is like Dramamine, what is used for motion sickness. It seemed to help for his first episode last year.
He has been taking Tramadol over the last month+ for his arthritis.
QUESTION: Can this contribute to Vestibular Syndrome? (I am suspending it while I monitor him)
Tom K

I have a 16 year old Jack Russell. Back in December, ifound him at the bottom of the stairs in some type of state of seizure. We rushed him to emergency and the vet said that it may be a stroke to watch him. Over a few days he improved and we didnt see anything else until june where we noticed him getting up in a panic leaning to one side and falling repeatedly. Lots of mouth movement tongue sticking out and panting. We took him to the vet where they suggested a potential tumor and MRI. We decided to wait, and agin Axel improved. This has happened twice more with the last time last week. He roamed the yard for two hours. Not he is fine. Never did the vet mention this syndrome. Only MRIs and possible tumors. Am I missing something? Should i bring this article to her? I am not ready to put him down - he always recovers. Are these things painful for him? Do you think this is what it is? Please write back. I wich i can stop these or see them coming. Julie

For the Jack Russell- the syndrome does not appear to be painful, just disorienting and probably a bit scary for your dog. Since the episodes are coming more often the possibility of a tumor or stroke increases. As long as he is happy between episodes there is no rush to make tough decisions. When an episode happens keep him as quiet as possible and make sure he is somewhere where he can't get hurt.

interesting and informative article. My 10 year old collie mix experienced weakness and balance problems on her right side that involved both front and rear legs several days ago; some head tilting occurred as observed by the vet. Ears showed no signs of infection. She was given prednisone and kept overnight. She was fully recovered by the next morning. Vet is not sure what was going on and did mention MRI, spinal tap, etc, but for now she's doing okay. I am not convinced steroids had anything to do with her recovery (with apparent damage) but am giving her the pred as prescribed for the next several weeks. Any input?

for the collie mix talk to your vet about decreasing the pred more rapidly if she is recovering well. Pred does have side effects and should be used with care. That said she must be weaned off the drug not taken off abruptly.

this article is very informative as my dog (jack russel) is suffering from this at the moment, its day three at the moment. Many thanks...

Hi. My dog, Maxx, is roughly 6 years old. As a puppy, he hit heads HARD with my 105# lab, Buddy. Maxx immediately lost all function in his lower extremeties. He regained control after about 30 min. Since then, if Maxx becomes overheated, he loses function in his back legs... and takes hours to become steady again. Less than a year ago, Maxx lost balance and fell off of the 5ft retaining well in our back yard. He became unresponsive to me, except in his eyes. We immediately took him to the vet, where they gave him some adrenaline, and he has been fine since. My husband and I have been gone on vacation/work for a week, and returned to find that Maxx is VERY weak in his back legs, and is experiencing SEVERE eye twitching. He can move around, but not with great confidence. I am unable to get in touch with my small-town vet, and would LOVE some advice. Thank you.

For Maxx, follow the supportive care suggestions above until you can get him to the vet. If it is vestibular syndrome you should start to see some improvement over time. See some of the the other comments about this.

i have a 7yr old boxer mix named chelsea last year she had a issue with her back it started off she was limping then progressed to dragging her right back paw and from there within hour totally paralyzed in her whole back half i took her to the vet they did su test andthey saidit was similar to a slipped disc they kept her a few days she was fine but about a month ago she started acting funny real lethargic not wanting tio eat or even get up to go to the bathroom and then i noticed her limping again and she waas urinating on her self so i took her to the vet they ran sum test but i never herd anything and it seems like since shes had back problems before they assume thats wat it is but i noticed today that her right eye eye is drooping and it looks like a stroke it justweird to me that the eye thats dropping is the same side shes hang walking problems on? Can u help me please

My dog has this disease and lately her eyes have become more and more bloodshot. Is this common? And how should I treat this? She has been inside and nothing has been near her eyes.

For Chelsea, please click the link above for more information about Canine stroke syndrome. If that is what happened and the damage is limited to one side of the brain, one side of the body will be affected, similar to humans.
For the dog with the bloodshot eyes, talk to your vet about other possible causes and for recommendations on how to treat them.

My dog has had similar issues. I have read through a lot of these posts. It started one night. Her head curling to the right. The imbalance. Not eating. We gave her some motion sickness meds from Walgreens. We offered her canned food as opposed to her normal hard food and she went from a few chunks to half a can to a whole can. It took several days but she got better and better. She started going up and down stairs in about a week to a week and a half. For about 2 days she was almost completely normal. And then boom, the head bend. This time to the left. Appetite gone again. Does this still sound like possibly the old dog geriatric vestibular syndrome?

I know that taking a dog to a vet is the best thing. And we would. But fixed incomes and unemployment makes it impossible at the time. My mom and I have remained optimistic and I told her to just start the over the counter motion sickness meds again to see if it settles her stomach as well as maybe some people food to get her eating something.

My 16 year old dog is having these problems right now and I don't know what to do he cannont do anything he try to get up and can't, he is weeing himself purley for the fact he cannont stand. His head is tilting and it's got worse over night and his eyes won't stop moving from side to side, he's not slept all night and his eyes are constanlty moving! Will he get better? When will his eyes return to normal please help me I'm totaly unsure what to do he is still wagging his tail at me but is getting stressed because he cannont get up.

For the dog with the recurring head tilt, opposite side, canine stroke may also be a possibility. In both cases supportive care is about all that can be done so help her with getting up and moving around, hand feed as she may have physical difficulty eating and hope for improvement like you saw last time.
For the 16yo, as above, supportive care is important. It is always hard to watch but your dog is depending on you now to help him get up to go to the bathroom, hand feed and water, etc. As you read through these posts you'll see that most do improve. I hope that's true in your case.

Thanks for putting this information on the internet! My 12 year old Sheltie bitch started suffering these symptoms on Friday morning and I took her straight to her Vet. Because she has a leaky heart valve he has diagnosed a stroke but as the symptoms are the same only time will tell how much recovery she will get. It's desperate to see her like this but I'm hoping for the best in between bouts of tears. Thanks!

Hello
We have a 5.5 yr old yorkshire terrier who about 3 mths ago had all the signs of vestibular syndrome: rolling on the ground, nystagamus, head tilt and inability to walk. We took her to the vets and over a few days we had an initial diagnosis of GME and then vestibular syndrome. They diagnosed Predisone and an anti nausau pill. After giving her the pills, she regressed even more and had trouble getting up but after a few weeks she recovered very well and was almost the same dog. The only remaining symptom was a slight head tilt.
A couple months passed and we housesat another dog who as far as we know was perfectly healthy. The new dog and our old one didnt get along and the old one (yorkie) had a few bumps here and there barking and running around the other dog. Toward the end of the dogsitting our yorkie seemed to have trouble walking up and down stairs and now her hind quarters seem to go forward to the right so it seems that she is walking slightly sideways. Also her rear wobbles a bit after she lies down for a bit and she seems to stretch more than usual. We took her to the vet and they diagnosed vestibular disease and presribed predisone, we dont want to put her on it as predisone was presribed the first time she got sick as they didnt know if it was GME or vestibular disease. What should we do? give her the pills?
Thanks,
Vince

For the Yorkie, Please see the links in the article for stroke (would be more unusual at her age) and other neurological disorders. Talk to your vet about your concerns re the pills. If you are not getting the information you need, it may be time to seek a second opinion.

My 14 year old whippet/black lab mix had a seizure (or a stroke?) that lasted for about a minute. The next 2 days she was very weak, eye movements (Nystagmus?), head tilt, no balance, difficult to walk without help, no vomiting. One side of her of her body seems more weak than the other. She is improving slowly, drinking a lot (probably too much). Is this Vestibular syndrome? Stroke or seizure? Very healthy except she does have a heart murmur (3-4 on a scale of 1-6). She's 25 pounds, normal weight for her is 29, so quite skinny. Any help is appreciated...thank you

For the whippet cross- for a definitive diagnosis, you would need to take her to your vet. In terms of care, for both stroke and canine vestibular syndrome, supportive care-help with feeding, getting up and down, etc is most important. For epilepsy/seizure disorders there may be medications which can help but your vet would need to determine the best course of action based on an exam.

My 9 year old Rot started on Tues to have a head tilt and walk as if he were "drunk". I took him to the vet and they wanted to run all the test and we just don't have the money with a newborn in the house. They said it could be a stroke but I really don't think so. He is not eating very well wants me to hand feed him and I have been giving him babyfood because he seems to be having a hard time chewy up his dogfood. He is laying around and circling the house. He has been laying up against the walls of the house like he is trying to stablize himself. Does any of this sound like it could he canine vestibular syndrome? I would love your advice also I got him some meclizine that the vet recommended for his dizzyness.

For the Rottie- could easily be vestibular syndrome. Hopefully you will see some improvement in the next week or so.

My 3 years old toy poodle is currently suffering from the loss of balance ( the description is exactly the same as described in this forum). I have borught her to the vet in Surabaya,Indonesia , and there is nothing they can do except acupuncture and my dog is prescribed for antibiotic (Biothical 100mg).Unfortunately, there is not enough facilities for pets in my country, such as, CT SCAN. I really need your help, what kind of medication my dog should has since I can not just rely on the acupuncture. I really appreciate for your kind help .

Dawn - our 15 year old german short-hair pointer exhibited vestibular symptoms a little over two weeks ago. We took her to the vet twice - she seems to have stabilized, but still can't walk well. But my biggest concern is her lack of eating (she only eats a little bit every few days). We've tried everything (her standard food items [no luck], steak [she initially ate a lot but will not anymore], cheese, yogurt [some success], powder dog protein, ice cream [some success]). Any suggestions to get her to eat or what to eat? Also - she has lost a lot of weight. I'm just afraid not eating could be worse than the disease. How long can a dog realistically go without eating? Thanks

For the toy poodle, supportive care is most important but anti-nausea medication may help. CAT scans, etc would only rule out other potential problems. Acupuncture can be very helpful.
For both the poodle and the short-hair, it is sometimes necessary food-wise to hand feed as your pet may not be coordinated enough to pick food up. The anti-nausea medication (sea sick pills) at a dose suggested by your vet can also help tremendously on this. Baby food or pureed favorites might help but if you are not seeing improvement soon, it is time to talk to your vet again.

My Rottie mix, 10 yrs old, came down with this last week. He was doing really well and then got dizzier yesterday again. I question not giving him anti biotics as a precaution as I told the vet that he often has shaken his head like something is bothering his ears. She said an ear infection behind the ear drum required a CT scan to see, which she would not do. So IF ear infections can be an issue, why is my dog not on an antibiotic. He is on an anti acid and an anti nausea med only. Not even a steroid that I see mentioned frequently in this thread. Thanks

for the Rottie- steroids can have serious side effects and it is questionable as to whether they are of value in treating canine vestibular syndrome.Talk to your vet further re antibiotics but infection is not always a triggering factor in vestibular syndrome.

We just put down Abby, our 14 yr old Border collie/American Eskimo mix figuring she'd had a stroke. Now I see this article! Oh dear (: It's such a hard thing to determine (without expensive tests etc.) but as she was having other health issues, I'm still thinking we did the right thing. Her symptoms actually more closely followed stroke. All the same, I couldn't have watched her suffer through several weeks of incapacity. My husband and I cried and cried.....our dog's death was only one month after his own mother's death.....so sad. I think our other 2 dogs are missing Abby.

MY SHIH-TZU HAS VESTIULAR DISEASE WE WERE ON FAMILY VACATION AND HE BECAME ILL HE VOMITED AND MY DAUGTHER FOUND HIM AT 4 AM UNABLE TO STAND ARE WALK HIS EYES WERE MOVING VERY RAPIDLY ITS BEEN A VERY PAINFUL JOURNEY PUT I SEE PROGRESS IN HIM HE STILL HAS A SLIGHT HEAD TILT HE'S WALKING AND EATING AS WELL BUT THREW ALL OF THIS HE ASLO HAS WENT BLIND IN ONE OF HIS EYES THIS ALL HAPPEN ON AUGUST 13,2010.

Hi Dawn,
My dog is a dachshund approaching his 18th birthday and is my dearest little son. For the last couple of years occasionally he'd start coughing and then from this have a small fit where his eyes are blinking fast and he'll start walking backwards, once he even fell on his side and wet himself but usually by clapping, whistling or tapping him he clicked out of it.
Just over one week ago I thought the same thing was happening but his eyes were going from left to right and he couldn't walk or focus on me. Like many people on here I thought the worst and rushed him to an emergency appointment at the vets, the first vet I saw said that it was a very bad sign and must be a tumour and said I should put him down but I asked to take him outside to the car to say goodbye to him privately, call my family before doing so and when I took him back in 15 minutes later the vet had gone home. Another more senior vet looked at him and recognised that it may just be vestibular disease and to give him 48 hours to see if he clicks out of it. When I got home I researched a lot about it and read many posts on this forum, my dog was ecstatic to be home, tail constantly wagging and eating like a piglet as usual. He sleeps almost all the time and is unsteady on his feet and his eyes are still moving side to side but this seems to get better after he has slept and worse if he's tired.
The vet called today to check up on him and I explained that he sometimes sits and stares at the wall and he said that it sounds like more of a 'central' problem in the brain such as a tumor if he is doing that but I have read that many dogs with vestibular disease do this, the vet also felt that he should have recovered by now, (ie his eyes stopped moving), but it's only been a week. We are going in to see the vet again on his next available appointment which is Tuesday 14th September to see how my dog Toto is doing and to decide whether or not he should be put down. I know you say that you cannot diagnose but what is your opinion of my dogs symptoms please? (Sorry for writing an essay)
One final question, I bought him a harness today so I can support him while he is walking, can I take him on short walks in the park to give him more quality of life or is this not recommended? Up until last week he adored going to the park but I stopped taking him since he's had this, right now he just walks out to go to the toilet and straight back in again.
I await your response and thank you in advance :-)

For the dachshund, as you can see from many of the comments, it often takes longer than a week to fully recover from Canine Vestibular Syndrome. If you are seeing regular progress it is worth giving him more time. Let him decide about going to the park, if you head that way and he wants to go-let him have some fun. Plan to go when he is rested. Enjoy your time with him. Good luck.

Thank you for your very fast response Dawn, he is definitely making steady progress, just walked him around on his new harness and he loved it so I'll see how he feels about the park tomorrow. Bless you for taking the time to help all of us worried parents in need of answers x
p.s - A tip for anyone whose dog is suffering from Vestibular Disease, get a dog harness, works wonders for both you and your pet, my dog was literally smiling from having that extra support and not stressing about falling side to side, walking normally on the harness :-)
Thanks again Dawn.

5 year old black lab...when overheated playing, she gets the drunk walk going...but after water and the AC of the house, she is fine.
2 days ago, almost overnight, she can't close her mouth very well and she is having real problems drinking water. Her tongue is working fine, but her lower jaw sags and can seem to close it to get the water down her throat. Food is being eaten, but that is out of whack too...
Other than that, she is a happy lab...still wants to play, wagging her tail all the time....just this mouth thing.
Vet is baffled, gave her an anitbiotic due to some junk in one ear...waiting to see.

Do you think this could be Canine Vestibular Syndrome? We don't have the funds to get the tests done.
Thank you

For the lab-does not sound like vestibular syndrome. Talk to your vet (or get a second opinion) re other neurological or facial muscle problems that might be the cause.

Our 15 year old rat terrier... suddenly yesterday he started limping and tilting, lost appetite and couldn't jump onto his bed. Vet said this morning he had a stroke. While I am encouraged by reading that dogs recovered from strokes fast, Milo is not peeing... and if this persists, then his kidney will suffer and the vet said he'll need to put Milo to sleep. I think Milo is just confused about what's going on with his motor skills, any advise how to make him pee? I think I have about 8 hours left.

My five year old bearded collie suddenly stood in one spot then when he tried to walk collapsed. His eyes were not really moving side to side (nystagmus) but more a very slight buzzing. We carried him immediately to the car where he vomited. On route to the vets he was standing up in the car and by the time we got there he jumped out and seemed more or less normal. The vet said to fast him all night then had him back next day for blood tests which all came back normal. Could this be vestibular syndrome. Can recovery be so quick from this and is it likely to happen again. Thankyou

For the beardie- canine vestibular sydrome is one possibility although canine idiopathic (unknown cause) epilepsy should also be considered. Neither is a concern unless he has another episode.

Not enough information.Can canine vestibular syndrome last longer than 3 weeks. My dog is on her 5th week and is very weak in the legs. Is this normal for this syndrome? What can owners do to help their dogs recover faster.

For the dog with long term problems, canine vestibular syndrome can take time to resolve. In some cases it never completely resolves. If you are unsure talk to your vet or take her back in for a recheck. Aside from supportive care there is not much an owner can do to speed the recovery process.

Thank goodness I've heard about Idiopathic/Geriatric Vestibular Syndrome -- I have a 12 year old Belgian Malinois...she is full of energy, plays (herds) w/rocks, balls, & occasionally the old truck tire in the yard. The other day, she started staggering around...hard to keep her balance. Of course, I thought she had a stroke. Then I saw she had very jerky eye movements. Like many of the other posters here, I typed in jerky eye movements in dogs in a search site & found IVS/GVS/CVS (or whatever it's called these days!!) & was able to see that my dog, most likely, had this.

Also, I remembered when I had my lab-- (RIP -- she died at 16 1/2 years old) --that she exhibited some strange symptoms like these. Her vet said to keep her movement restricted, help her eat, etc. It happened 2x & my lab would recover in a few days.

So, back to my Belgian Malinois...it's been a few days now & she is MUCH better, thankfully...still has a bit of a head tilt...& we are keeping an eye on her. Neither my lab or my Belgian had any nausea, but definitely the faltering steps & the difficulty walking. Ironically, I can imagine what they are going through -- I suffer from vertigo caused by Meniere's Disease; I wish my vertigo would go away as quickly as my dogs' bouts of vertigo!

Oh, I am so glad to find this site. My 10 year old Mini Italian Greyhound just had the rest of his teeth removed a few weeks ago. He is now walking in circles, falling over, leaking urine in his bed, and seems to have lost the ability to see out of his right eye. His whole left side of his body is weak and he brushes up on things on the left when he walks...like the sofa. When I brought him home from the surgery he walked into 6 things on his left side. I assumed he had a reaction to the surgery in general. He is now at the point I described earlier. He seems to be getting worse, but he eats all his food and drinks when I bring him water. He just stands outside. We have to bring him in and out due to the steps off of our porch. He seems to do better towards evening. Our vet mentioned vestibular syndrome but kind of ruled it out because of he was not walking in circles that much. Now he does it all the time inside. He was fine when we dropped him off and then walking into things after. I understand that things can occur during surgery. It is alsways a risk . Is it possible that the surgery damaged his ears in some way? We were assuming it was a stroke but now I am questioning that. He has no eye movement back and forth or up and down. Any thoughts?

For the IG- both canine stroke and vestibular syndrome can have similar symptoms. In both cases the hope is that there will be improvement over time. The tooth removal may or may not be related to this situation. Talk to your vet about this.

Hello, My dog, Buddy is 13 years old and on Thursday she was leaping up the stairs then on Sunday my mother was grilling and Buddy always comes out with her but started to come out too far so my mom told her to get back. At which point it looked like her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. My parents had to carry her inside and then she had two accidents in the house. The vet told us it could be a brain growth or a stroke and we thought we would have to let her go because she wouldn't eat, barely drink and walk around, basically her quality of life had greatly diminished and we weren't sure what we should do. This article really helped and explained her perfectly. She's had ear infections since she was a puppy and all the symptoms describe her. We've been pureeing her food and massaging her. What else should we do?

For Buddy,
Supportive care, helping him feed and if he struggles with standing, helping him with that is the most important. If he has trouble with nausea, talk to your vet about medications for that.

The vet suggested this condition, but I am not sure if it is it? My dog had slowed down with her eating and her abdominal muscles began sagging and she got what the vet thinks is Horner's syndrome in her eye, and then the other day I walked into the kitchen and she was standing there very awkwardly and holding her head to one side. It wasn't too bad at first, she could walk around but her right front leg had exaggerated movements. I took her to the vet the next day and most notably he said her heart is enlarged and she has a chest tumor. She has a lot of tumors, so it is possible this may be cancer somewhere on the CNS. The vet said to just keep her comfortable, and that maybe it is vestibular syndrome and she will get better. Well over the last few days it is progressively worse where she cannot stand now at all, has trouble even sitting up. She can hardly eat because she has a hard time holding her head still. I hand feed her and give her water through a syringe tube because she cannot bend her head to drink. Her neck muscles on one side are contracting and pulling her head back and to the side. She has the symptoms of vestibular syndrome, except for nystagmus, and she is eating today, although yesterday she didn't. She is twitchy as well, she has loss of coordination and muscle contractions. Any thoughts please? Thank you so much.

This morning I was waiting for my vet to arrive (yes he still makes house calls) to put my 11 year old lab mix to sleep. Because of this article, this afternoon I am waiting to see what tomorrow brings. He has had a reoccurring ear infection his entire life and his symptoms are exactly what you describe in this article. Thank you so much, I'm praying for the best.

This is an amendment to my previous post. I am the person who was within minutes of putting my 11 year old lab to sleep on Sat 10/2/10 when I read this article. Without a lot of expensive diagnostics, based on blood test, it looked as though his spleen was failing and surgery was the best action, but his condition was grave and surviving the surgery was 50/50 at best. I decided to wait and hope for the best. I started treating his ear infection, got my vet to give him an antibiotic shot, and started oral antibiotics. I started out giving him water from a syringe and feeding him hot dogs by breaking them up small and forcing them into his mouth, rubbing his throat to coax him to swallow. I was carrying him outside to "potty" and he is 100+ lbs.
That was Saturday. Today, Monday, he is walking wobbly on his own, drinking water on his own and he just finished hot dog #9, all on his own. He is far from back to normal and has quite a ways to go but we are definitely on the right track. I cannot tell you thank you enough times.

For the lab- so glad it worked out the way it did. Hope you enjoy your time together.

I think my 12 year old Alsation/Wolfhound cross has been affected by this, last thursday he became unsteady on his feet, on Friday morning he had some kind of Fit, he seemed to lose his balance and roll, then his legs were flaying in the air, there was a look of sheer panic in his eyes, i calmed him and took him straight to the vet, who put him back on Metacam for his legs, he deteriorated Friday, was incontinent, unable to stand, his head tilted, and his eyes rolled upwards, Saturday night i managed to get him out around the car park, Sunday he improved a little and by Monday he was back out on his feet, its now Thursday, he still loses his balance a little, and keeps shaking his head, but my boy is nearly back to normal, Vet says this may happen a gain, and he may not survive next time, i am just keeping my fingers crossed, the worse thing is he wont drink so he is having re-hydration fluid, and he will only eat those sachets of dog food you usually only give to Westies etc!

Great article! My 13 year 8 month old black lab/chow mix developed symptoms last Thursday, left side of head drooping, vomiting, and unable to walk. Took her to vet and she can now walk -- like a drunken sailor. She is drinking water. Unfortunately, she is not eating. Put her on chicken and rice -- she will eat the chicken, but not the rice. Vet even tried cat food. Vet and I ae both concerned. Any suggestions on how to get her eating again? Vet says she needs to turn the corner in the next 48-72 hours.

I too am glad I found this article and the advice given. Can you give me some advice, Dawn.
My mum's dog is a tibetan spaniel, 7 and a half years old. Has, not had any prior health problems. Last week, one morning he vomited a lot, we did not think anything of it. 4 days late, he started salivating, his head tilted to one side, and both eyes, were flicking up and down. We took him to vets, who looked him over. Front legs, seemed to not be working properly. He was kept in over night. The next morning he had made a vast improvement, eyes and head back to normal, front legs fully working. He is more or less, back to his old self. He had a full blood test, which did not show anything. He has been put on antibiotics, steroids, also fortekor and bavtril. His blood pressure was taken and found to be high. I questioned the vet, as to the fact that he would have been stressed and would the result be reliable. The vet seems to think, he may need to take medication for the high blood pressure and wants to take it again in a few days time. After reading all the info on this board, can blood pressure have an effect on this condition and are readings taken when a dog may be stressed, reliable?
I would be grateful for any advice ?

For the Tibetan spaniel, the vet may be concerned about canine stroke syndrome as another possible cause for his symptoms. If that is the case, checking blood pressure is important. Your dog's blood pressure may be affected by being stressed but the veterinarian can compare between visits to see if it is consistently high.

Thank you , Dawn , for your swift reply. What are the likely causes of high blood pressure in dogs, and is long term medication the only answer. Is high blood pressure the likely cause of a stroke?

Accurate measurement of blood pressure in dogs has only been possible for a limited time so the role that high blood pressure may play, and the causes for the condition are less well understood than for humans. Talk to your vet about his/her reasons for considering the blood pressure medication. High blood pressure is risk factor for stroke in humans.

Thank you for your advice, Dawn. Much appreciated. Chris.

I have a 15 year old Cocker Spaniel that had her first vestibular event last summer (2009). She had a second event about a week later. Both events lasted about 2 hours. At that time I had all tests run, MRI, chest x-ray, heart test, blood work, etc. and there were no signs of a brain tumor /etc. so it was ruled a vestibular event. She has gone over a year and has now had two more within the past two weeks. The vet put her on clomipramine a few months ago for anxiety. After these events, she takes meclizine. My concern now is that there is a noticable incease in thirst and urination. She is drinking a lot more water than normal since the last event. Are these related or could there be another problem? My vet seems to not know.

For the cocker spaniel, talk to your vet about the potential side effects of the medication and about the possibility of canine diabetes as causes.

I have a 2 year old pitt/boxer she has all of these thing 3 days ago she aet a roll of panters tape the next day she had these . If anybody can help mr please do .I have bing going to the vet.But she is still the same. Any help will be helpful thanks

This morning my wife and I were woken by one of our 4 dogs jerking around in bed violently. His eyes were rolling up and down. We thought he was having a seizure and rushed him to the emergency vet in Tinton Falls, NJ. That is where he is now undergoing tests. We will hopefully know more when we get the results of the MRI later today. The neurologist said she does not think it is a seizure but more likely something to do with his brain. Perhaps he had a stroke, cancer, an infection. It's all up in the air right now. His name is Kitano...or Tano for short. He is turning 6 in 2 days and is a beautiful Alaskan Malamute/Timberwolf hybrid. Our dogs are our lives and my heart is breaking thinking of the possibly outcome of the situation. He is such a sweet boy and loves playing with the other 3 dogs. He has so much to live for. I am not a super religious person...not by any means but I am looking for answers right now and have no clue where to look. If you could keep him in your prayers it would mean the world to us. Meanwhile, just so far in the few hours the vet bill is over 3800.00 already. So basically his symptoms are cod not get up. Was bucking around. He wagged his tail when my sister met us at the vet. His eyes were moving rapidly up n down. Any advice would be appreciated. He is still at the vet. I am waiting to hear back hopefully soon. Chris

I have a 7 year old Pug. We just rushed her last night to the vet because she looked like she had a stroke. Her eyes were rapidly moving left to right, her head was tucked to the right, and she only walked in circles. The vet has kept her over night with IV antibiotics. She is staying again tonight. He (the vet) took x-rays that showed a slight difference in her right bulla. She has not improved so she is staying again tonight. She has had CHRONIC ear infections since 6 months of age. The doctor is telling us to think about the surgery ear canal ablation (removal of both ear canals). I am at a lost!! I have no idea what to do. I don't want her to be in pain or go through this. What should I do?? My husband and I are both school teachers, so we are not made out of money. The two nights in the hospital plus the x-rays are already $1000. Any ideas would be very helpful!! Thanks for the article!!!!

For the pit/boxer- canine vestibular syndrome usually resolves. Just make sure the tape passes through the dog's digestive system

For Kitano, canine vestibular syndrome is a possibility if the neurological tests come back negative. Fingers crossed.
For the pug, canine vestibular syndrome is also a possibility. Get your dog stabilized before you look into the need for ear surgery.

Just 8 hours ago I took my 10 year Aussie mix for a walk. Just as she relieved herself she staggered and I though she hurt her arthritic hips. When we got home she collapsed on her bed and could not walk. Then I saw the rapid eye movements and that she was nauseated, drooling, panting and yawning although she never vomited. Rushed to the emergency vet who suspected Vestibular Syndrome. She suggested leaving her there overnight hooked up to fluids and wait for some improved before doing other tests. Does this sound reasonable?

For the Aussie, holding her overnight and making sure she is hydrated(giving fluids) is very wise. They can also assess how unstable she is and give you a better idea of how to manage her at home.

After freeking out yesterday with my 14 yo dog Grenya stubbling and falling down, thinking he was dying, I made him comfortable on the couch laying beside him. After calming down I imediatley turned to my computer for help. I found this site and was happy to run across all these posts about this terrible syndrome. I do belive that is what has happend to my dog as well. I can't afford the pricey vet bills. and it seems there really is not much the vet can do that I am not already doing for him. Since yesterday he has improved 90% he can walk without falling down he is just a bit wobbly. He has a good appetite and is drinking water no problem. He does have the eye thing a bit but he sure seems better today. I am going to stay by his side and pray he continues to get better. Thankyou for all your comments this has made me feel like I am not going through this alone. To all you out there with your dogs being ill, just keep them warm happy and calm. be patient and hopefully your dog will recover as well like mine is. P.S. Thanx Dawn for all your answers. It sure is helping us all.

Hello Dawn, Thank you so much for your helpful website. We have a 15 year old Cocker Spaniel. She is deaf and has been losing her sight for the past few years. Otherwise, she is in great shape (up until this morning). Her weight is in check and has had no other known health issues. This morning she woke up staggering and not being able to walk well. She falls downs frequently and has her head is constantly tilted to the left. She isn't eating, not even any treats. She did eat some soft food, but tilted her head way to the left to eat. She won't lay down and rest and seems to be staggering around. She won't climb or decend stairs and is real unsure of her footing.

Due to her age, I'm trying to avoid costly vet bills. She was going to be kenneled this week, as we are going out of town for vacation. My question is, does this sound like Vestibular Syndrome? And I thought kenneling her for a week might be helpful to her because she'll be a little more confined than if she was at home. My daughter is crushed and worried about leaving her. Is kenneling her for a week helpful or hurtful?

For the cocker-canine vestibular syndrome or canine stroke syndrome are the most likely causes. Kenneling (if it is a place where she is comfortable, won't be stressed, and they are willing to do a bit extra-helping her eat/etc) is a possibility. If you have a good relationship with your vet and they have dog boarding facilities that would also be an option, as she could be cared for and the vet would close by should anything go wrong.
Good Luck

We have been fostering a large pug named Winston. Last night Winston started having all the symptoms described here (except vomiting). Because I found this page I avoided rushing him to the emergency vet at 3am. We're going to take him to our regular vet on Mon. to check his ears since he had ear infections when he came to us, so thanks for the info and for saving us some money and worry. After about 18 hours, Winston is doing better, he can walk, but still has the eye movement and some head tilt.

Dawn,
I just wanted to thank you for the time you have taken to assist those of us us who have pets that have fallen victim to this syndrome. We have a 13 year old Jack Russell; it is 36 hours after initial onset and he is slowly and steadily improving. Your postings were a great asset in helping us to deal with this crisis. A special thanks from "Cadbury."

I just began to experience all the listed symptoms of this today with my soon to be 9yo shepard/lab mix. He was fine when I got home but a couple hours after the symptoms began. He has never had anything like this before but is on a long-term regimen of Flagyl because he had frequent recurrences of intestinal irritation the last few months. We have read the side effects of long term use of this drug are the same as listed above. We are hoping it resolves in the next few days as we have stopped giving him (Cooper) the Flagyl. My fingers are crossed. I was wondering your thoughts on this Dawn. Thanks and Happy Holidays! Chris

For Cooper- it is always wise to discontinue medications when you see symptoms like those listed in the side effects information. Talk to your vet about other possible medications for the digestive issues (unfortunately flagyl is one of the best for getting at some common digestive problems).
Good luck

This article helped me so much and put my nerves to rest a little. My 7 1/2 year old Golden Retriever presented this morning with wobbly eyes and head tilting. He wanted outside to go to the bathroom, which he had no problem doing but when he went to come back in, it was like he didn't know where he was. He had a hard time going up 3 stairs and when he was in the house he was stumbling a bit. It was like he was blind and had a stroke. Rushed him to the vet and by the time we got there he was fine. The vet did a very thorough exam and gave him a clean bill of health. She had no idea what the problem may have been but she did take blood to see if that showed anything. He has always had very bad ears. Infections and constantly dirty. I am hoping the blood tests don't show anything more serious. It was very scary to watch my dog go thru this and I am praying that it doesn't happen again!

Thanks, this was helpful, or at least confirming. Early this morning when our sweet old dog was frantic & rolling, it helped to roll her loosely in an old sleeping bag. She stopped struggling & hyperventilating & went back to sleep for a couple of hours. When she starting moving again we unrolled her & she remained calm. We'll keep that in our bag of tricks!

My border collie Jim age 14yrs just gone though this, it is a heartbreaking thing for both the dog and the owner.Jims since recovered from this over the last few days- The vet gave him prednisone. The eye nystagmus and front splayed legs went after 4 days.Unfortunatly Jims rear legs had gone lame before this attack so he may have been on his legs sooner.All you can do is give them alot of love 24/7 if you can, gently massage all over their body, feed them soft light foods and water off a spoon (little and often) if they can't eat by themselves. Keep chatting to them. Above all don't give up..many dogs recover from this although initially you proberbly would'nt believe it as they are so poorly.
Jims now standing unaided for brief spells although wobbly..has finished his course on Prednisone 2 days ago. Hes perked up lots.
Hope your doggy does too and gets better soon...Cj

Firstly, I would like to say how helpful reading all the comments and responses have been. Yesterday morning my 9-10 yo collie/sbt cross fell out of bed and vomited. I took him downstairs, he was a bit wobbly. Once downstairs he started stumbling around drunkedly. I took him out and he did his business and then unusally he wanted to come straight back in. He then rapidly went downhill, eyes flicking, head tilting, I took him to my vets. They pretty much straight away diagnosed CVS.

What I would like to add to the discussion is that there have been signs in the last few months leading to this episode. Occassionally Bez would vomit and also he had a bit of trouble on occasions with his legs, this I put down to a diagnosed arthritic problem in his front left paw.

Bez has not moved from the sofa now for 36 hours, eyes are still flicking, head tilted and the inability to get up, although he has shown willing on ccasion. He did take some water last night and ate some bread soaked in milk. This site has reassured me that he is not in pain as such, just disorientated and will hopefully (everything crossed) get better.

Once again thanks again for this site, as I now have hope from the depth of despair.
Mike

Dear Dawn,

My 17 year old lab mix, Gracie had what we thought was a strok ethis evening. It sounds like it may be Vestibular Syndrome after reading this site. My husband went into our room and found her lying in a pool of urine unable to stand. She attempted to once and then fell back down. I was out running errands when he called and when I came home I laid down wioth her petting her and talking with her. I had to leave the room for a moment and when I did she stood up and followed me (much to my joy!). she is eating small bites of food, wagging her tail and walking around a bit when we move from 1 room to the next. She did not have noticeable head tilt or eye movement. What is the likelihood that this is Vestibular syndrome?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Jill

For Gracie, it is possible it was canine vestibular syndrome as not all dogs show all symptoms. It could also have been an epileptic seizure. Either way, as long as she continues to improve that's what counts. Probably best to check with her vet just to be sure.

Our 15 year old springer has recently suffered his second episode, he has been at the vets for 3 days and will still not stand. We did get him to eat some chicken yesterday but he will not lift his head today. The vet is suggesting we have him put to sleep if there is no improvement by tomorrow. I would prefer to bring him home to see if that helps his recovery. What are your thoughts on this?

For the springer- talk to your vet about the possibility of taking him home. Sometimes a familiar environment does help but be prepared for the worst

Doc,
My Collie is a 3-4 year old rescue dog that started spinning about 10 days ago. It took about 4 days before the vomiting took place and one huge urinary accident. We were traveling for the holidays and she was very stressed out. She didn't eat or drink for 3 days, but did get an IV before our trip home. Now she still spins in circles, will eat soft foods, will drink a little water, and when she sees something she wants to chase like a jogger or squirrel she will go after it at about 75% speed and volume. I never saw the eye jitters you describe, never saw
a seizure and she seems like she's getting better. The spinning has me worried, she will twitch a little when she's chilling out, but not a lot and not for very long. I'm just waiting to see if she gets better because the vet in my folks town really didn't have a definitive diagnosis. Do you think I should get a local vet to check her out, or should I be content with gradual improvement? Should I take her to a teaching hospital like at TX A&M?

For the rescue collie that is starting to spin, see the link above to articles on neurological disorders in dogs. You would be best to work with a veterinary behaviorist or a certified applied animal behaviorist as this is complex canine problem which may involve mental as well as medical conditions

My parents have a 14yr/o carrin terrier, he has tipped/collapsed 3 times in the past two months. 1.Face pant while jumping over a gutter 2. tiped over while peeing 3. While outside about to pee. He seems to make a full recovery in minutes, almost as soon as you set him back down. When he falls over it looks like he gets the wind knocked out and make a similar whipping/howl. When i picked him up his head seemed to be tilted or limp.

thank you for this reassurance. Our lovely Tia has tentative diagnosis of mini stroke and has all the symptoms described. So under review of the fantastic vet who is treating. But this article did reassure me...thanks

For the cairn terrier-talk to your vet about canine idiopathic epilepsy (see the excellent article here on Suite by Dr Lori Huston) as well as considering the possibility of your dog having had a stroke.

My lab is 1 and1/2 years old. She has been healthy until 2 days ago. She is not eating and when I can get her to eat she throws it up. He has trouble drinking water, spilling more than he drinks.She is leaning to the left and falling down when she tries to walk if not up against a wall or person for support.. I took her to the vet and we are treating him the antibiotics even though the vet saw nothing in her ears. I don't have any more money for further tests. Can we do anything else for him. He doen't seem to be in any pain.

for the young lab, although canine vestibular syndrome is a possibility it is less common in young dogs. See the suggestions and comments above regarding supportive care. Try feeding just tiny amount of broth first. If she holds that down try adding a bit more food to it. If she continues to vomit ask your vet about anti-nausea medication.

Hi, I have just read your comments and this article is really useful. My nearly 14 year old Dalmatian, Bonni took ill this morning and when we took her to the vets she was diagnosed with CVS. She seems settled although very wobbly and her eyes are flickering all the time.Does this illness distress them? I know that sounds a stupid question as she is dizzy and disorientated, but she seems fine when settled in her bed. How distressing is it to a dog?

Re dogs with canine vestibular syndrome being distressed. Because of the neurological aspect of canine vestibular syndrome, dogs do become disoriented. Letting them stay in a familiar resting place most of the time (one reader had good luck wrapping her very upset dog in an old sleeping bag to calm her down) and guiding or assisting them whenever they have to move around helps. Some dogs do better if their people are nearby, others rest quietly when left alone.

three years ago, my 14 year old chow mix became very suddenly ill with vestibular syndrome- suddenly as in walking across the floor and then collapsing and losing balance. at the time, it (understandably) scared me to death! it's a very very scary thing to see, and your mind immediately goes to "stroke" or worse. i took her to the emergency vet for what i thought was going to be a final visit and goodbye, but was incredibly relieved to discover how common this affliction is in older dogs. the vet's preliminary diagnosis was vestibular disease, but while they took her back for tests i sat in the waiting room on my iphone and looked up everything possible on this thing that i had never heard of. by the time the vet came to get me and told me that hers was most likely ideopathic, i knew as much as i could from sites such as this. she fully recovered about 2 1/2 weeks later, and today (yes, she's 17!) shows no signs of her bout with vestibular syndrome. i'm writing because tonight, my middle dog (plott hound, female, 14) suddenly showed the exact same symptoms and obviously has the same situation. although i'm going to take her to the vet in the morning just to be sure, because i had experienced this before i was much, much more calm and not panicked this time around. she's resting comfortably now in her bed with pillows and couch cushions around her to protect her from falling into walls or corners in the middle of the night should she try to get up. i encourage people who read this site to please- although it is a very scary thing to see, do NOT panic. your panic will cause your dog to become nervous and upset, which will exacerbate their problem. thank goodness i'd been through it once before- it made this episode with another dog so much easier. good luck to all!

When I came home last night my 14 yr old Spaniel mix suddenly had rapid side to side eye movements and was walking in circles to the right; her hind end would drop every so often, she couldn't do the stairs at all. She had eaten but had thrown up in her blanket, and she'd piddled a huge puddle on the floor. She was already on pills for urinary incontinence that were working fine. She didn't seem to be in any pain. I too suspected a stroke or other neuro problem. An emergency rm trip resulted in initial impression of Vertigo aka CVS. So relieved it may be temporary, am watching her for 48 hrs and she has nausea med 60 mg Cerenia, but won't eat even though I have to crush them into her food. The vet assistant could only get her to take one pill and sent an extra one home for me to try to sneak in. She never would take pills no matter how they were administered, so I knew she was still herself in spite of all this scary change. I have to carry her in/outside as she can't manage the steps and falls. Thanks for your web page it is very helpful.

Hi everyone. First off this site has been a God send and I just want to say, keep up the good work. From what I read, it has helped and relieved so many people who love their dog beyond measure, as we all should. My own 13yr old had her first attack just over a week ago. Which bought me to this site looking for answers. She has always been fit and healthy. She was a pack of three who were her mother and sister. They sadly passed on last year due to kidney disease and stroke.
Since then I think she has been depressed and have wondered many times if she misses them.It must've been strange suddenly being on her own. I do know that she hasn't been the same since. She is now on anti-biotics but had another although milder episode two days ago. She has recovered now as she did the last time. I know she will go through this again and my words to you all are this. Just be there for her/him. I believe that is all they ask of you. And lets be honest, our best friends don't ask for a lot.

My 13+ yr old lab first experienced Vestibular Syndrome Feb 8, 2010 about 2 a.m. She could not stand; her back legs seemed to give out. I then saw her eyes rapidly moving left to right and after googling it found what she probably had was Vestibular syndrome, a.k.a Old Dog’s Disease. A few hours later we made a visit to the vet where she confirmed and prescribed motion sickness pills.

After my experience of going through this MY ADVICE IS: BE PATIENT, STAY CALM, KEEP THE ROOM WHERE THEY ARE WELL-LIT AT ALL TIMES (darkness will confuse them more), GIVE THEM MOTION SICKNESS PILLS. They will get through it.

My dog’s rapid eye movement improved gradually and stopped within 2 days. After 24 hours she was more stable on her feet but still wobbly. With 36 hours she was much improved and within a week she was mostly recovered. Since the occurrence I've had to hold her food dish level for her to eat or else she spills it all over the place. If she looks up at me while she's walking she stumbles. Other than that she's been just fine and lived a great life, still walking a mile and a half daily.

Last night she had a very mini similar episode (occurrence can happen). Just before it happened she was very restless and anxious. Then she started staggering as if she were drunk, quivering, and her eyes were bouncing left to right. It lasted about 30 seconds and then she was fine. She’s now 14 ½ . She’s been one fantastic, faithful, companion. She gives me the strength to allow her life to be graceful until the very end.

I hope my experience will help anyone else out there who goes through this with their pet.
Be patient, it will pass.

Hello my 7 yr old Chihuahua mix is having symptoms like these. I brought him to the vet and they did xrays and blood work and nothing came up. He can hardly stand or walk, he will not eat or drink. His face is twitching and his body is shaking. He urinates in his sleep. They gave me a prescription for infection but there was no infection in the blood work. Do yoiu think he may have this? Will it always be this way? Its hard to watch such a playful dog turn into this. Please help.

I had little knowledge of this debilitating condition until my Rhodesian Ridgeback suddenly began to exhibit textbook symptons. He is a big guy at 125 lbs and in all of his 7 years, he has never had a serious illness. There are plenty of websites and blogs out there that offer a wealth of information on this condition; and for them I am SO greatful. What I haven't seen a lot of, is information regarding rehabilitation. 'Seven' is now 3 weeks along since his first symptoms appeared and is nearly completely back to normal. One issue we have with him since the illness is that he absolutely refuses to go down any stairs. Being as big he is, this has presented some problems. I think its important info to share with everyone, that you may have to reteach your dog some things as a result of this disease. One way that we are helping Seven not be so frightened of stairs is to harness him ($7 at Walmart) and support him (phyically) as we coax him down the five steps that lead to his run (for potty breaks). Initally he was very resistant, but with patience, lots of treats and heavy praise, he is getting his confidence back and even though he's still scared, he's not so stressed. Also, more good information for Ridgeback owners specifically is to be aware that this breed is known to have an abundance of yeast in their ears, vs. bacteria. We are in constant managment to keep him in good health as it relates to ears. If your vet prescribes vinegar/water irrigation, beware that this only creates a bigger issue for yeast growth. The result is incessant head shaking and scratching as well as head rubbing. It is miserable for them. Ask your vet to check for yeast with a simple culture.

Our husky/cross just came down with this very suddenly 2 days ago. She has the head tilt and is unsteady on her feet but still able to walk. So far no vomiting. When we took her to the vet he knew what it was right away. Imagine my surprise when I heard the diagnosis as I have suffered from Vertigo since 1997 and have never had a diagnosis. I can totally relate to what my dog is going through. So to everyone out there, please be patient with your animal. Just imagine your own head spinning so wildly that you throw up, can't stand up and have to crawl to get anywhere. Most of the time all you want to do is lay down and sleep and pray that when you wake up it's all over. What these animals are going through is the same as what humans go through with vestibular problems so please get informed as to what can help them. This is a wonderful site with good information. Thank you for starting it. Donna

A lot of help thks, Because that's is just what dog is doing.

My 14 year old german shepherd was diagnosed with this a week ago. After a few days he rallied and seemed to get better. After a good day he totally had a relapse and now is affected on both sides. I took him to the vet this weekend and was told that it is going to take a few weeks or more! So don't let a good day fool you. Its so hard because you never think anything can happen. I can't forget he is an old boy and needs to rest. Thats the key let them rest and they will come around, do not rush the dog. I fear I did so and escalated the illness.

This site is indeed a source of salvation. Our collie cross Homer had an attack in Dec 09. She got up was a bit wobbly, vomited white foam & urinated & then her legs gave way. Then her eyes started the rapid flicking from side to side movement & she genuinely looked petrified. As does everyone else we thought immediately of a seizure or a stroke. The vet took one look at her & said CVS. Likewise I had never heard of this so immediately searched the internet for as much guidance as possible. We read over & over that we should give her 24/7 care & just keep her calm. The vet had given her an injection of cortizone but nothing for the motion sickness (if she has another attack I would defintely want to help her with some). We managed to syringe water regularly into her mouth & tempted her to eat small amounts of scrambled egg, chicken & cottage cheese. Either myself or my husband stayed with her constantly & just kept a hand on her & spoke soothingly as we knew now how frightened she was. Within 3 days she managed to stand with support & go to the toilet (that was the major breakthrough) Being a nosy old girl she kept wanting to be up but every time she would just veer off to the right & bounce off the wall. Within a week we saw a major improvement. Within about a month she was back to running about altho she would often bump into things.
A further examination revealed a massive lump on her side which we now treat with Tramadol just to make it easier for her but we dont believe this contributed to the incident. Now, 14 months on she is back to being the total pain that I love. She tries to chase squirrels (she is 15 now) but bumps into trees. Dogs are so resilient & they adapt so well. She still has off days but to be honest she seems to take herself off to a quiet place & pulls herself through it. I think she has actually had several small ones since but she deals with them on her own.
I would recommend a lot of love, attention & patience for any dog showing these signs.
Oh & we also now clean & treat her ears every week just in case it helps avoid any ear infections.

For the lab with high blood pressure-there is a chance the medications are involved in what is happening with your dog. By trying this morning without, you may get an answer. If one of the medications, or the combination is the problem, you can work with your vet to try alternative medications.
Good luck.

Apologies for what I am sure will become a long message, I guess part of it is just that I need to write down how I am feeling, That is, very sad and upset over the loss of my dear Collie X, Willow.

Whether or not this is what my poor girl had I don't know. Certainly some of the symptons do sound like it, although she wasn't being sick. I got her from the Canine Defence League/Dogs Trust Rescue Centre here in the UK when she was 12 weeks old and I'd had her for over 16 years before making the most difficult decision of my life a couple of days ago and calling the vet to the house.

She slipped away peacefully, with no signs of distress and very quickly. That's a blessing for her sake of course and I guess for me, but I miss her so much and really regret doing it now...things will never be the same and I wonder if I could have done more for her towards the end. She was a brilliant dog and living alone, amazing company, even as she aged and found life more of a struggle. She really was mans faithful friend, never judging and always a constant companion, for such a very long time,

Unfortunately for us both the long walks had ended some time ago, as she slowed down, but she was always there, just to talk to, stroke, hug and care for,

For over 12 months she'd been through illness, on and off, with no definite diagnosis. The vet had previously thought she'd had mini-strokes at different times, but I'm not sure. I do know that several times in the past I thought I was going to lose her little soul. She had a heart murmour her whole life and about 18 months ago had needed to go on to a drip when she became very dehydrated after one of these fits. She always seemed to rally round though - to battle through any of these little turns. Sadly though, not this time.

Certainly she did hold her head to one side and pace, or circle which was upsetting to see and she often fell over and bumped in to thngs. She was going deaf and blind and would only eat soft food and I virtually had to spoon feed her. She would push her mouth, side on in to her bowl. Drinking too, became a challenge, requiring her bowl being held to her face and then drinking alot of water at a time. Whether this was sign of kidney damage I do not know. Things must have been getting traumatic for he and she began wetting her bed often. The night before I called the vet she was moving her legs on her bed as if trying to get up, but couldn't and for the first time ever, she started to whine until I got out of bed and to her (the bedroom is adjacent to the hallway and I left my bedroom door open), as though she was becoming distressed. She went through three beds in quick succession, wetting each one in turn. Throughout the night I would get out of bed and put her on her feet, but she would then circle, pace, walk into things and fall over. It was so sad to see. I tried getting her to drink but she wouldn't so I attempted to give her water through a sringe but to little avail. I felt so bad because after a while and through little sleep for myself it became a bit annoying - the clawing at the floor, the pacing, falling over and then the minute I put her back on her bed, doing it all over again. 1am, 2am, 3 and 4am came and went but I will regret, forever that I may have raised my voice or became tense over it - I doubt she would of heard a raised voice but I expect she picked up on the tension. I guess I was just so tired. Along with this of course I stroked her and comforted her but I also feel I was unfair to her now. I wish I had pulled a blanket in to the hallway and slept alongside her on her final night,

The next morning I carried her outside as usual so she could go toilet, which she did. She had a little stumble around the lawn, with me supporting her to prevent her falling. Then she slept most of the morning, with me working from home and stroking her every time she seemed distressed or to be moving her legs whilst lying on her bed. She wouldn't drink and she went so sleep, sleeping peacefully for a few hours but hardly reacting when I stroked her, barely opening her eyes. It was then that I thought that perhaps the time had come - after thinking this on several occassions over the past few months, but not wanting her to have any more torment or stress in her life now. The week before I had taken time off of work thinking it was the end and she would go naturally, but I hated the thought of her slipping away in pain or when I wasn't there to comfort her. She was rarely left alone though - when I was at work she was taken to my mums house to be looked after and cared for until I got home. Still though, I wanted to be there when the time came.

The 40 minute wait for the vet was at home, with Willow lying on her bed with me and my mum, who had now arrived at my house, stroking her and comforting her, I I had hoped the vet would arrive at the house and said there was hope for her or that she still had a chance, but the she was very surprised that she didn't even open her eyes when she and her nurse came into the house or when they both reached out and stroked her. She told me the kindest thing to do was to help her on her way and that she would possibly go naturally in the next day or so anyway and that helping her on her way was the kind way and that there was no way out of this for my girl - whenever it was it would be sad and difficult - but that this was the best thing for her now. The vet said we'd have to hold her up as there was little circulation in her legs and that she would need to shave some of her hair of her leg to do it. Not a nice though - thinking this would wake her and she would become worried and upset. I stroked her, cried, and supported her, she barely woke, just opening her eyes and looking at me before (and within seconds) slipping away. She had gone - peacefully, with no struggle,

After more than 16 years it's so final and within such a short period of time. I wish she was still here at my side. For now there is just an empty space in my house, where she once slept and an empty space in my heart where she will be loved always.

I will miss Willow every day. She will always be loved and remembered with the fondest of memories. And never replaced.

excellent helped alot

My 14+ lab mix exhibited most of the CVS symptoms but prior to seeing her vet and this article, we thought for sure it may have been a stroke. Prior to the event she was in good shape, still very active and to see these symptoms effect her was heart wrenching. She had the head tilt, nystagmus, unable to walk without falling, and vomitting. Her vet initally thought a stroke but after watching her she noticed her tail wagging and that she she was quite responsive and felt that it was CVS. She put her on Meclizine which seemed to help. She also had two consecutive acupuncture treatments 2 days after onset of symptoms, which truly seemed to help her greatly with her balance and nystagmus. It has been 2 weeks and the only residual symptoms I see is when she jumps on something soft like a chair she loses her footing slightly. I would hightly encourage acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy.

Hi, I have an 11 yo malamute that has been dealing w/ this issue for 2 months now. She has had 3 courses of prednisone, that last for 1 month. She improves eventually while on the steroids, but within days after, relapses into another episode. We just had a full set of xrays which were clean, no bone problems that could be causing this. Had the xrays done because last time she had a great deal of pain in her back. I have 2 questions:
1) Is cvd known to keep recurring in some dogs? 2) is there any other treatment we can try besides keeping her on steroids? I guess a third question, what will happen if this can't be controlled? Thank you, Barb

For the malamute- 1) some dogs do have recurrences of canine vestibular syndrome but what you are describing sounds like the pred is only controlling whatever is going on as she is back in trouble as soon as the effects of the steroid wears off. Talk to your vet about other possible causes (stroke, tumor, etc) for this condition.
2) you may also want to find a veterinary practice that utilizes Traditional Chinese Medicine or other alternative therapies to reduce her need for steroids.
3) If the canine vestibular syndrome (or whatever the problem is) can no longer be controlled you will, unfortunately, have to make some tough decisions regarding her quality of life. That said, if she is controlled on the steroids and it buys you some quality time together, that's not a bad thing.

Please help me, please. My baby was fine on saturday morning. When I got home from work saturday night, Wolfgang could not move. His eyes were shifting back and forth. He was just limp and not there. I rushed him to the emergency hospital and received no answers. I have been told that it could be central vestibular or a massive stoke. He was so unresponsive on saturday. I visit him every couple hours. Today (monday) when I arrived, he picked his head up and looked at me. I maybe holding on to hope, but I think that is a sign. His nystagmus is not nearly as bad as it was on saturday, but he still has it. He raised his tail today. I cannot let him go. I do not want to put him down, if he has a chance of getting better. Can anyone help me? My heart is broken. I don't think I can let him go. Madison

For Madison and Wolfgang, the fact that you are seeing some improvement is a good sign. Now you need to be prepared for a slow road to more recovery. Read the (great) comments by others about what helped and what they went through to better understand how to give Wolfgang the best chance for doing well.

My 15 year old golden retriever has advanced hip dysplasia and can barely walk anymore. She is noticably losing her quality of life. Now she has the same symptoms described here and it is her second episode. We have been contemplating putting her down this spring, and have a vet on the way today. It is so hard to know when the time is right. How long do we let her suffer? Is she suffering that much? It is so hard to know for sure.

For the golden retriever, I wish I could give you a definitive answer on making this difficult decision but it really is a very individual choice. One thing to look at is good days vs bad. If there are more bad days than good, especially if your are experiencing another episode of canine vestibular syndrome which will be hard on your dog, it may make the decision easier but you know your dog better than anyone else does and ultimately, you have to do what feels right for you and your dog.
It is never easy. I wish you strength and peace in this difficult time.

i have a quick question, does the syndrome always develop quickly overnight or is it possible for it to start with the dog showing a very slight tilt of the head but nothing else, our dog has this very problem, we took her to the vet thinking it was a back problem, reason which we took some xrays that showed no problems, later that week the tilt become more pronounced and the lose of balance suddenly appear she vomited during the firs day but she is eating well and shows more appetite than usual,there is also no unusual eye movement, in addition to the tilted head and loss of valance she also occasionally looses all balance and starts rolling around with great disconfort, we have taken her to a couple of veterinarians but all test result fine and they tell us to just wait and see....but i find this all very frustrating , my dog is 10 years old, the thing that worries me the most is that the first sign of slightly tilted head was caught over a month ago, but it was not until a week ago that the condition suddenly worsened , i have read that this syndrome may cure itself after 3 weeks but i dont know if i must start counting from over a month ago when there was no way of knowing what it was or from a week ago when the symptoms where more clear....

Great article, thanks. My 13 yr old kelpie had a sudden onset of GVD 4 days ago with head tilt, nystagmus, facial twitching and inability to walk. His symptoms have decreased slowly, the nystagmus and facial twitch have almost gone, however he is still having a lot of difficulty getting around and is still refusing food. He can get to the raised water bowl but doesn't get much in as his tongue seems affected. He has had 3 previous episodes 2-3 yrs ago which self-resolved within 1 day, however, the 3rd one lasted 6 days after which he made a full recovery. Over the last month I have twice thought I noticed some head tilt and unsteady gait but it passed after a few seconds. He has a history of traumatic brain injury on the effected side at age 3 mths which resulted in respiratory arrest (revived with 'mouth to snout') and subsequent hospitalisation for a week; I have always been waiting for that to catch up with him. I am in a remote part of the country and so have to just try and help him as best I can and hope he continues to slowly improve.

I have to echo other folks and thank you wholeheartedly for your article. This just happened to my German Shepherd yesterday morning. Suddenly tried to stand up and was shaking then fell down and couldn't get up and was clearly disoriented. We got him to the emergency vet where they thought stroke (or maybe brain tumor as he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer - but the cancer has not spread) but amazingly by last night he was up and walking again (albeit slowly) and I am going to take him home this evening. At this point I think my health may have suffered the most. Am pretty sure the experience shaved several years off of my life. You probably answered this in more detail below but I only got through 2008 (sorry!). Should this happen again, are you saying we can treat at home? Or should we go to the vet every time? I know they gave him some shots for medications to help with the dizziness and according to the vet, this helped speed his recovery. I am praying this was a one time thing, but I do want to be better prepared should it happen again. Any comments?

May dog Quai Quai is 15 years old. 2 weeks ago, she was vomiting & have no appetite, so we took her to the vet. The vet said Quai Quai have teeth infection & have affected other organs. Quai Quai also have kidney failure (2/3 of it) & her white blood cell is way above normal. So the doctor first prescribe . The first two days after Quai Quai took the med, she was eating a little bit. But the third day she was bumping into things & having trouble walking. The fourth day her whole body became stiff & her head was title towards the left & she couldn't move at all (her would body was paralyze). So we took her the the vet again, which is this monday & told me it might be a tumor (but need further examination) or vestibular syndrome. So he prescribed a med title as steroid Predesilone. After taking the med for two days, she is still unable to move her legs or head. There were time where her mouth would open & her tongue would come her & she will be grasping for air (seems like she is having trouble to breath). Also her eyes are kind of red & is moving left & right nonstop. Is this normal? Is she in a lot of pain (we are all so upset seeing her like this). We dont know what to do & the doctor is so unhelpful...we dont know whether it is time for her to go or we should still monitor her for a while? we are just scare that she is in a lot of pain. Hopefully someone can guide us what to do at this point.

For the shepherd- recurrences are not unusual. But, as you have learned, this is generally not a life-threatening event so there is no need to rush to the veterinary emergency clinic. You may want to talk to your vet about having medications on hand so that you can begin supportive treatment as soon as your dog shows symptoms, with the agreement that you will call to update them if the condition recurs.
For Quai Quai- you are the only person who can make that decision for your dog but you can talk to your vet about the chance for recovery and quality of life. If you are unsure, give it a day or two to see if there is any improvement. This is never an easy decision, but with our dogs we have the privilege of being able to end their suffering and, when the time is right, we should honor them by doing so.

My 7 yr old Aussie/Golden Retriever woke me up at 4:30 this morning pacing the hallway leaning on the wall to his left and circling. seems to be dragging one paw but I can't tell which one. He has a head tilt and didn't want to go for our walk or truck ride today. At first I thought he was upset that I brought home a new puppy (someone tossed out at a stop sign) because he has been irritable with her. But I also switched food for both my dogs (and now the new puppy) from Pedigree to Tractor Supply Company Bones & Bites. We also got back from a road trip a week ago. the food hasn't affected my Lab in a bad way. She is the reason I switched. No matter how much food or supplements she was over weight but would chase the ball till she fell over. She had breathing issues I was told because she was over weight. Since the food change 2 weeks ago she has lost 1lb and her breathing issues have dramatically reduced. She also eats way less and doesn't try to eat everything she can find.
Casey (Aussie/Golden Retriever) is only 7 and until yesterday was very active and very attached to me. meaning the refusal to get in the truck was VERY shocking. He still follows me to every room (doesn't like it if he can't see me) Abby is 5 (my Lab) She has started watching Casey when ever he moves. She has done this for about 3 days. I didn't notice any change in Casey until this morning except irritability toward the new puppy, Which came 3 days ago. I don't know whats connected or if I need to call out vet Monday morning. I would like to help Casey feel more relaxed this weekend being this started Saturday morning. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi I have a 10yr old pit that about a week ago woke up with the right side of his face sagging and uncontrollable drooling from that side and also had no balance the drooling got better after a few days and started to also walk normal. Now the issue is that today he started going in circles and falling down again with both eyes twitching its happened twice that I've seen so far. Is this normal symptoms of Canine Vestibular Syndrome or is it more likely to have been a stroke?

Facial paralysis is more often associated with canine stroke syndrome but some dogs will develop temporary issues with canine vestibular syndrome. It is always best to have your dog checked by your vet when a new problem appears. Once you have a diagnosis of vestibular syndrome, if it recurs it is less important to rush to the vets but always wise to call in and let them know what is happening in case anything changes.

This has happened to my parents 14 year old dog. due to my attachment to the dog i am beside myself. What is the general prognonsis?

My 17 year old golden retriever had her first attack of Vestibular 6 months ago. It was frightening, upsetting and until I started finding info in it through the internet, I feared the worst. Just as so many here have experienced, at first I thought 'stroke'. She was already on quite a lot of medication for other ailments - one of which was Vivitonin. We took her off this as it was felt to possibly be a contributing factor - causing overstimulation, like having too much caffeine. She was put onto Preds and after a few days, the terrible symptoms were reduced and she was back to normal. Two months later, she had a second attack. This time much worse and the Nystagmus was extreme. She was violently ill. Couldn't stand at all. So I called the vet out in the middle of the night, again fearing the worst. I had been warned that her Vestibular was probably the result of some other neurological issue. But due to her age we agreed that nothing invasive would be investigated. I spent the next three nights basically lying on the ground, holding and comforting her. Helping her to go to the toilet indoors as she couldn't stand, was particularly challenging. But we do what we must when we care. Again she was put on Preds. This time a maintenance dose of half a tablet every day was prescribed to try to prevent any further attacks. Since then, she has thankfully been event free. But two weeks ago my poor old girl developed diabetes. Again I prepared myself for the end. My vet came out and she now has an insulin shot from me every morning. My vet assures me that despite the fact that she does little but eat and sleep, she is comfortable. In the last few days getting her to eat has started to be more challenging. The foods she used to have, she no longer wants. I'm not sure whether it's because her neurological condition is altering her taste center. Jacobson's Organ? Or if it's the diabetes. My vet is coming again today to do another blood test. The way I see it, as long as she's comfortable that's all that matters. Old people just eat and sleep and we expect nothing more of them. So why not old dogs. Thank you so much for this site. It's comforting to know that I'm no alone in battling the symptoms of this awful disease. I wish everyone's dogs much love.

My 9 1/2 year old golden was the perfect picture of health and about 2 weeks ago he too started falling when going out to go the bathroom, scared of the stairs being unsure of his balance. Last summer he had a very bad case of 'swimmers ear" and my vet took xrays of his head and semi sedated him to clean his ears which took me 3 weeks to completely clear, this was last October I continued to make sure his ears were clean by washing out with solution from my vet once a week, then he comes down with this, I had him on antibiotics just incase he had an effection in his ear, he finished them and I was told to give him benadryl two tablets twice a day, this seem to help then as of last night (4/28) he was very confused he paced all night and in AM thru up bile and saw the carrots I would give him for treats instead of cookies (which I still do give him cookies) I stopped the benadryl this AM 4/29 this is the first time he wouldn't eat his AM breakfast. Is there anything I can give him, to help the poor boy relax and try to get him from being off balance and scared!@

My 9/12 year old Golden Retriever, who has always been a picture of health came down with this head tilting, unstable walk, slipping on hardwood floors and could fall down my stairs if I wasn't with him the past 2 weeks, he did have swimmers ear very bad last October and my vet lightly sedated him to clean his ears I faithfully clean his ears once a week and now this! This AM 4/28 he thru up baby carrots since I switch from cookies to carrots so he doesn't gain wait. For the first time he would not eat his breakfast but thru up again (carrots). So having to go to work and blocking off the stairs so he doesn't try to go up he's resting comfortable or was when I left the house. I had him on antibiotics from my vet and Benadryl which I was giving him two bend aryl twice a day. I stopped the Benadryl this AM assuming this was making him racy around the house and non-stop pacing. Any suggestions what I can give him or do I need to adhere to the posts and start feeding him by hand and massaging his neck (side of head tilting). As you know and for what I've read on these posts it's so heart wrenching not sure if I should put him on anything anymore whereas the Benadryl did help his head tilt and stabilized his movement so he wouldn't fall over, so if you have any suggestions I'd be interested in hearing them.

Thank you all for the great information. Binky, our 9 year old Boston Terrier was diagnosed with this about 2 months ago. She sort of approved but then we went out of town for Easter. So our vet said that we could keep her there. So we wouldn't have to worry so much. When I picked her up she was worse than before. What we didn't realize is that she wasn't able to eat her food. So, basically she hasn't really eaten for 3 days. So we put our soft canned food and it was heart breaking to watch her try to scoop it up with her teeth but it wouldn't stay in her mouth. Tonight I decided to just push it in her mouth with my hand and hold my hand over her mouth to help her. She ate 1/2 a big can of dog food! But then I had to give her a bath it was all over the place. I fed her in the bathtub to help contain the mess. Thank you so much for all of your experiences and tips. I am going to go to petsmart tomorrow to get some high calorie food. I know that I have seen supplements there before and I am going to get a feeding syring! I just want to get her full again and to put on some weight. I find that when I force her to go on a zig zag walk it seems to help her a lot. I called my mom tonight since she does relexology and she told me to rub her paws and ears to help with the pressure points too.
This is such a scary thing because there is no obvious cause and no clear steps to take. Our vet has been very helpful. She has gone through three rounds of predensone but it upsets her stomach so she needs to take stuff for that as well.
I just wanted to say thank you!

FANTASTIC...it saved my friends dog Sugar...as her Mommy thought she had an awful stroke and the vet suggested to put her to sleep..my friends friend sent her this 5 hrs before the apt....and it helped with the problem and gave my friend answers she needed...she cancelled the apt..like in a heartbeat...Now Sugar girl is on her way back to normal...doing great...thank God for your article !!! It saved Sugar girl !!!

excellent. I live in an isolated situ 200k from nearest vet. My dog is 16 yr Border Collie female. her symptoms are similar and started this morning. I was only playing hide and seek with her yesterday and she was running and playing like a two year old pup. this morning she has rapid, side to side eye movement, weakness in back legs and temperature. I think it maybe her time. pushing it to 17 seems cruel.

Very helpful and informative. Thank you!

To the owner of the 16 year old Border Collie above...
Why would you say "pushing it to 17 seems cruel," when you just got through saying she was running and playing hide and seek like a two year old the day before?
What would be cruel is having her put to death just because she's temporarily afflicted with vestibular syndrome, when she's still capable of playing like a two year old.
To me, a 200 mile drive to the vet to get medication that can mitigate or lessen the miserable symptoms of vestibular syndrome is something I would readily do for my dog, especially a dog who's been a faithful companion for 16 years.

Early one evening recently our 14 year old Boston Terrier began walking in a constant circle and was also having nystagmus (side to side eye movement). I called our vet's emergency pager number and left a message, and he called me back within a few minutes. He's an experienced vet with strong clinical skills. He told me it sounded like probable vestibular syndrome, and he said the earlier that medication is given for vestibular syndrome, the better they respond and the better the results. Even though it was after hours, he told me to meet him at his office with my dog. He gave our dog two injections, one was a steroid and the other was an antibiotic. One of the injections was given intramuscular and for the other injection he applied a tourniquet and injected it in a vein. He also gave me two different medications to take home and administer twice a day, an antibiotic and Prednisone.
Within about one hour of the injections, our dog's symptoms were already greatly relieved, with the nystagmus stopping completely.
Our vet was very specific in telling me that the earlier the treatment is started the more successful it is and the better the results. So, anyone out there whose dog is experiencing symptoms of vestibular syndrome, get them to a vet as soon as possible so they can get started on medication as soon as possible to relieve the miserable symptoms of this syndrome. If your vet won't see your dog until several days down the road, then change vets, and get one that will give your dog the prompt care and medication that is needed.
We're very fortunate to have the great vet that we have.

-Greg

I thnk my 15 year old lab mix has vestibular syndrome. One of his symptoms is he doesn't like to be touched. Is this a common symptom of vestibular syndrome.

For the dog who doesn't like to be touched-that is not a common symptom but may be related to being disoriented. If he has not been examined by your vet he should be.

Great article - it was comforting and relieved quite a bit of my anxiety. I wish the "emergency vet" had explained this last night (all he did was quote me a price of between $AU700 and $AU900 and then asked if I wanted to go ahead with the treatment, as if there was an option.

My 13.5 year old Red Heeler suddenly became very distressed and disoriented, thrashing about trying to get up and/or get her balance. She had the head tilt and nystagmus and my first thought was "stroke". I didn't feel I had time to "check the Internet" and as it was 11pm I just picked her up and rush her to the emergency vet clinic.

They said to call in an hour to see how she was going and at that stage they said she was "asleep" and they would know more later in the morning - so no sleep for me. The vet didn't mention Vestibular Syndrome at any time and left me thinking "stroke". Although when I mentioned it in the morning after reading this article, he suggested this was probably the case (Internet diagnosis is a wonderful thing ;-)

In the morning they asked me to come and transfer her to he regular vet for observation. When I got there she was looking pretty bright (for her ordeal and drugs) and had already walked outside with assistance but was still very wobbly on her legs and couldn't stand by herself. They said it was a "miraculous" recovery but I am not so sure yet.

I am now waiting for the outcome of the "observation" and additional fluids she will be given. The emergency vet gave her three injections: Pamlin, Dexone and Temgesic (I assume to calm her down).

Many thanks for the article - it has made the wait a lot more bearable knowing this may not be the "final event" for the old girl.

By the way, I remembered seeing a dog with this on the reality TV show, Bondi Vet - which is what I Googled for first. That old lab recovered after a little time. ;-)

It was great! thank You, my 16 year old has this right now. You saved her alot of needles.

Our dog is 16 years old, a Lhasa Apso. He was fine in the morning then suddenly his head started tilting to one side, lost his balance and had difficulty walking. He also peed uncontrollably. When we gave him some water he vomitted. His eyes were rolling from side to side and up and down. His facial muscles seem to be not functioning properly, as it's slightly deformed.
24 hours after the event, he's only had a little bit of water and doesn't want to eat, and also has not peed and pooed.
He also seems to have stopped barking, not that he barks a lot normally.

Are these symptoms consistent with this condition? Is there anything we can do?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Jun

Excellent. Put my mind at rest over what are initially alarming and saddening symptoms. Quick onset of symptoms made a Vets' visit imperative, where reassurance was most welcome. Eye flickering, balance loss and weakend legs. Still tail wagging though and a more constant companion than ever.

Thank you this helped me very much. My cocker is 14 and just got this yesterday. I feel so bad for her but this info helped me a lot! thank you

My 14 year old lab cross has just been diagnosed with this. He has arthritis in his back legs and suddenly his legs went (after trying to jump on chairs for a left over sandwich - he acts like a spring chicken whenever food is involved!) We thought it was to do with his arthritis but he got progressively worse throughout the day and by last night I was in tears as I watched him unable to walk in a straight line and falling over. Trying to take him outside for the toilet was distressing as I didn't know what was wrong. When I called the vet this morning they asked me to bring him straight in (I thought he wouldn't be coming home with me again, so I was in a right mess, luckily he did). He has all the classic signs which I have been reading about tonight and, after reading this page, I'm hopeful now that he will make a full recovery with the help of the medication he was given and we will have him around for a while longer. He is feeling very sorry for himself and is unable to walk without falling over, he is also not eating or drinking and is weeing wherever he is laying! Not looking foward to trying to get him outside later, but the vet said to try and get him up and about every few hours so he's using his legs. Fingers crossed he makes a speedy recovery. Thanks for this page

I found this article after googling "dog can't stand"" when our 14 year old terrier mix had her first episode of CVS last January. We were so certain that it was a stroke that my husband dug a hole in the back yard. But she wasn't displaying the symptoms that we associated with a stroke; she was somewhat alert and accepted water and people food and had some 'leakage' but never completely lost bladder or bowel control. I cried with relief after reading this article!! We had to spoon-feed her and carry her into the yard and prop her up while she did her business at first. 4 days later she was wobbly but able to climb steps and walk around. Within two weeks she had regained most of her strength and energy. The vet later did blood work and detected nothing abnormal. She had another episode of CVS again this weekend. We were fearful of stroke at first but within 24 hours she was accepting water and people food so we knew that it was a recurrence of CVS. Her recovery is progressing more quickly this time. The vet believes that she has episodes of vascular dementia which explain her inability to walk. However, I had a bout with labyrinthitis myself last year and her symptoms appear to be identical to mine -- walking at an angle, disorientation and loss of energy. I hope that we don't have to go through this again but we are prepared. Thank you for providing this information!

Our 6 year old McNab X went wobbly last Saturday on her back legs, front legs went on Sunday, vet diagnosed her with probably vestibular disease Monday - put her on antibiotics and anti-inflamatory yesterday - she can't stand, hasn't urinated since Monday, we are using a syringe to get fluids into her mouth and any wet bland foods -
she just had a 30 second seizure, with her jaws clenched, and is moaning. Our vet said it is time to put her down.
We keep hearing to be patient - is it time to put her down?

Hello. My dog Grover is a German Shepherd Mix. He is a shelter dog, so I don't know exactly how old he is, but I'd put him in the 12-13 range. In March, he woke up one day acting drunk, stumbling, moving to the right, horizontal nystagmus (eye movement), eye twitching, head tilt to the right,falling over. With Meclizine (for his dizziness) and lots of TLC, he eventually got back to 100% within 3 weeks. It was remarkable.

However, 4 weeks ago, I came home and he was unable to move at all. His head was straight down and near the floor (like an ostricth). Every step he tried to take resulted in him rolling on his head and falling onthe floor. This happened three times. The nystagmus was back. I rushed him to the hospital. The neurologist said he had bilateral vestibular disease. The first time, only the right side was affected, this time it was both (bilateral). I was nervous and opted for an MRI. No tumors, no lesions, no infections. It's been two weeks, and he now has a head tilt to the left, needs a lot of assitance walking, and falls often. He has begun walking in circles, sometimes it lasts as long as an hour with brief breaks in between circles. I wake up every morning at 5am to his circling and my heart breaks. He falls and gets scared and then urinates or defecates on the floor. I have cried so much. He has an appetite, he gives me so many kisses and such affection still, but I know he's going through a lot, never mind what I"m going through. It's now been 4 and a half weeks, and it took 3 weeks last time, and this time is worse, so it may just be that he needs more time, but I keep fearing what if he doesn't get better? What if I have to put him down? What if I do put him down and he would have gotten better if had waited a week?

Does anyone else have experience with vestibular disease coming back and it being worse? Did the dog get better again? I have constant anxiety about my friend and I can't even focus at work right now. Please help!

for the MacNabx, the decision whether or not to put your dog down can really only be made by you, based on a combination of your feelings about your dog's quality of life, your ability & time to deal with the nursing care and input from your vet.
For the shepherd, having two serious episodes so close together may not be a good sign, but, as with the first round, it may be wise to give at least a few days to see whether your dog shows any improvement.

Thank-you for your response this morning. We put our dear McNabX Sadie down yesterday, after the one violent seizure that morning, and then we noted that one of her eyes had dialated completely while the other was contracted. With her continuous moaning, front and back legs extended and fully braced in spasms(s),It was certainly one of the hardest decisions we have had to make. Her symptoms got measureably worse every day - over the past 5 day period- from first wobbly-legged fall Saturday morning, to the seizure and constant moaning Wednesday following.
This web site was helpful to us - trying to quickly deal with a potentially devastating and lightening-fast onset disease process. Our grieving will last a life time.

Hi. My dog (11 year old female boxer) has suffered from the vestibular disease since Saturday evening, so like 2,5 days. She is constantly getting better, her walking is pretty good, she doesn't need my support anymore, still a bit stumbling though. She is drinking water and in the morning she was eating quite good (by hand licking everything wrapped in peanut butter). When I wanted to feed her dinner I noticed that she couldn't keep the food in her mouth. She would eat it and after a while it fell out, so she ended up only consuming peanut butter. Also I noticed that she lost a lot of the water while she was drinking on the right side of her mouth. In the morning she ate normal and she was fine with the drinking too. Also I noticed in the afternoon, that a transparent liquid was coming out of her right ear. She seemed stable and improving all day and a friend who had seen her in the morning also noticed that she had gotten better during the day - so I can be sure that my mind is not playing tricks on me. I thought I'm waiting until the morning to see how she is doing. Is this liquid from coming out of her ear a normal symptom or should I check with the vet again?
I've been at the animal hospital twice, the first day to find out what's going on with her and the second day because she couldn't keep water down (they gave her liquid under her skin and an infusion against the nausea). On the second day the vet said, that he could notice she is getting better, but now I'm a bit worried about this liquid. I also got antibiotics for her (in case she is having an ear infection), but I only gave it to her this morning, because she can only have them with food and when I tried to feed her for dinner the pill kept falling out of her mouth like the food.
Thank you so much for your help!

For the dog with drainage from the ear, you should contact your vet as this is not a common symptom of canine vestibular syndrome.

My dog is an older female dog and has an ear infection. She does not like dog food and only eats human food. She rarely eats her dog food (hard balls). I noticed in the past month she was walking weird with a slight inbalance and tilting her head sideways but it stopped and never gave it any importance until now; two weeks ago she started vomiting and having diarrhea almost daily. She now can not balance and falls and her eyes turn sideways and her head tends to turn to the right. She was drooling and just could not get up from her bed so I took her to the vet and diagnosed my pet with neurological problems of the brain and the vet gave me two options: either take her to the specialist or put her to sleep. I can not afford the Specialist. I did not do either cause I have hope she will get well. So the Doctor prescribed 25mg of meclizine and 16mg of cerenia to stop her vomiting and diarrhea. The next day after the dog's visito the Vet I noticed she started getting up and walking around the bed and her eyes rapid movement have slowed down. Could you please tell me is there hope for her to recover and if I am right that is could be Canine Vestibular Symdrome (CVS) instead of what the Doctor previously diagnosed her with? Please help this helpless and ansxious pet owner. Thank you and God bless. Marina

My 13 year old cockapoo woke up displaying most of the CVD symptoms last Monday; it was a holiday here in Canada. To my enormous relief he was much better by the evening and even ate a little bit. He seemed to keep getting better throughout the week and his appetite returned. I was able to take him on a regular walk by Thursday. Yesterday when I got home from work the symptoms were back. We had to hand feed him a few pieces of steak (which he is accustomed to eating) then during the night he had an episode of vomiting. I gave him 1/2 an anti-nausea pill and he got a few hours of rest. This morning his symptoms were very bad, including the head tilt which he had not shown on Monday. I took him to the vet and she took some blood samples to rule out anything else. I'm waiting on those results. She gave him a shot for the nausea and sent us home with antibiotics. I'm not really sure what the antibiotics are for though. I'm also unsure about giving them to him on an empty stomach as he has not been interested in food at all since yesterday. He's drinking water at least and I have carried him outside to pee a couple times. The vet has told me there's not much to do except let him rest and nurse him. I hate the thought of going to work on Monday even though there will be other people home to watch him. Is it normal for CVD to appear one day, then go away, and come back stronger a few days later? My dog has no history of illness. In fact he's always had tons of energy and very good health. It's absolutely heartbreaking to watch him like this. I only want for him to get better.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories. Most have given me optimism.

Hi Dawn -
I have read each post here and your answers and can find no similar experience so wondering if you could give me your thoughts. My 4 yo, previously healthy as a horse, Dogue de Bordeaux has been experiencing related but slightly different symptoms to what's been described since early June. Started with slight balance issues, followed by vomiting and loss of appetite. He was shaking his head, but couldn't see obvious ear infection. Off to the vet - Lyme test negative, but prescribed 2 days of pred, 10 days of doxycycline, and 5 days of flagyl. Within a few days, appetite was back and no more vomiting. 2 days after finishing the doxy, all symptoms returned, but now with head tilt and stumbling - no nystagmus. Back to the vet who gave more a couple more days of pred and 14 days of doxy. Also prescribed Dramamine. The Dramamine seemed to help with the eating and vomiting, but the head tilt and stumbling became worse. Sent to neurologist and she suggested inner ear infection but he wouldn't let her examine him. Just to be safe and in because he needed to be sedated for an x-ray, we decided to do an MRI (I had just lost my othe dog in December to lymphoma and am hypersensitive to cancer, so better for peace of mind). MRI showed NOTHING- no ear infection, no brain lesion, NOTHING! While sedated, the dr did a spinal tap and then sent us home with Prednisone 30mg/am 20mg/pm. Told us to stop the doxy and keep doing the dramamine for 7 days. Head tilt and balance improved and checked in at 10 days. Spinal had come back negative. Vet said to taper pred to 20mg 2x day. Did that for a week. No symptoms returned. She had us taper to 10mg 2x day starting 3 days ago, and we're beginning to see the head tilt return - but to the OTHER SIDE than he had before!
We're seeing the vet Monday, but we're all stumped! In your experience have you ever seen this type of presentation and had it be idiopathic? One symptom which has also returned -I forgot to mention earlier- is that he seems to be having problems chewing and swallowing. He seems to struggle to keep the food in his mouth. Would appreciate any thoughts you may have. Thanks in advance!

For the dogs who have shown improvement in CVS symptoms then had them return (even if it is from the other side), this is not completely unusual. As long as your dog is making progress, getting better, then continuing to give supportive care makes sense. For the dog with diarrhea and vomiting-talk to your vet about getting this under control (bland diet, small amounts of food, etc until you see improvement, then gradually back onto regular diet) as these symptoms can lead to dehydration and other health problems.

I found this article very helpful indeed. My 14 1/2 year old collie cross experienced an episode yesterday evening which I found very worrying but now feel may be connected to Vestibular Syndrome. She had been asleep and, when I called her for her evening meal, she was unable to walk properly, seemed to have lost her balance completely, and her eyes were dilated. I helped her to her dishes and she drank a large amount, ate a few mouthfuls and then collapsed. I helped her into a more comfortable position and encouraged her to rest, which she did for some hours. Every time she tried to get up she staggered, and I had to support her when she went outside to toilet just before bedtime. She slept well overnight and seems to be completely normal today, in fact she seems rather more sprightly than usual. The collapse occurred about 7pm yesterday and she seemed to have returned to normal by 7am this morning. Could this be caused by Vestibular Syndrome, or is it more likely to be an epileptic fit? I would be grateful for any advice. I intend keeping her calm for a few days with a bit less excercise than usual and observing her closely.

For the 14 yo dog, canine vestibular syndrome is a possibility but a seizure of some type can't be ruled out as the recovery was fast. Your plan to monitor and give supportive care is correct. If your dog hasn't had a check up recently, it would be good to take her to the vet to ensure there is no underlying health problem that triggered the problem.

Thank you Gwen for your prompt reply. Tilly (my 14 1/2 year old collie cross had a check up at the vet about 4 weeks ago and was pronounced in good health. She does suffer from arthritis which is controlled by Metacam given as and when required. This is the only medication she has and, although I am aware that Metacam has some side effects when used regularly, I have never heard of it causing seizures. Would you be able to advise if this is a possible side effect of this medication? Many thanks for your help.

My 13 year old Collie/Sheltie Mix came down with these symptoms yesterday, head tilted, backlegs wobbly and unable to keep her balance. Our area has been severly hit with floods, Northeast Pa, and we could not get to our regular vet. I did get her an appointment at a local vet. I was convinced she had a stroke. The vet did bloodwork and said her labs were as good as a 5 year old dog, no problems there. He said she either had an inner ear infection or vestibular syndrome. He sent us home with a 2 week supply of Clavamox and Chlorpheniramine. After reading here do you think she should be on Prednisone? The vet said there is no way to tell the diffrence between an ear infection and Old Dog Vestibular Syndrome, (that's what he called it). Thank You for any help you can offer.

While some vets prescribe prednisolone for dogs with canine vestibular syndrome, not all do. Some are concerned about the side effects of pred and others don't feel it helps enough to warrant its use. If you are not seeing improvement in a few days talk to your vet about the pros and cons of adding pred to the treatment regimen.

My dog just came down with this last week. My first thought was stroke also. He was sent home with Baytril and Pred but refusing to take the Baytril no matter what. Called the vet and going to try something else tonight. It hasn't been a week yet but his tail is wagging and he is eating soft foods but not a lot. He still has the head tilt and is very unsteady on his feet. I'm glad I came across this article because I didn't think to raise his food to a higher level and now I will. I am going to start the massage tonight too. I also didn't realize how common this is. Great article!

Hi --

Once again I am back on here. About a year ago (Sept 17, 2010) I posted about my 12 y.o. Belgian Malinois. She's now 13. Since then, she's had several short-lived bouts of CVS. However, this evening, it came on very strong!

About 1/2 an hour before the staggering, nystagmus, & general falling down, she was outside barking at rocks, & real & imagined objects (this is normal for her.) Then the CVS "attack" hit fast & hard. I've been up tonite for quite a while watching her.

We have just been giving her some canned food, hand feeding her treats, & making sure she stays calm. Also, a syringe (needle-less) is most helpful in squirting a bit of H2O in her mouth.

I am hoping this attack is brief, though the severity of this scares me (also her older age, but she still runs around.) She was JUST visiting the vet this past Wednesday & had excellent bloodwork...so I'm hoping this will go away quickly!

I did want to ask...I have (human) Dramamine here for when I get vertigo. Is this safe to give a reduced dose to dogs? I've seen posters mention Dramamine here. Thanks so much!

Thank you for this article. I found it when googling "sudden onset canine rapid eye movement and paralysis". As you and so many others have described, this event happened with my almost 15 year old Aussie/Blue Heeler mix. She was fine one minute and the next she couldn't move or stand etc. Our vets here do not take after hours calls and I couldn't afford to take her to the Emergency clinic 3 towns away.
I used the information I found here to try to "help" her and eventhough the eye movement seemed better today and she, somewhat stronger, the vet didn't give a favorable prognosis for recovery. My dog, Zipper, has been to the vet several times in the past few months for urinary incontinance, bowel control issues and weakness in her hindquarters with escalating and freqent falling. She weighed too much for me to lift and carry her outside and was a prisoner of her bed. She was assisted in going to a better place today and it was the hardest decision I've had to make yet.
I read every comment here and while she may have recovered to her condition of a week ago, that condition was not a good "quality" of life. She was my daddy's dog baby before he passed away and my last "real' link to him. I will miss her terribly but could not bear to watch her anymore and am physically unable to carry/support her. I know she and my daddy are together again and that brings a little comfort.
Again, thank you for this article and to everyone who commented, I appreciate your experiences and rejoice with those of you whose family member could overcome these symptoms.

The article provided me with the information that I needed so that I could calmly care for my 14 year old Springer Spaniel. At first I thought that his arthritus was the cause of his inability to walk. But then there came the head tilting and the blind, disoriented (frightening) stare. I truly thought that he was experiencing a stroke and had reached the end of his wonderful life! Two days later, he is improving and, now that the vet is almost certain that Dickens has Vestibular Syndrome, he has provided me with the option of giving Ciproflaxacin. While I can choose to give this to my dog, I wonder if the side effects are worth the benefits. Will it greatly shorten the span of this illness and is it really necessary?

If there is evidence of infection (ear infection, etc) then the ciproflaxacin may be of benefit. If you are unsure talk to your vet as each individual dog's situation is different and the vet needs to be sure he/she has given you all options for best care.

My 13-year-old boxer mix is suffering from this syndrome. We're avid hikers and first sign was Marti stumbled a couple of times but seemed fine. She then started leaning to the right and losing her balance more often and I took her to Vet about 2-3 weeks ago. Her eyes are fine, no rapid movement, and she's very alert, still wants to play. But more and more she's losing her balance and I need to help her up the stairs and I worry when she goes down the stairs when I'm not home. I still take her on short hikes and stay to her right to help with her balance. Should I not take her on the hikes? I don't want her to get depressed when I take her brother Mikki on hikes and leave her home. I don't know if I'm doing more harm than good and I'm hoping the exercise will help her recover?

For the boxer- if this is a dog who loves to hike and she is not significantly worse after the hike (shorter hikes are probably wise for a number of reasons), then it is probably fine to continue to take her. This falls into the 'quality of life' category, not pure medicine. You are the one who knows best what she likes to do and how much the activity takes out of her. Balancing those concerns will allow her to have as full a life as possible.

I am in desperate need of any help or any advice.
We have a 9 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
About 3 months ago she suffered a type of seizure and was brought into the animal emergency services.
The vet tested for: Meningitis, lead poisoning, shunt of the liver, DNA genetic conditions, thiamine deficiency. In the last 3 months she has had 2 MRIs and 2 Spinal Taps, along with many blood, bile and smear tests. The vets confirmed that all these tests came back perfectly normal; meaning they have no idea what is wrong with her. The vet advised it was degenerative and would only get worse, and there was nothing they could do for her.
Her conditions are:
- dizziness (always falling to her right side, and walking constantly in circles when she is trying to get somewhere)
- she has episodes where her eyes dart back and forth uncontrollable
- she is always (nearly every five minutes) 'lip/tongue smacking' which I have read is a sign of nausea
- it takes her a very long time to jump off our front step, which is only 10 cm high (it's as though she thinks it's incredibly high and is scared to jump) (she takes giant leaps when jumping over the garden hose
- she takes a long time to sit down and lower her butt on the ground, as if she doesn't know where the ground is and wait until she touches it before she relaxes and sits down
- she has no clue where to place her feet when she walks - she sometimes crosses her front legs when she walks
- she has never scratched her own head/face with her feet like normal dogs do. We watch her sometimes trying to get her back foot up to her face but it's like she just can't reach it
- when she shakes her whole body, after being bathed for example, she always falls down
- she always lays down on her right hand side (rarely does she lay flat like normal dogs)
- sometimes she has gets lots of energy and will play for 30 seconds or so, and then she needs to lay down on her right hand side for about a minute or two, and then she gets up and plays a little more.
- she eats ok, but has a hard time drinking water – she slowly approaches her water and it’s almost like she gets a big shock when her mouth actually touches the water
- she’s very jumpy, especially when her front paws are touched
- she always had tremor like symptoms
- she sometimes is falling back, and she scrambles with her front legs to stay standing up – she eventually falls back.
- she had a yeast infection in both ears and was given drops, about 1 month ago – not as much discharge in her ears since, but symptoms have stayed the same
- she was an normal puppy for the first few months, however we started to notice her walking weird when she was about 4 months old or so – she started to walk like a crab, sideways, but this would sometimes go away and she would walk normally
I’m no vet, but in all my research I have done, vestibular syndrome seems to be the best match, however I have not read a story where a puppy was affected; it seems to only affect older dogs. We are thinking of getting a second opinion however.
What are your thoughts? As we are just trying to find something, ANYTHING, that will help her lead a somewhat normal life. She gets plenty of TLC and rest, however the symptoms do not go away as with the other stories I have read.

Hi Dawn. I have a 14 year old Bichon Frise with a heart problem (he has had it all his life). Despite that, as recently as a few weeks before we put him on medication, he was going for walks of up to 2 hours and didn't want to go home. The breathing started getting bad (coughing and gasping etc) so we put him on vetmedin. Within 3 weeks of being on the stuff he lost his 'mojo'. His right back leg drags sometimes on the ground when he walks and he's developed a limp in his front right shoulder. he gets very disoriented when not on the leash. One night about a week ago he vomited 6 or 7 times. Now he can only walk for 20 minutes. He's stumbling a lot. Vet says the meds shouldn't have contributed and maybe he has a neurological spinal issue. It's just strange because he's gone downhill so, so quickly. From 2 hour walks one week, to 20 minutes and stumbling around at best. I can't put him under anesthetic to find out. Could there be any thing else causing such a rapid decline? I thought CVS but while it has been a rapid decline, it's not like it was literally overnight. More like over a few days. Can CVS come on slowly?

For the bichon, talk to your vet about canine stroke syndrome rather than vestibular syndrome. The slower onset suggests either a series of strokes or (sadly) something more serious. CVS in dogs is generally a more sudden onset.
Good luck

We have a 10 year old male weimaraner who started to have incontinence issues in August. We took him to the vet who diagnosed him with an enlarged prostate and recommended neutering. She put him on cefaloxin. The next night ( around 2am) we heard banging from the kitchen where he sleeps with our other dog. He was wobbling around like a drunken sailor which prompted us to take him to the ER. Once there, he started tilting his head, refused to walk and the doc noticed nystagmus. After some blood work and an exam, the doc said that it could either be a deeper ear infection ( he didn't see anything with the otoscope), brain tumor or old dog vestibular syndrome. We could either get an MRI, a scope of his inner ear or just take him home and keep an eye on him. The doc told us to discontinue the cefaloxin and put him on Baytril. By the start of the work day, he was fine..no symptoms at all. We had him neutered in the beginning of September and everything seemed fine. Last night around 1am, he had another attack of vertigo, complete with nystagmus, and refusal to walk. By 7am, the head tilting was gone as was the nystagmus. He was still a little unsteady on his feet but had an appetite.

I'm assuming that if it was a brain tumor, he would have had symptoms within a shorter interval? And if it was an ear infection, the symptoms would last longer than 3-5 hours? Can old dog syndrome present itself for just a few hours months apart? He's in otherwise great health ( active, big appetite, plays with his toys etc). He's such a sweet boy and I hate to see him disoriented and I'm really hoping that it's just a sporadic sign of age as opposed to a chronic illness.

Canine vestibular syndrome can occur repeatedly so this is the most hopeful (and likely) situation for your dog.

It's very informative and eye opening. I was sure my dog had a stroke but now I understand more what my vet said to me.

Hi,

My 15-16 year old Shih-Tzu, Lucky had a sudden onset of symptoms of Vestibular sometime during the day on a Friday. When I came home from work he was disoriented and walking in a tight circle. Obviously rushed him to the 24-hour Vet who diagnosed Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. An overnight stay with IV, some soft food and coddling seemed to ease his anxiety about the condition. He didn't vomit, never lost his appetite or thirst, but had the mild eye tracking issue, and a very subtle head-tilt. 48-hours later, he seems to be about right back where we left off before this little journey down uncertainty street.

Just wanted everyone here to know that this disease or condition is probably the scariest I've ever had to witness, but it does improve!

I kept egging him on to follow me, with visual cues and sounds. He tried to follow, and incrementally made improvements, almost like rehab or something.

I hope another 24 hours will have him at 100%

Wishing everyone's furry buddy a speedy recovery!

you have eased all my worries about my springer x fits over the last 3 years the 1st one eas 3 years ago, she dropped down on her walk, got her home, she was really out of it wobbly peed herself unable to stand ,I took her to the vet, he said she looked stoned and aked if she could have eaten marijuana, Im 60 there is no dope around my house, Ileft her at the vet for the day and she came good. To cut it short, she has had a few more of these fits but they pass quickly untill the last one it was bad she moaned vomited her eyes were flicking when she did try to stand her front paws were clawed and her body was curved to the right.I rang the emergency vet as it was late at night, he said give her a 5mg diazapam and when she settles I must get fluids into her, the diazapam worked but she wouldnt drink so I put some chicken stock in the water and she drank heaps.I put some towels under her bed as she lost bladder controll I slept in the floor with her that night and she slept she was so cold I thought she was going to die. she wet through everything the carpet was wet.she ate in the morning and wobbled outside to toilet, slept all day, 3 days later she was back to her usual self , by the way she is 15 now . thanks Christina.

My 15yo dog JRT has Acute vestibular syn.and it is heartbreaking he displayed the classic signs but..this time also after a few minutes of circling his hips give out now I can't seem to get straight answer from the his vets,could be this...could be that,but it may be something else..question: is the hip issue of not being able to walk part of Vestibular syn..progessing worse? and is it therefore nuerological and will clear up? after resting he is able to walk but then his hip and legs give out? any insight would be grateful :)

For JRT, the problem with the hips is likely separate-hip dysplasia, degenerative spinal disease or something like that- but because the vestibular syndrome causes him to circle it is likely much harder for him to keep the back legs where they belong, thus he falls. This will, hopefully, improve as he regains balance. In the meantime you can help by using a towel to support him when he is walking so he doesn't have to keep trying to get up after falling.

Thanks for the hope; I found Our Great Dane immobile at 5a.m. this morning, she is currently under veteranary care and this article helped rekindle a little hope that houstons stroke-like symptoms will be a vestibular issue--Although realistic, it helps retain a little hope, Thanks!

thank you for posting this article. my 10 year old mixed breed dog has been having all of these symptoms this weekend. on friday night he was fine and then woke up early on saturday morning walking in circles, acting like he had a "crick" in his neck, you know,like when you sleep wrong and get up stiff and can't move your neck. i have been massaging his neck and that seems to calm him and comfort him which sometimes helps him to walk straight for a bit. he's been drooling a bit and "yawning" much like we do when we try to valsalva, like when our ears pop when we change altitudes. since he is still interested in food and water, i've been hand feeding and watering him so he doesn't have to bend or move too far. i put his favorite bed close to the couch and the front door so i can be right by his side and he has the shortest distance to travel to go to the bathroom. i'm so glad to read that i have been doing the right things for him. i took him to the vet on saturday morning but after being told we'd have a 2 hour wait i figuredhe'd be more comfortable at home. after about a 2hour nap and the nice walk he had during the earlier trip to the vet, his symptoms had subsided so i cancelled the appointment and made one for sunday morning for just in case. on sunday morning he was still not having symptoms so i cancelled that appointment too. on sunday afternoon i ran a couple of errands and upon coming home i think he got excited at the front door and overexerted himself. he started to yelp in pain and i came inside to see his symptoms were back. i'm going to take him to the vet tomorrow morning so we can discuss further treatments. i feel so much better to know my best friend will make it through this with a little patience.

HI Dawn, I came across your article in Feb '11 when my 14 yo dog was diagnosed with CVS. I found your site very informative. However, now she is 15 (healthy and fairly active, most people can't believe she is 15) and this past week she is having episodes of what appears to be dizziness and falling to the ground. I thought seizures at first but in talking with the vet they don't seem to think that. When it occurs, she looks dizzy, has trouble with her balance and then falls to the ground, lasting 15-20 seconds. She is very nervous afterwards and appears off balance. She does not have jerking movements and no loss of bowels or bladder. The 3rd episode I noticed she was trying to hold her head up as she was on her belly on the ground. This has happened 3 witnessed times, she did vomit after one of the episodes. She is a whippet/lab x, she has a diagnosed murmur which they have been monitoring. With this new onset, she is scheduled for an echo to eval, need of meds and see if these episodes are heart related. We discussed the possibility of it being CVS but not likely where it is so episodic, but the vet did not rule that out.

For the whippetX, I would agree with your vet that vestibular syndrome is unlikely. Weakness secondary to the heart condition is definitely a consideration. I hope the testing brings you some answers.
Good Luck

Hi Dawn, thank you so much for this blog. I have several dogs, but Noodle - my 8 year old maltese terrier started having some kind of fit this recently. Like you describe it is heartbreaking to watch, I live in Spain and both the Spanish and English vet (I wanted a second opinion) told me it was a hip bone displacer, as she was holding up one back leg, shaking, looking panicked, unable to stand, trying to move, and staring into the air as if she was really looking at something BUT no rapid eye movements. I was told to massage her leg back into place and if worsened they could consider an op where the make the grove for this bone deeper so it says in. WELL in the past two days she has got very thin and the fitting is back, this time with her holding her front leg on same side up very high. I've googled and your blog came up - do you think this could be it? x thanks in advance for any advice. Angela.

i have a 14yr old border collie she came down with sickness 4months ago. she had a ear in fecshion in her left ear.i think. i started using warm water an peroxside.washed here ears out 3 times aday for aweek. 3hrs after the first wash here eyes got better she stellwould not eat for three days. but started to drink water agian.did not worry about here not eating.worryed more about the water. she walked in cercles for 2 or3 days an held her head to theleft side. she has cateracks real bad. only se out of the sides of her eyes. she is finenow.wash her ears out 1s aweek now she looks forward for it. it must feel good after ward. jdf.

For Noodle, it does seem like there is something neurological occurring but it doesn't fit the classic Canine Vestibular Syndrome pattern so i would ask your vets to look at other possible neurological problems. Unfortunately this may involve further (often expensive) testing.
Good luck.

I have a 3-1/2 year old Maltese who a month ago got very depressed, wouldn't eat, and then started falling over. The vet said she most likely had GME and wanted MRIs, spinal tap, and possible surgery. We couldn't afford that so decided to start her on high doses of Prednisone. She is weaning from her Prednisone now, and seems to be better. She's walking much better, eating (like a pig), and can actually shake her head now and has started to play a little. The only problem she is having is loss of bowel countrol. Could it be vestibular syndrome? Thanks. Erin

My 16 year old Jack Russell was euthanizes this past Monday. I assumed he had a stroke - the vet was not specific, but said it could be stroke or severe heart problems. Given my dog's age, the vet did not have hope for improvement. Knowing can ease the situation sometimes, so I have continued to google until I found this page. Dawn, does this sound like CVS?

In the middle of the night I found my dog trying frantically to get to his feet. His head was twisted very hard to one side and his neck muscles seemed locked. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were open, but they were not moving side to side as others have described. His legs were very rigid and he seemed to have little control of them. I managed to calm him and I laid with him till morning. He wanted to get up in the morning, but he really seemed to have no idea which way was up or where his legs were. By the time we got him to the vets in the morning his heart rate was pretty low and he seemed almost asleep.

Thanks for putting up this page and thanks for the opinion.

For the dog with the low heart rate, etc. The combination of symptoms you describe is unlikely to have been canine vestibular syndrome. Your vet was likely correct in giving you a poor prognosis. It is always tempting to second guess the decision to end a pet's life but from what you told me, this was the right choice. So sorry you have lost your friend.

Hello. I have a 12 year old Rottweiler called Mia. I came downstairs at about 8am and Mia was asleep on the sofa, she didn't get up to greet me which I thought was odd but I left her to rest, but about an hour later I decided to call her out of her bed for her breakfast, she tried her best to stand but fell straight away, her head was tilting to the right, the right side of her body just wasn't functioning, she was vomiting quite a lot and the right side of her face had drooped down I immediately thought she had had a stroke or some kind of fit so I rang for an appointment at the vets, she was finally seen at about noon, unfortunately I wasn't able to go into the appointment with her so my daughter took her instead so I didn't get a chance to hear all that was said. The vet mentioned something about the nervous system but he was unsure, he sent her home to see if she improves but first he gave her a few injections, Betamox LA, Cerenia and Metacam, I am unsure what any of these are. She came home and rested for a few hours, it is now about 16 hours on and she does seem to have slightly improved, she's managed to eat some small bits of chicken, drink some water and move from where she was led. She is yet to go to the toilet or walk around without falling. From reading the symptoms above she has all of them, she seems to stare blankly at the ceiling with no expression, her head is still tilting to the right but she did wag her stub (what we now call her docked tail) at me earlier. She hasn't vomited since about 1pm either. Reading through the comments and symptoms on the page have me thinking it is Vestibular Syndrome, if it is can you give me any advice on how to help her? Or what to do? Also, does she need any kind of medication? Shall I take her back to the vets? My daughter and I are taking shifts to sleep near her to make sure she doesn't fall and hurt herself during the night, is there anything we can do to ease her? This page has helped so much. One more thing, could this be something else? Something more serious? Or should I just treat her as if she has Vestibular Syndrome and follow what I've read on this page?

Thank you so much. H.

For Mia,
What you describe could be canine stroke or vestibular syndrome. The medications your vet prescribed are more for the possibility of a stroke but the most important thing in both cases is supportive care-help her getting up and down, hand feed if she is struggling to eat because of balance issues/dizziness. No matter what the actual diagnosis, her recovery (which may or may not be complete) will take some time.
Good luck

My 14 yr old "puppy" had an episode recently that was so similar to many stories in this string of postings I felt like I wanted to share our story. Reading these posts really helped us understand the very personal side of Canine Vertigo. On a normal morning letting Tanner outside to do her business, I noticed she stumbled as she got up to go outside and tripped out the door but I just thought it was sleepiness. About 30 mins later I was getting ready for work and heard a loud noise when I went to our living room she was laying all legs spread out like Bambi trying to pick her head up out of explosive amounts of vomit. She could barely move and her eyes were eratic moving back and forth sideways. I calmed her and cleaned her up and asked my daughter to come over to watch over her. We took her to the vet with my husband thinking it was "time". After meeting with the vet we were SHOCKED to hear that Tanner could recover from this in as little as 3-5 days. He gave her a shot to help with the nauseau. We brought her home and things were very very very slow for her to improve. She wouldn't move and didn't eat or drink for the first day. We felt guilty that we brought her home at first thinking that this isn't a good life for her... and thinking did we bring her home for us or her? The next day she ate a piece of pepperoni, then hamburger so we knew she was improving. We fed her table food, peanut butter and baby food...whatever she would eat! She finally drank but would lick out of the right side of the bowl. About 8 days later after very slow progress each day she was back to about 80 percent, able to move around, greeting us at the door but still a bit wobbly. She is doing much better now about a month into recovery mode but still a little off than her original running fiesty little self. To think we had it in our minds that we were ready to put her down thinking she didn't have a chance and to see her now about a month later about 90% is incredible. We know she's 14 and doesn't have much time left with us so we just spoil her as much as we can. I hope this helps anyone looking for information on this situation. It's tough to go through but have patience and things will be fine.

My 8 y.o. female Shih Tzu had a sudden bout with this a few weeks ago. I've had her since she was 15 weeks old and she has had her share of problems. So far nothing life threatening but she does have seizures sometimes but they don't happen often so my Vet says he doesn't want to put her on meds. (About 3 or 4 a year and seem to be lessening in frequency the older she gets) The Vestibular was scary. It was about 2 in the morning and I could hear her walking around and panting so I got up and went into the living room and she was circling the coffee table. Thinking back, I don't remember any head tilt or eye movement but as the morning went on she got into her dog bed and wouldn't get up. She stood up a couple times and pee'd so I switched the bed with another clean one I had. for the next 24 hours she pretty much wouldn't get out of the bed so I hand fed her and gave her water as I was nervous she would become dehydrated so I knew enough that I had to do something to try and get small meals into her. I put wee wee pads on the floor so she could go on them. She was unstable on her feet but she did try to go on them. I'd put down clean ones as soon as she soiled one. I didn't find the info on the web about Vestibular until a couple days into it. After three days she started improving so I continued to give her food and water in a small flat saucer that I would hold to her mouth. I'm a self employed computer repair tech and can often work from home so I stayed home with her until she was better. Poor baby I was so scared I thought she was dying on me. After about 5 days she was back to her happy playful self and I was relieved. I know it can happen again but at least now I will know what it is.

I have a westie who is 2 years old is twitching on her right side by her eye and leans the opposite way, her eating is the same maybe drinking more water and her rear legs do not seem as strong as before the twitching. Any help

For the westie, you should get her to the vet for a complete exam. The symptoms you describe could be caused by several different things and it will be important to know what you are dealing with if it is something other than a stroke or canine vestibular syndrome.

My 14 yr old english springer has 90% recovered from her sudden onset of vestibular syndrome in mid February. The onset happened during the short time of watching a movie, where she was fine and ate her dinner beforehand, and when we got up after the movie she tripped and fell and was walking as if drunk. I held her head in my hands and saw her eyes moving from side to side. After a late night visit to the emergency vet, we were sent home with motion sickness pills.

Here are the things that seemed to help her cope while experiencing the symptoms.

lots of body contact: she found it very comforting when I would gently hold her head still while petting, let her lean on me while standing, and cuddle on the floor occasionally.

help out of bed in the morning: she seemed to be exceptionally dizzy right after waking up in the morning. without assistance, she could not step off her bed without falling. I would put her 2 front paws on the floor and hold her front should blades while she got herself up. I feel like it was good for her to work through it while feeling safe with me and while making sure she didn't fall on the hardwood floors.

food out of the hand or raised bowl: she had very hard time dipping her head low and standing. her body would just slowly start to lean to one side until she either scrambled for footing or fell, so I sat with her and fed her handfuls of food from her dish. I put her water dish up so that she didn't need to dip her head, and then held her body still.

while outside: this was a tough one as my springer, though old, will run like a pup whenever outside. To keep her happy we would go out with the leash so she couldn't get too excited and I would toss her toy a few feet. We had a lot of snow, so I didn't need to worry too much about her falling, and it kept her very happy.

lift in and out of cars

medication: my girl takes proin for mild incontinence and normally she'll eat it with a treat to follow. to make it super easy, she got 2 weeks of wet food with the pill buried inside.

The recovery:
Flicka still has the head tilt and has not fully recovered from being dizzy. The severe symptoms all disappeared overnight about 12 days in, but she still has a difficult time tracking objects in motion. when she runs she'll often zig a little. if I throw a toy, she goes in the direction, but usually ends up a few feet from it and has to then find by nose or look to me to point again even when not thrown far. she can't catch treats when thrown now, it seems the head tilt throws her off. Also she has a difficult time standing in the car now.

Overall, a little lack of coordination that she may still recover from. we walk everyday and are working with throwing the toy and her ability to track it's motion in the air.

Good luck to all who see these symptoms in their dogs. It sure is scary at first!!

Thanks for this very informative site. Your comments and the shared experiences of others are quite valuable. My 12-yr-old cocker presented the head tilt and drunk-walk 3 weeks ago. No vomiting, eats/drinks/eliminates normally, and although unsteady he can walk on his own and even negotiate stairs (with great care). His vet diagnosed idiopathic CVS and prescribed antibiotic (in case of ear infection, although outer ears looked fine), and a mild dose of pred. No real change in his condition after 3 weeks, except some improvement in walking after his chiro visits (agility dog, gets regular chiro, plus I massage his neck and shoulder to try to prevent stiffness from the head tilt). chiropractor noticed that he now moves his entire head to look at something, as though he can only see from a certain angle. Hard to tell what the pupils are actually doing due to cataracts, and I have noticed signs of his vision getting worse in the past year. But since the head tilt started, it is though he can barely see at all. Do you think there would be any point in taking him to a vet opthamologist? Chiropractor thinks the vision problem may be contributing to lack of improvement in his condition otherwise, and perhaps even be a contributing factor. I had not read anyone investigating vision issues in the comments. Thanks!

for the cocker spaniel- yes, given what you are describing, it might be worthwhile to see an ophthalmologist to be sure there isn't any other issue than the cataracts. That said, if the cataracts had already reduced his field of vision and he is still experiencing some vestibular syndrome symptoms this may be the only way he can compensate for the combined problems.

Our 8 month old chug ate a dog treat, walked into the kitchen and fell over. She couldn't walk more than a step or two without falling. We took her to the vet on a Sunday night and all blood tests came back normal except for elevated glucose (not above normal but at the high range of normal). The vet deduced it was probably from the dog treat. I have found information regarding this particular treat online as to making dogs sick, however, most of the symptoms are stomach related. She did have soft stools for about 4 days and wouldn't hardly eat. Has anyone else had this occur? I now read the labels on all dog food & treat items and stay away from those made in China. I am lucky she recovered from what I have read!