Off-Balance Dog??
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Q:Hello, Im a new member who came across your site while doing research for my dogs behavior.
My dog keeps stumbling/falling. She looks off balance; sort of intoxicated is all I can think of to describe her behavior when walking. Other than being off balance the rest of her behavior is "normal". She is an 11yr old (12 in 3 days) Keeshond in otherwise good health. There wasn't any specific incident that started this, she was actually napping and started this behavior when she woke up. She does seem to stumble a bit to her left. If I make her stand, and lift up on her paws so she has to move her leg to get flat footed again she is fine with all four legs.
We took her to the vets immediately when this happened Friday. 4 hours, and $600 later and we didn't get an answer. Blood tests came back ok, but she had high cholesterol and a high liver enzyme. The vet wasn't worried about the levels as they relate to her off balance behavior, but said we'll worry about them later. They took x-rays of her chest to check heart and lungs and they looked OK. When we left they gave us some anti-inflammatory drug and pain killers. The vet was thinking possible disc or pinched nerve issue, so as a first try she gave us the meds to see if it helped. They said if it doesn't the next step would be the neurologist. There doesnt appear to be any pain issue, just this look on her face wondering why she cant stay stable. Thanks for any insight!
My dog keeps stumbling/falling. She looks off balance; sort of intoxicated is all I can think of to describe her behavior when walking. Other than being off balance the rest of her behavior is "normal". She is an 11yr old (12 in 3 days) Keeshond in otherwise good health. There wasn't any specific incident that started this, she was actually napping and started this behavior when she woke up. She does seem to stumble a bit to her left. If I make her stand, and lift up on her paws so she has to move her leg to get flat footed again she is fine with all four legs.
We took her to the vets immediately when this happened Friday. 4 hours, and $600 later and we didn't get an answer. Blood tests came back ok, but she had high cholesterol and a high liver enzyme. The vet wasn't worried about the levels as they relate to her off balance behavior, but said we'll worry about them later. They took x-rays of her chest to check heart and lungs and they looked OK. When we left they gave us some anti-inflammatory drug and pain killers. The vet was thinking possible disc or pinched nerve issue, so as a first try she gave us the meds to see if it helped. They said if it doesn't the next step would be the neurologist. There doesnt appear to be any pain issue, just this look on her face wondering why she cant stay stable. Thanks for any insight!
A:If she's acting intoxicated, maybe she needs to go into rehab
Ok, joking aside...did your vet x-ray the leg joints? Or could it be osteoporosis-like condition for dogs (afterall, your girl is going to be 12 really soon).
Ok, joking aside...did your vet x-ray the leg joints? Or could it be osteoporosis-like condition for dogs (afterall, your girl is going to be 12 really soon).
A:in humans, one of the first things we would check for is an inner ear infection - affects balance, makes you feel "intoxicated" and unable to walk normally, you get dizzy and nauseous sometimes too... it can happen overnight. I assumed the vet checked for this? poor girl. old age sucks!
A:I may be way off here, but what about a stroke?? I guess the neurologist would be the one to find that out.
Sorry that you are going through this.
Sorry that you are going through this.