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Why is my dog with autoimmune issues tilting head and can't stand?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 13 years and 5 months old | 6 lbs

My little dog has autoimmune issues/adrenal. She has lost a lot of hair & weight. At noon today she was motionless & I held her for hours thinking she was dying. I put her in a box to take her to work & she tried to stand up. Gave her 3 bowls of water & a small jar of beechnut chicken & broth baby food. She rest comfortably for an hourish and then started crying and is holding her head at an extreme angle & cannot balance at all. Her feet & ears are blood red toes swollen is this chicken allergy

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on May 20th, 2017

Poor Crystal! I'm sorry to hear that she has been feeling so poorly. Given her existing autoimmune and adrenal gland issues coupled with this lethargy, head tilt and loss of balance, it is concerning that she may have developed a blood clot in her brain. A head tilt or loss of balance are most commonly caused by vestibular issues which can be related to blood clots in the brain, brain tumors, idiopathic vestibular syndrome, inner/middle ear infection, among others. An allergy seems like an unlikely cause of these signs because allergies in dogs are more commonly related to skin/ear issues or occasional coughing or sneezing. At this point, your best bet is to take Crystal to an emergency vet for evaluation to try to determine the underlying cause of these signs and to manage any nausea or discomfort that she may be experiencing. I hope that all goes well.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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