Why is my dog bumping into walls, tilting head, and circling?

I’m wondering if Kiki might be showing signs of vestibular disease, a disease that affects the nerves of he inner ear in dogs and can occur suddenly. It may also cause nausea. Ingestion of a toxin or other neurologic disease could also cause difficulty walking and unusual behavior. I would recommend seeing your vet for an exam - vestibular disease is usually diagnosed based on a physical exam.

That is very unusual. There are several things that come to mind that could cause the signs. Ingesting toxins, an inner ear infection, stroke or viral infections are all possible. Anytime a pet appears off-balance you should be concerned and I recommend to take Nigel in to see a veterinarian right away. The doctor will need to perform a few basic tests to try to figure out the cause of the imbalance. Treatment will depend on the cause. Best of luck and I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like your Toby is suffering from a brain condition, This could be so-called vestibular syndrome, a brain bleed or similar lesion. Vestibular syndrome is a condition affecting old dogs. We do not know what causes it, however most of the time the dogs recover from it within about 4-6 weeks. Sometimes a head tilt remains,, but does not bother them. You need to take Toby to a vet to rule out other brain conditions, possibly for some iv fluids and medicine to combat nausea and fear, if indicated. Here is some really good information: http://vestibular.org/sites/default/files/page_files/Vestibular%20disease%20in%20dogs%20and%20cats.pdf

Poor guy. He could have a condition called vestibular disease. This is a debilitating condition that resembles vertigo in people. It can have underlying causes such as a brain tumor, inner ear infection or most commonly it can be idiopathic (no underlying cause at all). I would recommend going to a different vet for a second opinion and physical exam. Vestibular disease is usually self limiting (improves on its own) over the course of 2 weeks, but you can get medicaiton prescribed by your vet to help with Buster’s motion sickness and nausea. Cerenia works well for this, and so does some over the counters that you can ask your vet about. Also a high white blood cell count in absence of a high rectal temperature indicates there is only inflammation and not an actual infection. I hope this was helpful and I hope your pet Buster feels better soon. Best wishes and take care. Vestibular disease: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=564

It sounds like Wiley needs to see the veterinarian quickly. It's impossible to know without a physical exam and likely some bloodwork but these symptoms could describe low blood sugar (which can be fatal), hepatic encephalopathy or exposure to a toxin. Other causes are also possible but it's best to play it safe. I recommend to have Wiley examined right away. I hope everything turns out ok and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There are various conditions that can manifest with those signs. The most common on would be vestibular syndrome, which is quite common in geriatric dogs. Another cause could be an inner ear infection or meningitis, a brain tumor or similar. Vestibular syndrome has a sudden onset, the dog (or cat) shows a head tilt, sometimes circles, and is nauseous or even afraid, as it cannot figure out why it feels strange. We do not know what causes this, however in most cases this will go away by itself within a few weeks. Sometimes the head tilt remains. I suggest you take Rex to your veterinarian for an exam and possibly some medication to take any anxiety caused by the condition, if needed. Your vet will also be able to rule out all the other conditions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cutie. He could be experiencing neck or back pain that is making him walk in the way that you have described. He could also have a problem with his vestibular system as this can affect balance. Problems such as an inner ear infection will cause a dog to have a head tilt, walk in circles or off balance. In any case, he will likely need to see his veterinarian. In the meantime, do not give any over-the-counter pain medication as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!