My dog is disoriented, head tilted, and lethargic. Is it serious?

Hi there. While it is not abnormal for Charlie to be lethargic and behave differently when everyone leaves-this is a bit much. I would recommend taking him in to your veterinarian in case something else is going on. Pancreatitis, intoxication, and a few other diseases can start with this presentation. Shivering in dogs is often a pain response (can also be nervousness, cold, etc). If these behaviors continue I recommend taking him in as soon as you can to try to prevent it from getting worse. I hope this helps and I hope Charlie feels better soon!

Oh my. Poor guy. His symptoms unfortunately aren’t specific for one disease process to speak ok. Lethargy, shivering and weakness can be caused by just about any disease process including: toxin ingestion, underlying heart disease, or even anaphylactic shock is a possibility. But one thing is sure, Snoopy is in need of medical care if this has been going on for more than 6 hrs or so. He will need some diagnostic testing (bloodwork analysis to start) to determine what the underlying problem is so that we know how best to help Snoopy get better. I would recommend getting him seen as soon as you can. I hope that he is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best of luck to you and take care.

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.

I am so sorry to hear this. Many things could be causing these signs in Fredo. A thorough exam by a veterinarian may be able to pinpoint the problem more specifically, but problems such as intoxication, meningitis, Addison’s disease, liver shunts, and seizure events are all on my list of possible causes. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

All these signs are very concerning and point to a possible viral infection or metabolic disease. You need to take your dog to a veterinarian or PetER right away as he may be having a serious infection that needs to be tended to. Distemper comes to mind, a liver shunt and/or meningitis.

It sounds as Pelu is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking her to the vet the first chance you get, she will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection she will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better. if the vet thinks it is more serious she will need a blood test and possibly an ultrasound in order to find out what is wrong.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Charlie. He could have many things going on due to his age. Possibilities include toxin exposure, infection, heart problems, neurologic problems, endocrine/hormone problems, kidney/liver/gallbladder disease, cancer, etc. I would advise taking Charlie to your veterinarian right away to get him assessed. Your vet can gather a history, perform an exam and then advise a diagnostic/treatment plan based on their findings. Possible tests include fecal/blood/urine tests, x-rays/ultrasound. Once a diagnosis is made a treatment plan can be implemented. Good luck with Charlie