Why is my 10-year-old dog suddenly falling, confused, and not eating?

Poor Lucy! This could be a few different things. The most common things would be geriatric vestibular disease, an inner ear infection, a cerebral vascular accident (stroke), or a brain tumor. A lot of times it is geriatric vestibular disease which is a disorder they get when they get older that causes imbalance, but it improves with time. Unfortunately, they usually need supportive care to prevent dehydration. If she were mine, I would take her to your vet for an exam. Your vet may want to run some blood work to ensure her organs look okay and there is no toxins involved. Your vet will likely recommend supportive care and possibly antibiotics or steroids to cover all the possible problems. They may want to keep her there to watch her closely. I would give her a few days to see if she improves. I hope this helps!

All four legs or just two? Just weakness or paralysis? If it is just the back legs it could be hip dysplasia, a torn cruciate ligament, a dislocated hip a herniated disk in his back - just to name a few. If you are referring to all four legs this could be a muscle problem like myathenia gravis. It could be a nerve root tumor, herniated disk or any number of things. You need to get Millie to your vet for thorough orthopedic and neurological examinations to figure out what is going on with her. That way she can get the best treatment. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

The signs that you describe with Cleo really worry me about something going on in her brain, such as a tumor. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Take some videos of her behavior to show your veterinarian as well. Less likely but an inner ear infection may cause similar symptoms. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello, I am very sorry to hear about Millie. I am concerned about the symptoms Millie is exhibiting and I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian. Lethargy and inappetance are nonspecific signs in dogs, meaning that they can be caused by many underlying conditions. Your veterinarian can perform an examination and discuss the need for other diagnostics such as systemic bloodwork and possibly X-rays to look for any signs of pneumonia or abnormalities within her abdomen. Hope this helps, good luck!

Poor guy. He certainly sounds like he may either be in pain or has some underyling neurological disorder going on here. Your vet should know where to start looking once a complete physical examination is done, because much more information can be gathered here. They will certainly want to start with some baseline bloodwork and possibly some x-rays if he seems to have any musculoskeletal issues as well. Some possible causes for these symptoms would be an underlying neurological disorder (i.e. IVDD), Addison's disease (disease of the adrenal gland), a toxin ingestion, or just pain from something internal. I do hope that your pet starts to feel better soon! Best of luck tonight at the vet. Take care.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The falling/lethargy episode you described may have been a seizure. This may be due to toxin ingestion or epilepsy, which does occur occasionally in older dogs. Head shaking may be related or unrelated as an ear infection. I recommend having Sami seen by her vet who can perform bloodwork and x-rays and prescribe anticonvulsant medications if the seizures continue. I recommend bringing a video of the episode if you are able to, as his will be really helpful in determining if the episode was truly a seizure. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

I'm sorry to hear Badger is having issues. There could be multiple causes for the dizzy-like spells you are seeing, including an orthopedic issue, an underlying medical issue, or a neurologic issue. Neurologically older dogs can get something called vestibular disease, which affects the inner ear and controls balance. When affected, this leads to vertigo like symptoms. Vestibular disease can be seen in older dogs with no apparent underlying cause, or can be secondary to an inner ear infection or growth in the inner ear. I would recommend he be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine the underlying causes for the issue he is having, have any necessary testing done (X-ray, bloodwork) and start any treatment that he may need. Good luck!