Why is my dog tilting his head after a walk wearing a muzzle?

Unfortunately I agree with your vet that MRI is probably the next step. Even though his ears appeared normal inner ear disease is still possible although fairly unlikely, especially since there is no nystagmus eye movement noted. A head tilt can be a sign of infectious or inflammatory brain disease, a stroke or blood clot in the brain, or even a brain tumor. If the head tilt is the only neurologic symptom and your dog is otherwise acting like his normal self you could consider simply monitoring for additional neurologic signs - with most of these neurologic problems I would expect more symptoms to develop as the disease progresses.

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!

Head tilting and head shaking are common occurrence when inner ear problems such as an ear infection, allergies or even mites occur. It is possible that there may be something bothering the inside of your dog's ear and it may be that either barking helps relieve it, is a symptom of it (IE he is barking because it hurts) or the barking is the cause of the irritation. It is a good idea to take a peek into your dog's ears if he'll let you to see if you can see any signs of infection or irritation such as redness, dirt/debris, bad smell (usually a "corn chip" like smell) or other signs of problems. If the ear is irritated to the point where it can't be touched, this is also a good indication of a possible ear problem. Ear infections are usually treated with a medicated ear ointment and cleaner from your vet over a period of 7-10 days to relieve the problem, while allergies can be treated with a daily oral allergy medication (your vet can give you dosing information if this is the case). In some cases of severe infections, your vet may also want to sedate your dog to get a thorough ear cleaning in and to relieve the problem quickly. In some cases, head tilt and shaking can also indicate an illness called Vestibular Disease. This is commonly seen with other symptoms such as walking in a circle (usually in the direction of the head tilt), scratching at the ear, constant head tilt or signs of dizziness such as nausea and vomiting. This situation is more serious, and can be caused by a number of issues ranging from severe infections, to neurologic problems and should be looked at by a vet as soon as possible if suspected. If this behavior is new, then making a checkup with your local vet is the best option to look for ear problems causing the odd behavior. In the mean time, prevent him from scratching at or shaking his head when possible- an Elizabethan collar (cone) can help to stop this and prevent any spread of infection/irritation.

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.

head tilt is a sign of a neurological condition and it has absolutely nothing to do with "mental imbalance". A head tilt is always something that should be investigated by a veterinarian as it can point to neurological problems arising from the highly contagious distemper virus, a serious inner ear infection or a stroke or vestibular syndrome and more,,,, If your puppy has a head tilt, please immediately take it to a veterinarian. Vaccination will protect against distemper virus.

I would recommend that you have Charlie examined by a vet. The symptoms you have described can be cause by idiopathic vestibular syndrome ( http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=564 ), but this is usually seen in older dogs. Other causes could be a middle ear infection, an issue in the brain, or less commonly a stroke. It is possible that he is not reacting to the sudden changes in temperature, and I may be inclined to think this was the cause if he is much better in a couple hours.

It can possibly be induced by the exercise. Make sure to walk Coco with a harness around the chest rather than the collar around the neck (and I would not have a collar on at all during this healing time). If it resolves on its own, I would not be too concerned with the twitching. If it occurs at other times of the day, I would call the vet to see if it is a concern.