My dog is walking like he's drunk and falling. What's the cause?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a neurological or orthopedic condition. This could even due to weakness from perhaps getting into something he should not have. For this reason, I recommend that you consider taking him to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check what seems to be the issue so that it can be treated accordingly. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian right away if at all possible. The symptoms you have described can be the result of an intoxication, orthopedic pain such as arthritis or a neurological problem. An examination will be performed and x-rays may be needed to diagnose the problem. From there, appropriate treatment can be prescribed. I hope this information helps!

I would recommend that you have Sweety examined by a vet. Unspayed older dogs are at risk for developing a life-threatening infection in the uterus. Other possible causes for ataxia (walking drunk) are vestibular syndrome, ear infection, body infection, kidney or liver disease, etc. The vet will do a thorough physical and neurologic exam and may recommend blood work to see what could be going on.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Snoop is having an issue keeping his balance. This can be due to an issue with his vestibular system, or the part of the nervous system responsible for compensating for changes in location (for example, in a human, getting dizzy on a merry go round is a result of your vestibular system getting "confused"). This is especially likely if he is falling to one side consistently. Vestibular issues can come from the nervous system itself or from the inner ear. Snoop can also have a generalized weakness causing him to fall over, which can be due to a toxin, dehydration, low blood sugar, and many other causes. Snoop should definitely be seen by a vet as soon as possible to determine the underlying cause of his loss of balance and initiate the appropriate treatment.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The signs you describe can be caused by an irregularity in the spine - this may cause the bones to compress the actual spinal cord, damaging the nerves that are responsible for controlling the back legs and tail. A veterinary neurologist would be able to further diagnose the condition and propose a treatment plan, your original vet may be able to recommend one. I would be happy to take a look at x-rays or bloodwork and answer any questions you may have about them!

There can be numerous reasons that this may be happening to Zooey and most likely you will need to have her checked out by your vet to determine the cause. She might be suffering from an ear infection that is deep enough to affect her equilibrium, she may have some weakness in one or more kegs caused by arthritis or an injury, she may have arthritis in her spine. These are just a few of the possible causes. I would recommend a general exam for her to see if a cause can be detected.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The clinical symptoms you describe are concerning for something serious going on with Daisy. She could be acting like that from perhaps severe dehydration and hypovolemia (lack of volume in her circulatory system) from so much diarrhea and recent history of anorexia and not drinking water. She could have also being exposed to some toxin that is affecting both her gastrointestinal and neurologic systems. I highly recommend you take her to a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as soon as possible. Good luck!