My dog walks weird, head tilted. What's wrong? Worried about vet cost.

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!

I would be worried about a potential inner ear infection. Other ear infections can progress to inner ear infections which are painful, can result in hearing loss and balance issues. It is possible that the head tilt is the first sign that the balance Centers are being affected. I would advise taking Dahlia back in to the vet.

Unfortunately if he won't let you near his ears you may have to wait until tomorrow when you can get Wrigley in to see your veterinarian. If you can pick up an ear cleaner from a pet store you can try flushing them out between now and tomorrow morning. If he is walking with a head tilt I would be worried that his inner or middle ear may also be affected, if this is truly the case, I wouldn't recommend putting anything more in his ears until you see your vet. If you feel he is really uncomfortable and you don't want to wait, an emergency vet should be able to evaluate him today.

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hershey. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She could be experiencing vestibular disease, neck or back pain. The veterinarian will assess her symptoms and determine how best to help her. In the meantime, keep her quiet and do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

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.

Your dog likely suffers from a severe ear infection, you cannot give him anything without taking him to the vet, he will need antibiotics/antifungal meds in order to recover and you need to do it urgently.