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My senior dog has a sudden head tilt and can't stand. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Cocker Spaniel | Female | spayed | 13 years and 2 months old | 26 lbs

My Cocker Spaniel is 13 yrs old and we have battled with ear infections (she sees the vet regularly but we aren't getting positive results on getting them under control with multiple antibiotics and ear drops) she is blind on one eye and limited vision in the other. She has lost her hearing but full of life. My concern is, last September 2017, something weird happened with her and she had a sudden head tilt, couldn't stand, lost control of bowels, her eyes were jumping side to side. Now again

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on March 16th, 2018

What you are describing with Shasta may be something called vestibular disease. I am attaching a handout with more information about it below.
https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=564
If Shasta has a history of ear infections, she may have a middle ear infection that is causing her signs. That is discussed in the handout above.
I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Shasta and determine what might be causing her signs and the appropriate way to treat them.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 9th, 2017
If she has vestibular disease, her condition should be improving over time. If the signs seem to be getting worse then it is probably not vestibular disease. It could be an ear infection, brain tumor, or other causes. You could have her evaluated by a veterinary neurologist for a second opinion if your vet is not able to diagnose.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on November 19th, 2017
It could be vestibular disease of old dog, this is a condition she might recover from (there is no treatment, they usually start getting better within 3 days), unfortunately it could also be a brain tumor or a severe ear infection that require immediate treatment. i have to recommend to take her to the vet urgently if you can.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Why is my senior dog tilting his head and not walking or eating?

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.

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