My senior dog struggles to move and gets dizzy. What should I do?

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!

It sounds like Lucy is in pain, poor girl! Yelping, lack of appetite, and decreased movement are all signs of pain in dogs. It's very possible she sprained or strained something, like her back or a limb, and this is her way of telling you. I'm glad the Cosequin seemed to help her, but in general, Cosequin is not a pain reliever; it's a joint supplement that provides nutritive support to cartilage, joint capsules, and joint fluid, and it's an excellent product, so I do recommend you keep Lucy on this consistently. However, I think she needs some more aggressive pain management and a check-up with your vet to make sure she hasn't seriously injured herself. Especially if her back is painful, as that can sometimes involve pinched nerves. If she has a history of bladder stones and is having inappropriate urination, that definitely needs to be evaluated as well. When you go in to have her pain assessed, bring a urine sample with you for your vet to check. It may be something as simple as a urinary tract infection or it could be a recurrence of bladder stones, but it's worth getting checked out. Good luck and I hope Lucy feels better soon!

If Dogz is having problems moving, then I would recommend having your veterinarian examine her to determine if she is having joint problems that may benefit from pain medication. I am attaching a handout below with more information about medications for arthritis. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I am so sorry to hear that your pet has so many major issues that are debilitating and causing her to have a poor quality of life. I do think that if her condition cannot be improved with medications then it is someting you should discuss with your veterinarian. Humane euthansia, although it is probably not something you want to consider, should be considered if Sophie is not able to helped with medical management. However, there are pain medications that can be tried to see if they make a difference. You can discuss with your vet about trying Tramadol and/or Gabapentin to help with pain management. Probiotics can also be tried to help with her diarrhea, as well as a high fiber diet such as Royal Canin Gasrointestinal High Fiber (Rx). It sounds like she may have cancer involving her nervous system, which is why she can't maintain her mobitliy well. Poor girl. I hope that you can come to terms with her condition and maybe there is more you can try with her. Best wishes with Sophie. We are also available for a private consultation if you need to discuss more about Sophie's condition and futher care recommendations. Take care.

Poor Olivia. As they age it can be so difficult as their internal organs are functioning perfectly but their bodies are developing arthirits which can be crippling. I would start her on some joint supplements if you haven't already. I like dasuquin and flexadin. You can actually do both as long as your seaparate each one by 12 hours so you would give dasuquin in the AM and flexadin in the PM. If she has trouble slipping on slick floors I would consider buying some Dr. Buzby's toegrips to help with traction. You can also start her on an omega-3 fatty acid to help with her joints. I would also talk to your vet about an anti-inflammatory to help with pain and inflammation if needed. You don't have to give her this daily but just on the days that she is having a tough time. Although, if every day is tough, then don't hesitate to give it. Finally, I would consider getting her some acupuncture as this can really help relieve pain if you can find one in your area. The goal with geriatrics is to give the a good QUALITY of life over quantity so focus on her pain relief and her mobility to see if you can help her feel better. I hope this helps !

Poor Lucy! Yelping related to being picked up or otherwise physically handled usually indicates that the dog is painful somewhere. Lucy may have arthritis, back or neck pain, or may have injured herself somehow. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam. Your veterinarian knows how to do a thorough orthopedic exam to help determine where she may be painful, and may recommend x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem. It's likely that she would benefit from some type of pain medication (either short or long-term, depending on the problem) which your veterinarian can prescribe for her.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly neck or back pain though it could also be due to arthritis. It could still be pain associated with a leg even if nothing seems wrong with them. I recommend that you have Sausage evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics include radiographs. Treatment would be based on findings. At the very least they can prescribe pain control medications to make Sausage feel better. In the meantime, reduce his activity as much as possible as that in itself can make a big difference. Good luck and have a good day!