Why is my senior dog wobbly, panting, and losing significant weight?

She does need to see a vet as soon as you can as this sounds like a neurological problem. It may be a stroke, an inner ear infection, or vestibular disease. Your vet will examine her and start her on medicine to help with the dizziness and off balance so she can rest. Most regain normal function with time and treatment.

Poor Zoe! I would be very concerned that she has a serious medical problem causing her symptoms such as heart disease, which is common in senior dogs. Heart disease leads to exercise intolerance, and it would cause her to become weak during normal activity and fall over. These symptoms are certainly not normal, and she needs a visit to the vet as soon as possible for a physical exam, routine blood tests, urinalysis, and chest x-rays. Once the cause of her symptoms are found, the vet can discuss treatment options with you. Heart disease cannot be cured, but it can be medically managed. I would get her into a vet tomorrow or first thing Monday. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I am so sorry to hear that Holly is going through so much. Often when I see a dog who is acting the way you describe I find that they are painful in the neck or the back. I worry that she may have a slipped disc that may be causing her pain and her instability. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. If there is an emergency veterinarian available tonight then at least she could get some pain medication and be more comfortable until you can see your regular veterinarian. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lady! I love your pictures! There are many possible reasons for Lady's symptoms. The heart rate is fine, it is normal to have a low resting heart rate at home. The fact it isn't high is reassuring that she isn't in pain or distress. The panting can be from: canine cognitive dysfunction or dementia, Cushing's disease, feels over heated and a lot of older large breed dogs just overall pant more. Causes for the bloated belly are: overweight (fat in belly), enlarged liver from Cushing's, low thyroid, tumor in her belly. I think a Vet exam, blood work and belly X-rays are a good idea to see if there is a medical reason for the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps and I wish Lady the very best!

Hello! Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am hear your concern about Chance's health - it can certainly be scary as our pets start to age. From the picture above, although a little blurry, I am not as concerned about is dry nose (this can be normal) however, it looks as though he may have lesions below his eye on his cheek and below his nose as well?? You can certainly try some pure aloe gel on his nose to see if that helps. If he has not had a visit to his regular veterinarian in awhile it may be time to have him get a check up. Unexplained weight loss (the appearance of being skinny), difficulty going up/down stairs and heavier breathing can be indications that Chance is experiencing pain or discomfort. A check up would allow the veterinarian to listen to his heart and lungs and ensure that he isn't having any problems such as arthritis contributing to mobility problems. I hope you this information helps, and I hope that gets the relief needs. I wish you and the best of luck!

Her symptoms could be due to any number of things: * intestinal parasites (worms) * endocrine disease (Cushings, thyroid, Addisons, etc) * liver, kidney or other organ failure/disease * cancer * etc...... Her symptoms sound serious and I think you need to have her examined by your veterinarian. Weeks of weight loss and diarrhea is not good. Even if the vet finds that it is just old age there are medications she can be given to help her walk better and be more comfortable.

This may be due to pain and discomfort or may be due to canine cognitive dysfunction (similar to dementia) both of which can often be supported and reduced with medication. I recommend you schedule a full physical exam by your vets and they may wish to do blood tests to rule out any complicating factors such as kidney or liver issues which may affect the dose rate of medications in a senior pet