Why is my unvaccinated puppy vomiting, dizzy, and losing balance?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Dixie! Since she is so young I really worry about her eating a toxin. Another possibility though it is not common in such a young dog is vestibular disease. This is when the balance center is off and they feel like they are spinning. Their eyes tend to be moving abnormally, they have a head tilt, fall to one direction, walk drunk and vomit. I would take her to an open emergency hospital to be evaluated. I wish you the best!

So, potential serious concerns would be 1. poisoning (ie antifreeze, pot, chemicals, rotten carcasses, etc.) 2. seizures (dogs get epilepsy and it commonly presents in puppies 3. metabolic issue like a liver shunt can cause neurologic symptoms 4. trauma to the brain like being hit by a car. Any neurologic symptoms are very serious and I would take him to an emergency veterinarian for a full workup.

Hmm. If this is happening in cycles then I would be suspicious of a potential toxicity to something she is ingesting. Perhaps even her heart worm or flea/tick preventative is to blame, especially if these episodes seem to occur around the time she is given them. This would be a very logical explanation and something I have seen in 1-2 patients of mine. Otherwise you should start looking into other possibilities such as hepatic (liver) encephalopathy or a brain malfunction. Having her examined by the vet and bloodwork analysis would be the next logical steps towards finding her diagnosis so that treatment options can be looked into to help stabilize Bellum's condition.

I agree with your concerns. This is not normal for a puppy, and I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by a veterinarian. Small puppies can have problems regulating their blood glucose levels and that may cause the trembling and nausea. Try to give her a snack every 3-4 hours if possible. Also, deworming and vaccinations are important at this age as well. Your veterinarian will complete a good physical examination on her and let you know if they have any other concerns. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Please, take Princess to your local vet right away. Acute loss of balance should be always treated as an emergency. She may have been intoxicated, the signs could be due to brain dysfunction or ear problem, which should be treated without delay.

Muffin needs to see the veterinarian quickly. Losing the balance is never normal and can indicate many things including toxin ingestion, drug exposure, an infection in the brain, brain cancer, low blood sugar and other sinister reasons. A physical exam and bloodwork is needed to begin figuring out the cause and the best treatment. Other diagnostics may also be indicated. I hope it's nothing too serious and that she gets back to normal quickly.

This is not a normal reaction to a vaccine. However, I would be concerned there is also something else going on since it's been several days between vaccine and reaction. Due to the symptoms you mentioned, it would be best to bring Kronos to a veterinarian right away for care.