Why is my senior dog so wobbly?

Vestibular disease happens in dogs whenever there is a disturbance of the balance centre of the body. This is controlled inside the inner ear, so ear infections can sometimes send our dogs’ balance off-kilter. Injuries, some systemic diseases and some cancers can cause problems with the vestibular system. Occasionally in older dogs, though, we can get all the signs and symptoms of a problem with the balance centre without any apparent cause – this is what we call “idiopathic” vestibular disease. Idiopathic vestibular disease is more common in older dogs – over the age of 8 years. The most common signs are: A head tilted to one side Rapid flicking movements of the eyes Stumbling or loss of balance Walking in circles Vomiting and nausea.

A very common cause behind a dog losing their balance is vestibular disease. Vestibular disease is a problem deep in the ear (inner ear) – an older dog is more likely to develop vestibular disease than a young dog. The brain controls most of our body, if it develops a problems such as an infection, inflammation, an injury, a bleed, a blood clot, seizures or a brain tumour, your dog is likely to develop many symptoms, including loss of balance. Some puppies are born wobbly because of a problem with the balance centre in their brain (called the cerebellum). Spinal fractures, infections around the spine, inflammation of the spine and slipped disks can cause paralysis – which, depending on how severe it is, can look a bit like loss of balance. Weakness in the legs, eating something poisonous or having a reaction to a medicine (some antibiotics) can all cause symptoms that look like loss of balance.

In older dogs, Wobblers can be caused by degeneration and ageing changes in the spinal cord, which can lead to symptoms and possibly pain. There are two categories of changes: Disc associated – disc protrudes into the spinal cord, Osseous-associated – there is abnormal bone growth which narrows the spinal canal and reduces the space for the spinal cord. In either case, when structures start to come into contact with the spinal cord, the messages being relayed from the brain to the body become disrupted or cut-off leading to symptoms. Their is a widening of the spinal cord in the caudal end of the cervical spine which is mismatched with a narrowing of the spinal canal leading to spinal cord impingement. Wobblers syndrome often exhibits hind end symptoms before front leg symptoms because the information carried in the outer layer of the spinal cord controls the hind end and is impacted by impingement in the neck. Wobbly or unsteady hind end often worse when walking slow or on slippery flooring is a sign of wobblers syndrome. Dragging of the hind legs, knuckling of the hind legs, weakness or paralysis of the hind legs which may progress to the front legs, lameness of a front leg, difficulty getting up from the ground are also symptoms of wobblers syndrome.

The vestibular system is responsible for maintaining normal balance. Most dogs present with a sudden loss of balance, disorientation, head tilt, and irregular, jerking eye movements called nystagmus. Many dogs will become reluctant to stand or walk. Causes of vestibular disease include middle ear or inner ear infections; drugs that are toxic to the ear; trauma or injury; tumors; and hypothyroidism. When no specific cause is found, the condition is called idiopathic vestibular syndrome. Most patients are completely recovered within 2 to 3 weeks, although some will have residual symptoms, such as a head tilt or mild "wobbling" for life. Dogs who have had an episode may be prone to recurrence. The head tilt and stumbling often improves over a 7 to 10-day period.

The term for this uncoordinated gait is ataxia, and the type of ataxia that causes dogs to walk like they are drunk is called a vestibular ataxia. The vestibular system, or balance system, in dogs is composed of two parts: the peripheral portion, or the inner and middle ear, and the central portion, or the parts of the brain that control the balance system. There are a variety of causes for vestibular dysfunction in dogs, depending whether the inner/middle ear or the brain itself appears to be affected. Potential causes include inner/middle ear infections, intoxication, strokes, tumors, infectious or inflammatory diseases, idiopathic vestibular disease, or other less likely causes. Idiopathic vestibular disease is also called old dog vestibular syndrome. Other signs that can be seen in a dog with vestibular dysfunction include abnormal, rapid eye movements, the head tilting to the side, walking in circles, falling or rolling toward one side, or nausea and vomiting.

Vestibular disease also called 'Old dog syndrome' or canine idiopathic vestibular disease, or vestibular syndrome is a non-progressive balance disorder typically due to problems within your dog's inner ear, or middle ear. Although this condition is generally seen in older dogs, dogs of any age can get vestibular disease. As well as stumbling and loss of balance, signs of vestibular disease can include head tilting, walking in circles, vomiting, nausea, and flicking of the eyes from side to side. Inner ear infections are another common cause of staggering and stumbling in dogs. Other signs of ear infections include redness, swelling, discharge, and odor in or around the affected ear as well as head shaking and scratching, walking in circles, and eye flicking. Your dog's balance issues could be the result of head trauma, injury or damage to their inner ear. A stroke could affect any part of your dog's brain resulting in a wide range of symptoms. Some common signs of strokes in dogs include stumbling and balance loss, head tilt, circling, loss of vision, howling, limping, housetraining accidents, seizures, abnormal eye movements and in some cases collapse. Brain tumors will occur in dogs, particularly senior dogs, and can cause your dog to be stumbling around like drunk. Brain inflammation can cause dogs to stumble and fall over.