The vestibular system in your pet consists of three parts: The inner ear, which detects sound; the semicircular canals, which detect movement; and the otoliths, or balance organs, which sense gravity. Together they help them maintain their posture while walking, running, jumping, turning and other activities that require a stable base for support.
The vestibule of the inner ear contains three semicircular canals, which help your pet sense movement around their heads. When they move or turn their heads quickly, these canals send signals to their brain about how fast things are moving. If something goes wrong inside the ears, it could cause problems for dogs as they rely heavily on their senses of balance and motion. This condition is called “vestibular disease” because it affects the vestibules.
Are there any tips to help my pet from developing a vestibular problem?
There are a few things you can do to perhaps help prevent your dog from developing vestibular problems. These include:
- Avoiding loud noises such as fireworks, thunderstorms, gunshots, etc.
- Making sure your dog’s ears are clean and dry after swimming.
- Look out for grass seeds in the area of the ear.
- If they get pus or an infection in their ear, see your vet immediately.
How does a canine with a vestibular disease feel?
A dog with sudden onset vertigo or dizziness has trouble standing on some or all of his feet without falling over. This happens because they do not know/sense where they are going or how to get there as their equilibrium, or balance, in the inner ear is disturbed. They might also be confused about what’s happening around them as their sense of perspective has gone. A dog with this problem could be feeling sick when they get out of bed, their head is often tilted and ‘spins’ as if they were drunk and they often don’t want to even try to stand up. You may also notice his or her eyes are rolling from side to side and your poor doggie looks confused and is panting from the distress.
The good news is that if diagnosed early enough, palliative and symptomatic treatment options can many times assist with some degree of recovery.
There are medications available to help control nausea and vomiting parts associated with vestibular disease and in some cases, may sufficiently address the problem while short time, rehabilitation and care is also a big healer.
However, some dogs especially large dogs, don’t cope well at all with this lack of control and sudden lost mobility (incl toileting) and may not be eligible for the extended wait and of a degree of recovery to begin. This recovery time usually requires around the clock home care and support for a short period of time which not all owners, understandably, are able to provide. Besides there are never any guarantees of what degree of recovery is to be expected and another similar episode may happen soon after with further difficult setbacks.
What happens if the condition worsens?
If the disease worsens, rather than improves over time, the signs that may not resolve satisfactorily are:
- Head Tilt – This sign is usually noticed first and is characterised by one side of your pets head being lower than the other. It is common in older animals and tends to get worse over time.
- Balance Problems – These include swaying from side to side while walking, staggering around, leaning against or banging into walls, etc.
- Mobility – may not improve (fast) enough for an independent life including toileting.
- Nausea/Vomiting – may cause your dog to not be able to eat and drink and retain food and water for critical nutrition and sufficient hydration.
How Do I Know When To Euthanise My Pet?
It is not necessary to immediately euthanise a pet dog having a vestibular disease unless of course your dog has already been declining and lost a lot of its condition and quality of life before this sudden episode. Putting your pet dog to sleep is sometimes the best option, to put an end to his or her immediate suffering if the other factors indicate this and your dog is severely distressed and suffering and unlikely to make an acceptable level of recovery. Your normal vet, our palliative care trained vet, will be able to advice you on this balance, for the best considered decision to be made based on your dog’s general condition and age. Several factors such as age, symptoms of the disease, the severity of the disease and overall health, pain and mobility of the pet are taken into consideration before your vet would recommend euthanasia or treatment in any dog. As a pet parent, if you’re worried about your pet’s health or behaviour, please be sure to book a visit with your vet without delay.