Pollie has been very active and loves running in the woods every day, she is still active, but we have noticed that her left hind leg is scraping slightly as she walks, we can hear it as she walks on the carpet, it's not a lot it is only just scraping on the surface, and sometimes her head looks like she is tilting it on one side, plus she has gone a little quieter! What do you think can be wrong?
Veteran Advisor David says:
November 29th, 2007 at 03:50 PM
hi there, it seems to me that there are a few possibilities as to what might be happening here. - are her nails too long? That is a common cause of foot dragging in older pets - does she seem stiff, reluctant to get up in the morning? Arthritis may be a factor Head tilt tends to occur because of ear disease or a condition called vestibular disease in older pets. There are other less common causes. Does she have any history of ear disease? Is the head tilt permanent? Does she tend to lose her balance? Do her eyes seem to be flicking from side to side? I think the best thing may be a visit to her local vet for a clinical exam notes on vestibular disease: idiopathic vestibular disease is more common in older dogs and the name geriatric vestibular syndrome is used. It can occur in middle aged dogs however (idiopathic means "no known cause"). The problem arises due to inflammation in the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum (balance and spatial orientation contol). The symptoms usually last a couple of days to three weeks and vary in severity. A few dogs can have residual signs after this, such as a head tilt and slight lameness. Usually dogs present to the clinic with sudden loss of balance with many dogs unable to even stand up. Nystagmus, a rythmic eye motion, is usually noted. Dogs may be nauseous also.
User suggests:
April 13th, 2009 at 05:59 AM
As there are so many out there, what companies do you recommend? shelah@rodeo-realty.com
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