Content
- Causes of a dog with a lack of balance
- Symptoms of changes in dog movement
- Diagnosis of poor motor coordination in dogs
- What to do if my dog is out of balance?
When a dog starts to walk abnormally, as if it were really drunk, it should be more than fun to be a cause for alert and concern on the part of the caregiver. And the called ataxia and it can be produced by several causes, from simple imbalances in nutrients and electrolytes or intoxications to tumors or problems in the spinal cord, cerebellum or vestibular system, which are the important centers in the coordination and control of movements. Diagnosis must be exhaustive, with a good clinical history, neurological examination, analytical and diagnostic imaging. Treatment will vary depending on the cause.
Continue reading this PeritoAnimal article to find out the causes and what to do in case of dog out of balance. Good reading.
Causes of a dog with a lack of balance
When we have a dog with a lack of balance, walking with lack of coordination and staggering as if he were drunk or drugged, that means he has ataxia, that is, motor alteration. This lack of control occurs when the pathways that inform the brain about position and regulate movement and balance are altered for some reason, or when they produce damage to the brain.
Ataxia is a clinical sign caused by different diseases or disorders in dogs. Although the first thing you might think of in a dog with this lack of coordination is that it has a vestibular, spinal or cerebellar disease, it is actually a common sign of other neurological diseases and other disorders as well, such as some infectious diseases.
The origin of this way of staggering, uncoordinated walking and loss of balance may be due to the following causes:
- Intoxications: some medications (such as metronidazole or epilepsy medications) and toxic products can cause this neurological sign.
- canine distemper: this virus can affect the nervous system causing ataxia.
- hits or falls that can cause inflammation and even cerebral hemorrhage.
- vestibular syndrome: also often accompanied by head tilt, eye movement up and down or sideways, anorexia, and dizziness. If you notice your dog walking sideways, this could be the reason.
- spinal cord diseases: inflammation, trauma, tumors, embolisms.
- Otitis medium or indoor.
- vestibular disease.
- Spinal or Intervertebral Infection.
- Disc herniation.
- Discospondylitis.
- Thiamine Deficiency.
- Brain tumour.
- Wobbler Syndrome: problems in the vertebrae (protrusion, degeneration, narrowing), which can sometimes be congenital.
- cerebellar disease.
- granulomatous meningoencephalitis.
- hypocalcemia.
- hypokalemia.
- hypoglycemia.
- Sweeteners (xylitol).
In summary, a dog with a lack of balance can present three main types of ataxia according to its origin:
- Proprioceptive or sensory ataxia: occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord and/or vertebrae and nerves.
- vestibular ataxia: when damage occurs to the vestibular system of the ear responsible for balance.
- cerebellar ataxia: when signs of cerebellar changes are observed, such as exaggerated movements (hypermetry) and incoordination.
- secondary ataxia: produced by external factors (trauma, medication, xylitol, toxins) and electrolyte or nutritional imbalances.
Symptoms of changes in dog movement
When a dog looks drugged or walks as if drunk due to ataxia, as we've seen, it can correspond to a secondary sign of disorders of various types. For this reason, it is common for the lack of balance and coordination to occur with associated symptoms according to the originating process in question.
The clinical signs that a dog with ataxia may present are as follows:
- Motor incoordination.
- Instability.
- nystagmus.
- Hypermetry.
- go in circles.
- Paresis.
- tremors.
- Convulsions.
- Paresis.
- vomiting.
- Nausea.
- Dizziness.
- Fever.
- Ache.
- pinching.
- breathing difficulty.
- Bleeds.
- loss of balance.
- hearing loss.
- mental changes.
- Confusion.
- Anorexia.
Diagnosis of poor motor coordination in dogs
To diagnose the specific cause of a dog with a lack of balance, the first thing to do at the veterinary center is to check its medical history: vaccination, age, recent trauma, possibilities of being in contact with some toxin or drug that can produce ataxia, how long does it take with symptoms, if there is pain or associated clinical signs. In this way, a clinical suspicion can be established.
Subsequently, a correct neurological diagnosis must be made in order to try locate the injury and consequences. must also be performed a blood count is complete blood biochemistry to investigate possible changes or electrolyte deficits. A sample of cerebrospinal fluid can be taken when a nervous system problem or infection is suspected.
To establish the definitive diagnosis, diagnostic imaging tests must be performed, specifically:
- radiography.
- myelography (spinal cord x-ray).
- magnetic resonance.
- Computed tomography (TC).
What to do if my dog is out of balance?
Given the multiple causes that can cause this change in locomotion in dogs, it is essential go to the veterinary clinic for a professional to diagnose and establish treatment. A dog that suddenly cannot walk should be treated as quickly as possible.
Treatment will vary greatly depending on the origin of the dog's motor incoordination, considering the following:
- When it is due to toxins, they must be eliminated or application of an antidote, if there is.
- If it is due to some medication, the drug must be paused, reduce doses or switch to another drug.
- If there are electrolyte or nutritional imbalances, they should be supplemented to reach adequate levels.
- If there are infections, antibiotic therapy must be applied.
- In the case of tumors, the appropriate treatment must be applied according to the case (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery).
- In certain cases, a surgical intervention should be performed, as in severe cases of compressive disc hernias or certain tumors.
- In other cases, rest and anti-inflammatory therapy will be enough.
- In the presence of moderate to severe pain, painkillers must be added.
- If there is vomiting, can be used antiemetics.
- If it is due to distemper, specific symptomatic treatment should be applied.
- In some cases, and especially after surgeries, it may be convenient for the dog to have sessions of physiotherapy.
For everything we've covered, the causes that lead us to have a dog out of balance they are very varied, so if you suspect that your dog may be developing ataxia, you should urgently go to a veterinary center so that its cause can be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. In the following video, we talk about another subject that might interest you: why is the dog on its back?
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Dog with a lack of balance - Causes and what to do, we recommend that you enter our Neurological Disorders section.