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Why Is My Dog Stumbling When Walking

December 14, 2020 by Mary Telesz

persona wondering why is my dog stumbling when walkingIf you notice your dog stumbling or staggering when it walks, take notice. Staggering can be a sign of something more serious. So, why is my dog stumbling when walking?

What Does Staggering Look Like?

Staggering is a pronounced, imbalanced movement.

When your dog staggers, it looks as if your dog is intoxicated from drinking too much. Your dog will seem uncoordinated and unable to walk in a normal, balanced way. Your dog may even stumble and fall down. When you see it, you will know right away that something is wrong. You should consult with your vet immediately if your dog suddenly begins to stagger.

What Causes A Dog To Stumble?

Staggering is commonly the result of a condition, called vestibular disease, that affects your dog’s balance. When the vestibular disease affects the nerves that connect your dog’s inner ear to the brain, it leads to a loss of balance and often creates other symptoms as well.

Vestibular disease commonly results from one of the following five conditions, which make up the condition called “peripheral” vestibular disease:

  • Ear infection — Inner and middle ear infections can cause your dog to stagger when the infection irritates the nerves that connect the inner ear to the brain.
  • Perforated eardrum — If you clean your dog’s ears too aggressively, you can damage your dog’s eardrum and surrounding nerves, causing your dog to stagger. It can also cause hearing loss.
  • Trauma to the head or neck area — A head injury suffered by your dog that damages the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain can result in vestibular disease.
  • Tumors — A tumor growing on or near the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain can cause imbalance.
  • Certain medications — Certain medications, such as metronidazole, can be toxic to your dog’s ears and cause vestibular disease.

Other conditions can cause your dog to stagger, too. Though these conditions are less common, they are just as serious and require attention by your vet. These make up the condition called “central” vestibular disease and include:

  • Inflammatory disease
  • Infection
  • Injury or poison
  • Stroke, or bleeding in the brain
  • Loss of blood flow
  • Cancer

What To Do If Your Dog Is Staggering

something is amiss if a dog start staggering all of a suddenThe first thing you need to do is try to determine what is causing your dog to stagger. You will likely need to get your dog to a vet for an examination.

Physical Exam

Be prepared to describe any symptoms you observed — when you first noticed them, their frequency, and any facts and circumstances that may point to a traumatic injury to your dog’s head, neck, or back. If your dog has been on any medication, you will need to provide that information, too.

Tests

Your vet will probably need to test your dog. Testing may include an MRI of your dog’s ears, a brain CT scan, and radiographs. Depending on the circumstances and the results of the vet’s physical examination of your dog, the vet may want to conduct a CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) analysis to help diagnose any infectious or inflammatory disease. Another test the vet may want to perform is a BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) to help evaluate your dog’s hearing channels and pathways.

Diagnosis

Based on the vet’s physical examination and the test results, your vet can confirm that your dog is experiencing vestibular disease. The vet will then determine whether it is peripheral or central vestibular disease and determine the underlying cause of it.

With peripheral vestibular disease, your dog may exhibit normal levels of strength, a normal mental state, and demonstrate some cranial nerve deficits. With central vestibular disease, however, the vet may observe that your dog has limited awareness of one side of its body; it may be paralyzed unilaterally, display an altered mental state, and experience deficits in its cranial nerves.

Treatment

Once your vet determines the cause of your dog’s vestibular disease, the vet will recommend appropriate treatment. Whatever treatment is necessary, you will need to provide appropriate supportive care. Any one or more of the following supportive care techniques may be recommended by your vet, depending on your dog’s condition:

  • Intravenous fluid administration in cases where your dog is dehydrated.
  • Medication to alleviate nausea and prevent or minimize vomiting.
  • Medication called propentofylline to help your dog compensate for vestibular damage.
  • Antioxidants and essential fatty acids which will boost your dog’s ability to heal.

Best Way To Prevent Dog Stumbling

Providing your dog with good care is the best way to prevent staggering. It means feeding your dog a healthy diet designed for dogs, providing fresh water at all times, providing basic obedience training, and giving your dog daily walks and plenty of exercise. When you walk your dog, use a leash and keep the dog under supervision to minimize the chances of trauma. Keep up with your dog’s medical condition by getting annual examinations by your vet and early treatment when health issues arise.

Working With The Dog Walking Experts For Help

before a dog starts staggering it usually can not stand up properlyRecognizing that your dog is staggering and seeking immediate veterinary care is important to treating the condition and improving your dog’s ability to fully recover from it. The dog care and dog walking professionals at Paw Pals are trained to recognize staggering, along with many other symptoms, and to seek help. The Paw Pals professionals are also experienced in helping owners with dogs that need special care when the owners are away. Contact them today for more information about their dog care services.

Filed Under: Dog Walking

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
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Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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