Idiopathic/Old Dog Vestibular Syndrome

FastEddieB

FastEddieB

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Fast Eddie B
Tuesday night I noticed our 14-year-old Chow/Samoyed (?) mix, Chowder, starting to exhibit some odd behavior - her head was going left and right somewhat rhythmically, as if she was alerting to something unseen. By Wednesday morning she was much worse. The symptoms included head tilt, balance problems, wanting to turn right when walking, eyes darting back and forth and inability to get or keep her legs under her on the laminate upstairs floor. We just assumed she had had some sort of stroke, but she didn’t seem to be in pain, just confused, and wagged her tail when we petted her, so no rush to do anything drastic.

Here’s the head tilt:

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Our vet concurred on the phone it was likely a stroke, and prescribed a course of Prednisone to keep down possible brain swelling. No real change in either direction over Thursday and Friday.

Karen posted about it on Facebook and within fairly short order a retired veterinarian and another friend had both posted the possibility of the syndrome in the thread title, so we looked it up - neither of us had ever heard of it. It seems similar to the vertigo that crystals in your cochlea can cause, which can be quite debilitating.

In any case, yesterday she took a marked turn for the better - we’d say about 30%-50% better. Still a bit unsteady on her feet but managing walks outside much better. Our fingers are crossed - at 14 we know she’s approaching her final days over the next few years regardless - but we’re hoping it’s not anything worse and for a full recovery.
 
She’s cute, and looks great for an old gal.

Sometimes the beginning of the end comes fast, other times, they forge ahead for an amazingly long time. My sister’s cat and one of our old Pekingese were examples where they ended up with good quality of life for many years past when we thought it was almost over. Tuff critters, some are. Same as some people’s outlook and ability to physically and mentally battle.

Whatever happens, I hope it’s as peaceful as can be for all of you.
 
We had a dog with vestibular syndrome. First occurrence, we thought it was the end. She recovered mostly in about 2 weeks. Never fully lost the head tilt. She did have some less severe recurrences. We ended up saying goodbye about 2 years after first occurrence.
 
I had this happen to my yellow lab a year or 2 ago. I noticed him just standing still and looking down, not really wanting to move. He walked slowly and clumsily. And he refused to go down any stairs. We let it ride over the weekend and he was 100% better by Monday.

Interestingly enough, I recognized the symptoms because of a video my aunt posted on Facebook about her dog a week or so earlier. And when I mentioned it at work somebody said their dog also had similar symptoms.

It’s almost like it’s contagious somehow and makes it’s rounds.

The old boy is doing fine, he’ll be 12 this year.

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Glad to read that all your best friends are doing OK after some of these medical issues. I wish a full recovery for all your pets.

My fur-baby (Pekingese) is 21 years old and has trouble getting around. Cataracts, rear legs are not really working... but he's a trooper. As a member of our family, we love him dearly. Sadly there's no cure for older age, so we just do what we can to keep him comfortable.
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Maybe its the Covid.
We had a cat that had symptoms as you describe. As NoBShere stated, never fully lost the head tilt. In our cats case there were no recurrences however. She lived many years afterwards.
 
Mine too. Took her to the emergency vet and she was correctly diagnosed immediately. They turned her paws backwards and observed her reaction. If she couldn't straighten them—it's a stroke. She did, so I learned some new diseases. Still has the head tilt two years later. She's 14 now. Good luck. Prednisone was not prescribed. She got IV fluids (Diazepam and Cernia SQ) and sent home with Meclizine. It took a few weeks to steady her balance. You need to be careful about her jumping and using stairs for awhile.
 
You will find many vets use the word stroke because it is more easily understood and spoken, than the much much more common condition with these signs; Idiopathic Vestibular Disease
Scroll down to "Idiopathic Disease"
No disparagement of your veterinarian intended.
from that site:
"A Word about "Stroke"
Vestibular signs are commonly (and usually incorrectly) referred to as a stroke. While a vascular accident is a possible cause of vestibular signs, it is a rare cause. Vascular disease, while common in people, is unusual in pets."

NB, many conditions mimic IVD including ear infection so do not assume your pet has IVD from what you see or what Dr. Google tells you.
 
That dog is 14? Good lord, I thought it was a puppy! Good wishes!
 
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