Monday, June 3, 2013

Vestibular Disease in Dogs

June's Pet of the Month

Meet our June Pet of the Month, Hank!  Isn't he a handsome guy?  Hank is a 14.5 year old Lab.  He is a loyal brother to his litter mate Cody and to his human brother Parker.  He's a major treat seeker often found under the high chair or with his head in purses and strollers looking for morsels.  In his younger days, he helped his owner train for four marathons, clocking about 40 miles per week!   

Our buddy Hank, has had quite a time over the last few weeks including an episode of "bloat".  However, Hank is here to talk to us about this month's topic of vestibular disease.

Vestibular disease is the dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus.  The vestibular apparatus is a system of structures within the ear of animals and humans that help send signals to the brain allowing the body to maintain orientation and balance while in motion as well as while standing still.  This apparatus basically allows us to determine where we are in the world and helps keep us physically steady and grounded.

If the vestibular apparatus is not functioning properly, the patient will feel as though his or her world is spinning topsy-turvy.  Hank came to us recently when his owner noticed that he was vomiting, was unable to walk normally, and seemed to be suffering from vertigo.
Vestibular disease can be caused by inner ear infections, brain lesions, but most commonly the cause is unknown.  Symptoms include lack of coordination, walking in circles, a persistent head tilt to one side, motion sickness, falling over, and nystagmus which is a rapid movement of the eyes from side to side.  Oftentimes, people will confuse these symptoms with that of a stroke, although strokes are uncommon in animals.

We treated Hank symptomatically for his nausea and recommended that his owner give him a medication for motion sickness and keep him quietly resting at home.  Hank has recovered well since this incident and is also recovering well from his unrelated bloat surgery.