Vestibular syndrome is one disorder of the sense of balance.
Diseased dogs suffer from Gait disturbances, neurological deficits and nausea to the point of vomiting.
Typically, they have trouble standing and always fall to the same side.
This article explains what to expect when treating vestibular syndrome and whether you should put a dog with vestibular syndrome to sleep.
Vestibular Syndrome in Dogs: Should I Put Him to Sleep?
Usually, a vestibular syndrome can completely and heal within a few days.
However, the symptoms are often very drastic and give masters and mistresses the impression that the dog is suffering unbearably.
In fact, the symptoms are like Tremble, Vomit or a unsteady gait not nice for the dog and cause suffering.
However, this is usually short-lived and over quickly. A dog with vestibular syndrome put to sleep is therefore not common or required.
However, vestibular syndrome can cause a other, also very serious illness underlying that can lead to euthanasia being the more humane option.
This is for example at malignant, advanced tumors, very serious head injuries or severe neurological diseases.
That is why it is very important to treat vestibular syndrome as a symptom understand and identify a cause.
However, there are also cases where the vestibular syndrome ideopathic is, i.e. no underlying cause can be diagnosed.
But then it usually heals without complications.
Can a dog live with vestibular syndrome?
If a dog with vestibular syndrome is left untreated, it is very uncomfortable and painful for him severely reduces his quality of life.
It can go so far that he is no longer able to absorb food and water and always carries a high risk of injury.
After expert treatment, however, the symptoms usually subside after a few days and heal completely.
Therefore, living with vestibular syndrome for a short time is usually not a problem for an otherwise healthy dog.
However, the underlying cause can severely limit a dog’s health.
Even non-life-threatening causes can become uncomfortable or even unbearable for your dog.
In addition, some symptoms increase the risk of other serious impairments: falling down stairs due to impaired balance or a nutrient deficiency due to vomiting.
What treatment options are there for vestibular syndrome?
The treatment always depends on the symptoms and the cause for vestibular syndrome, if there is one.
infusions support the nutrient supply and enrich your dog’s water balance, so that there is also better blood circulation. This often relieves some symptoms.
Medicines for nausea and vomiting help in the short term to avoid further water loss.
A commonly used drug is propentofylline. This is a very proven and well-researched remedy that the promotes blood circulation and thus also relieves the heart.
At home, your dog should also have one quiet, non-irritating environment found so that he can recover in peace.
What are the treatment costs?
Basically, the treatment depends on the Schedule of Fees for Veterinarians (GOT).
However, diagnosing the cause that triggered the vestibular syndrome is often time-consuming.
MRI, CT, blood work and examination of the heart, lungs, blood pressure and abdomen can be expensive.
In addition, depending on their state of health, dogs sometimes have to be treated and cared for stay in practice overnight.
Experiences with vestibular syndrome: That’s what other dog owners say
«Muffle’s imbalance came all of a sudden. He was never the smartest dog on the field anyway and he was a clumsy but we hadn’t seen anything like that before. He staggered drunkenly out of his basket and then just fell over. When we held him, he could hardly stand himself, let alone walk. The vet then diagnosed an infection in the middle ear, which had thrown him off balance.
A few days later antibiotics and everything was fine again.”
“My lady is still very vigorous for her age, so when she didn’t want to get up I knew something was wrong. She’s always had thyroid problems, so we went straight to the vet.
She reacted quickly – apparently Lady could no longer tolerate the thyroid medication and had developed vestibular syndrome. Well done again – after the shock there was an extra tasty reward later.”
Conclusion
Vestibular syndrome can look very frightening. Your dog is swaying, may be vomiting, or can barely stand.
However, it is usually very treatable and disappears within a few days.
However, it should always be checked whether a serious illness has caused the vestibular syndrome.
Have you already experienced Vestibular Syndrome? What caused it in your dog? Tell us about it in the comments!