Why does my dog ​​wobble when he walks?

The reasons that make our dog stagger when walking can have various origins and for this reason the first thing we should do is take him to your vet, who is the person who can give us an accurate diagnosis.

Without a doubt, seeing our dog try to walk while her body reels uncontrollably, It is a cause for concern, so let's move on to immediately address the issue, since with the days and without adequate medical attention, we compromise more the health of the pet.

Most common causes of staggering in dogs

When this behavior is not the usual one in your pet, you have to be alert to discover what may be causing it.

Possible poisoning

Dogs are sensitive and delicate animals, some breeds more than others, therefore they will present symptoms of intoxication the same if they have had a brief contact or if they have ingested any toxic product. Obvious symptoms are staggering, excessive salivation, wandering from one side to another incoherent and poor control, diarrhea, vomiting, repeated involuntary movements, and uniform and repeated eye movements.

Another factor to consider when diagnosing dog symptoms is age and if signs of pathology have occurred overnight or if it has been gradually.

Importantly there are many ways for your dog to become intoxicated and many products that contain substances harmful to the animal, so that in any case the symptoms and treatment will depend on the substance, the type of contact and the time of exposure to it.

As owners, we must pay attention to the food that the dog can consume without risk of illnessA, many of us have the mistaken belief that if it is suitable for humans, it is also suitable for pets, but the truth is that there are foods like chocolate that are highly harmful to animals; The same happens with medicines, so avoid giving them to your pet without prior medical consultation and never give them to take those that are for human consumption.

Important, if we know what substance it was poisoned with, we must take it to the veterinary consultation to better diagnosis and treatment.

Presence of hernias

Yes, the presence of a herniated disc It can cause the dog to have difficulty walking and problems standing on its hind legs, this will depend on where the hernia is in the spine.

Hernias can be caused by severe traumaEither due to a fall or run over, the consequences can manifest themselves immediately or progressively at the same time. Medical treatment will depend on how many vertebrae are involved and the exact location of the hernia.

Another of the pathologies that affect the spinal cord of the dog is called cervical spondylomyelopathy, which consists of the compression of this causing tremors when walking and total lack of coordination of the back legs.

Myasthenia

It consists of a deficiency of receptors on nerve endings That causes the muscles of the animal's body to weaken, consequently its gait will be shaky and very little control of its hind legs. The veterinarian will recommend a neurological evaluation for a correct diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome

With age, some pathologies associated with it arrive; so if your dog is 10 years old or older, it is an elderly dog or on the way to being so and with it the staggering when walking appears, which is typical of this syndrome that is also progressive, being able to identify it in the following symptoms:

The dog will be erratic, will sleep a lot during the day and less at night, he will be restless, he will walk in circles, he will have tremors, his body will become rigid.

Difficulty recognizing owners

Behaviors unknown until now in the animal, such as having your bowel movements at home or in places where you didn't before, make him swallow or chew without having anything in his mouth.

However, the recommendation is that you take your dog to the vet in order to rule out any other pathology whose symptoms may be the same or very similar.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, as well as arthritis, can cause dogs to have trouble walking. And it is something that you will not be able to avoid because "it comes with age." It is true that there are some breeds of dogs that are more prone than others to this disease. Also, there is no cure, so you can only try to improve their quality of life and reduce the problems and pains you have.

But over time, you may find it harder and harder to walk, or your legs may become swollen and painful.

Diabetes

Believe it or not, a dog with diabetes can end up wobbling when walking. And is that diabetes can influence the way you walk. In fact, some breeds of dog are prone to this disease, and they develop a wobble (or even become clumsier) that is related to this disease. We speak, for example, of the German shepherd, the golden retriever or the Schnauzer.

For that reason, it is that it is recommended to take good care of your diet to avoid giving him anything that has sugars.

Vestibular syndrome

El vestibular syndrome It is characterized by strange behavior in the dog. And it is that he rests his head on an object, or puts it in a tilted position, in addition to feeling disoriented, swinging the trunk and head, walking in circles, strabismus ...

Of course, it is not a problem that only affects your movement when walking. But it also influences their quality of life and can be caused by ear problems (infections), tumors, diseases, hypothyroidism, meningoencephalitis ...

Injuries

Another reason why your dog suffers from staggering when walking can be due to an injury. Namely, we talk about him having a wound on his legs (front or rear) that makes you lose your balance. Or due to an internal injury, which causes him to not coordinate properly.

ataxia

Ataxia is known as a side effect that occurs when a dog suffers an illness, poisoning or trauma and is related to a neurological disorder. In other words, we talk about an uncoordinated walk, in addition to the head tilted towards the ground, tremors and even seizures, breathing problems, bleeding, fainting ...

For this disease there is a treatment and it can be cured without leaving sequelae, but it is important to act quickly so that the animal does not suffer.

Wobbler syndrome

It is also known as cervical spondylomyelopathy, and in addition to severe pain, the dog walks in a "disconnected" manner, that is, as if he could not coordinate his body and both the pelvic and thoracic limbs are going to move in an unbalanced way.

We are talking about a neurological disease that mainly affects the cervical cord due to compression. In case your dog suffers it, you should know that one of the most effective solutions is surgical, since it has a good percentage of success. However, other medication treatments (anti-inflammatories and pain relievers) can also be used.

What to do if my dog ​​wobbles when walking?

If at any time you notice your dog staggering, you may not pay attention to it at first, and you think it is because a limb has fallen asleep, because it has stumbled ... But if that behavior continues, the best thing you can do is call your vet.

With more urgency you should do it if you notice other types of problems such as vomiting, inability to get up if he falls, dizziness, vision problems ... With this you can save his life.

Once you take it to the vet, and after hearing what has happened so that you have decided to go to the professional, he will proceed to review the status of the animal and do tests.

In fact, the most common are the following:

Physical examination

The first thing your vet will do is try to get your dog to walk. If he can do it, he will want to see with his own eyes the problem you have noticed., and for the one who has led you to him. That way, you will be able to figure out a diagnosis that you will later have to refute with the tests you do.

Because yes, you will need some tests that corroborate the hypothesis that you consider is the most correct (or take you out of the error and have to think about another cause why this problem occurs).

Analytics

The first of the tests you will do will be a blood test. With it you can know if the dog's values ​​are normal, if there is an infection, an organ that does not work well or any other problem that may respond to the symptoms it has.

Blood test it may take between a few hours and 48 hours, so you have to arm yourself with patience. If your dog is very ill, it is possible that the vet will give him an IV line and leave him in the clinic to monitor his condition while he has that result. But you can also speed up and, in that wait, do other medical tests.

Medical tests

In this case we are referring, for example, to X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc. All of them will help the expert to determine the problem that your dog may have and give the most accurate diagnosis possible.

Sometimes it is not necessary to put him through all the tests, but other times it will be for the best. In any case, the vet will inform you of the steps he will take to really discover what is happening to your pet.

Transmission

Once the vet has studied your dog's case, it is likely that he has a diagnosis that justifies the problem of staggering in the dog. And therefore, proceed to give a treatment that can be with medication, surgery or otherwise.

We cannot give you hope and tell you that all wobbles in dogs have a solution, because there are some, especially of a neuronal nature, that are incurable, and it depends on the animal and the owner that it continues. But in the vast majority of cases, they can be cured.