Loss of Balance in Dogs: Phoenix’s Loss of Balance and Ability to Walk. What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog?

Phoenix was a fourteen-year-old Labrador Retriever. One day he lost his balance and started falling over.

What can cause loss of balance in dogs? The list is relatively long. Some potential causes include

  • injuries
  • stroke
  • poisoning
  • infections
  • neurological issues
  • immune-mediated conditions
  • cancer

What happened with Phoenix?

Loss of Balance in Dogs: Phoenix's Loss of Balance and Ability to Walk. What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog?

Phoenix was a service dog and a great companion. But then scary things started to happen to Phoenix. On his way to be with everybody, he’d stop in the doorway, tremble and suddenly fall over. Even with help, Phoenix was unable to get up.

His parents were gravely concerned. Phoenix couldn’t even hold his head up.

He was drooling and his eyes were twitching and darting from side to side. It looked very scary. They feared Phoenix might have had a stroke or something else over which they might lose him.

Did Phoenix suffer a stroke?

Indeed, some of Phoenix’s symptoms seemed similar. Symptoms of stroke in dogs include

  • inability to walk or loss of coordination
  • head tilt
  • falling to one side
  • abnormal eye movement
  • changes in behavior
  • loss of consciousness

Phoenix was doing so badly he had to be carried into the veterinarian’s office.

Stroke, however, is quite rare in dogs. Further, if it does happen, it is usually a secondary symptom to another serious condition such as

  • kidney disease
  • diabetes
  • Cushing’s disease
  • heart disease
  • bleeding disorders
  • and others

Source: petMD

In spite of his age, Phoenix was quite healthy and well cared for. It’s unlikely his parents would miss the symptoms that come with the above conditions.

Any other cause would be logical. But which one?

What do you think was wrong with Phoenix? What would you do if it was your dog?

Read Phoenix’s story here.

Related articles:
Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog: Drunken Gait

Further reading:
Why Is My Dog Falling Down?

Categories: Ataxia • Conditions • Diagnoses • Dog health advocacy • Drunken gait • Loss of balance • Mobility issues • Real-life Stories • Symptoms

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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