So, recently I have had an influx of dogs with the dizzies. In fact, two in the last week. Often termed canine geriatric vestibular disease, canine vestibular neuritis, and other similar names. The presentation is usually very similar. As the name implies, these are usually the geriatric pups. Sweet ole’ things, that wake up one morning with their eyes going all wonky (nystagmus for those that like the professional terms), and they often have their head tilted to the side, staggering, walking in circles, and falling down. Notice the head tilt and the splayed front legs for balance in Hannah. 
Now this can be very scary for the dog owner (I am sure for the dog as well!). Many people think their precious pooch is having a stroke or some other catastrophic event. And as horrible as it looks and feels for the owner and the critter, there may be some hope! Once the dog has been taken to their veterinarian and anything other than canine geriatric vestibular disease has been ruled out, then in comes the physical rehabilitation! There is a positional maneuver very similar to and based on the maneuver used to treat benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in humans (time to do the ole’ google search engine for that one!). I have successfully used this technique to treat my human patients for BPPV, and am finding good success in treating my canine patients as well. In fact, one sweet guy came in last week and couldn’t stand. He had started having nystagmus and dysequalibrium for about 24 hours prior. He had been worsening over that time to the point that the owners had to help him get up and carry him into the clinic. I performed the treatment maneuver and he was able to get up, and walk out of the clinic! He was still dizzy and not very steady on his feet, but he made great gains in one treatment! The other dogs I have seen recently haven’t had as remarkable improvement immediately, but have improved significantly in the 24-48 hours post treatment. This is more of the response that I tell the owners to expect. I will most often perform another treatment 3-5 days after the first one, and then if there are any more lingering symptoms, we will start balance therapy to help bring their function back to normal or as close to normal as possible. I love to see these dogs walk (or get carried) in my door as the response is often quick and dramatic and I love being able to help these guys out! Oh, and I did treat this in a feline friend once as well! Please help me spread the word! I would welcome and comments or personal stories!
Asheville Dog Rehabilitation
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WagHab founder, Megan Day, is a physical therapist and Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP).
She provides comprehensive physical fitness evaluations and establishes an exercise routine geared toward your dog's specific needs. She specializes in strengthening the athletic dog and geriatrics.
Call or email us now to set up an appointment: 828-633-7004 or [email protected]
Hi Megan,
My dog and dear friend Luna is about 12. She got geriatric vestibular disease and was unable to walk for 3 days. With info from the Calgary Fitness Clinic and the help of my vet, we performed the doggie Epley maneuver on Luna and she is recovering. Now at day 8 her Nystagmus is minor but she has a pretty major head tilt. Can you recommend physical therapy to correct the tilt?
Thanks,
I have experienced BPPV several times. Excellent to know animals can be treated. For myself I had it many times before it was diagnosed. It’s awful!!@
Hi my dog was diagnosed with a slight case of vestibular disease and recovered quickly with treatment that was 2 weeks ago but she’s getting a bit wobbly on her back legs and finds it hard to walk in a straight line without flopping down could she be getting a reoccurrence? Anything that could improve her back legs ? would hydrotherapy be good for her ? She’s 14 and was otherwise a fit dog but suffers with arthritis for a while now
Please help any advice is welcome
Hydrotherapy could be a good option. Even better would be balancing exercises, gently challenging her vestibular system. There are various exercises you could try. Message further if you would like more information!
Our 12 year old mostly Rat Terrier Fred is at the local vets tonight doing drugs for Canine Geriatric Vestibular Disease. We thought he most likely was having a stroke.
We adopted Fred from Pet Rescue when he was about two, so he is definitely part of the family. His two year old half brother Joe, lab mix Wife found standing out on a local country road ten miles from nowhere and brought home is having a hard time tonight, first time Fred has been away from home in the evening leaving him alone.
OK, doing some research and ran across the Epley procedure being used to treat dogs for Vestibular Desiese and was looking in more detail and found your site and started reading hoping it would give us some info as to what we might do to help Fred. We were very enlightened when it dawned on us, my Wife had this done to her with great success in just a few minutes, cured her being dizzy every time she got up and down from bed. Fred must have something similar, wow, he just could not tell us what was going on.
I hope you can imagine my disappointment to find you are a few thousand miles from us. We are out in the country East of Tulsa Oklahoma, USA. Is there anything you can do or tell us how to do to help us and mostly Fred? Will the same lay down twist around sit up used with humans ears work for Fred? Thanks for reading. Ken South of Chouteau, OK, USA
I hope your pup has found some relief by now! There is a technique you can try at home if he is still suffering. You may always email me through the website and I can write it out for you. Thanks for reading!
What excercises can I perform in my dog to help eliviate her head tilt?
U have eased my mind to some extent. On my dog’s birthday March 19,2017, YIPPY celebrated her 14th b.day.Instead she got up to go in the back yard & her balance was way off; then she started falling all over the place. I put her in a chair next to me & stayed w/ her. She has been sick only 2 or 3 times in her life . I’ve had her since the day she was born.She was raised w/ her Mom.,Pudgy, & her father Romeo. They each have passed. Thank Goodness I read this. She means the world to me. When I went to work she suffered greatly from separation anxiety,I’m sure that’s not the clinical name. I would come home & she actually sounded like a ‘Human’ baby crying her eyes out. Needless to say I am semi-retired. Of course until I get her condition stabilized I will be by her side. She most certainly has been by mine & the dog anyone could ever hope for.
Sincerely, KAREN WAYLAND
Hi,
I suspect my dog has vestibular disease for the last 5 days. I just tried some of the exercises recommended for this condition and it seems to have made him even more dizzy 🙁 Has anyone ever experienced this?
Yes, sometimes it aggravates the symptoms. At certain points in the healing process, triggering the symptoms can help with the recovery, but if they get worse and stay worse, then they would not be indicated!
How long would be too long for it to be getting worse?
After we tried this, he got even dizzier, his nystagmus increased significantly and he eventually stopped being able to walk. We ended up taking him to the animal hospital where he spent 5 nights. His nystagmus eventually stopped but it seemed like his right eye wasnt working anymore and he still couldnt get up. After a week of decline, we had to put his down. It was too hard to watch. He was only 6.
I am really worried that trying this maneuver made him worse. I feel horrible. Before we did this maneuver, he was walking drunkenly and his hearing was off/head tilted, but he was walking, eating and drinking. Everything changed for the much, much worse after trying this.
I am so sorry to hear about your boy. PBBV would never end up being something that would cause a dog to get so much worse and end up needing to be put down. Most likely there was something much worse going on with your dog. I am very sorry to hear about your experience and what happened with your pup. I am sure your vet would have some answers for you as to what might have been the cause of the vertigo and symptoms.
Hi,
Can you please explain how to preform the exercise? I can’t find out instructions any where.
My dog has had vertigo for 3 days now. Please help him out.
Thank you,
I would love to know more about treatment for my elderly pupper. So glad I found your site and wish I lived closer
I am a PT and I agree with the response that the Epley maneuver would not be a prognosis to put an animal down. You are merely re-positioning the crystals in the inner ear. Most likely there was a secondary issue going on i.e. tumor. I have treated many vestibular patients in my PT career and I am also certified as a CCRT. Nancy Mitrano MS,PT,CMP,DPT, CCRT
Our collie, Lassie 3 weeks ago underwent a surgery to remove a benign tumor from her head. She recovered quickly. Yesterday, I received an alarming call from our granddaughter crying something is wrong with Lassie. She was taken immediately to the vets who diagnosed her with this. She had vomited numerous times, so she was was placed on anti nausea meds and IV. She has spent the weekend at the Vets but has not improved. I have read up on this and my question is how long does the not being able to stand or improve normally last. I am thankful this is treatable but concerned when she shows no improvement at all.
I am so sorry to hear about Lassie. With her having had a tumor, it is hard to know if what Lassie has is the more general vestibular disease. Usually the acute symptoms last 1-2 weeks. And then there may residual symptoms that can be treated with balance exercises. Hope she recovers quickly!
Hi, my dog Lucy, a 14-15 year old heeler ran every day of her life until 10 days ago.. Two vets diagnosed her with vestibular disease and she seems to show all the traits. However, now she’s trembling most of the time and terrified of going outside. If I can coax her outside she can still pull me for a mile walk/run with no problem at all. But inside she’s immobile, peeing herself and trembling, especially when I open the door. She still tilts her head and stumbles like vestibular. Could she have PSTD?
Hi Megan. Thanks for sharing. My name is Victor and I reside in Singapore. I suffer from BPPV and have been amazed how effective the Epley Maneuver has been in curing this problem. A couple of days ago, my beloved 14-year Miniature Schnauzer, Emo, was diagnosed with Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. She is currently on anti-nausea and anti-motion-sickness medication, but continues to suffer from this problem. Although I am hopeful she will recover in a few weeks or sooner, as per my vet’s advice, I would very much like to perform your version of the Epley Maneuver, as I cannot bear another day of watching Emo suffer. Kindly email to me instructions on how to perform this potential cure. I fully recognize that this may not work for Emo, but appreciate any assistance you can extend to me. Many thanks and keep well.