We received some unusual queries from our readers such as “why is my dog rocking back and forth?” and “why is my dog falling backward with pooping?”. We decided to investigate, and this is what we found.
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Dogs are peculiar creatures, and sometimes it may have happened that you have found your dog swaying back and forth or walking improperly.
It must have raised the question in your mind: “why is my dog rocking back and forth?”. The answer to that question is Vestibular syndrome.
Let’s get deeper into this disease and discuss what it is, how it is caused and how it can be cured. We will also try to answer questions regarding other peculiar behavior such as twitch reflex, falling backward, and general clumsiness in dogs.
What Is Vestibular Disease?
A study conducted in the UK found that 8 in 10,000 dogs are affected by Vestibular Disease. This disease can cause long-term discomfort in movement and balance.
It is characterized by non-progressive disturbance of your dog’s balance. It can cause your dog to swing back and forth while standing or have poor balance while walking, disorientation, and blurred vision. It is also called a canine idiopathic vestibular syndrome.
This disease arises from the ears, where the nerve that transports the message from the inner ear to the body gets disturbed and creates an improper sense of balance. The vestibular symptoms are almost similar to its effect like disorder, poor balance, poor eyesight, and swinging while sitting or walking.
The worst possible outcome of this disease is accidents that can cause life-threatening injury to your dog. Pet parents should take proper care of their dogs if they detect this disease in them. The dog’s vision becomes blurry, which can cause many problems in their daily lives, and the owner should keep a closer eye on them and their needs.
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What Causes Vestibular Disease?
Ear infections, injury, and other ear-related problems.
The vestibular disease arises from the inner ear, which manages our body’s sense of height and balance. Any infection or injury in the inner ear can also cause the same effect as a vestibular disease, so we must consult a vet before coming to any conclusion.
Self-induced vestibular disease is called Idiopathic vestibular disease and can be easily cured. Some external factors can influence this disease, like ear infection, a tumor, or perforated eardrums.
We must make sure that our dogs don’t get hit on the ear as it may also cause ear damage and possibly induce vestibular disease.
What is the Cure for Vestibular Disease?
In most cases, it gets cured by itself in 2-3 weeks.
Vestibular disease is not fatal for your dog, and in most cases, it gets cured within 2 to 3 weeks. If the cause for this disease is some external factor or illness, we must get rid of the original reason.
In some cases, this issue grows exponentially without proper attention, and the dogs may even have to go through surgery or hospitalization before they recover. If you observe the effects of this disease growing, it is recommended to consult a vet rather than sitting and waiting for it to heal on its own.
If the disease is caused due to infection or injury and left unchecked, it only gets worse as the days pass by. We must keep a close eye on our dog’s condition and get it checked before the matter worsens.
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Why Is My Dog Rocking Back and Forth?
The reason could be vestibular disease.
You may have observed your dog swinging back and forth, which seem cute at first but can give rise to several problems in their life.
As we mentioned before, this problem is a symptom of Vestibular disease, a medical condition that disturbs your dog’s ability to balance itself. Vestibular disorders are not deadly, but it has a lot of effect on your dog’s daily life.
This behavior is caused due to a problem in their sense of balance and vision. It can cause problems in their daily activities like walking, sitting, eating, pooping, and many more. The vestibular syndrome can prove to be very problematic.
Do Dogs Get Dizzy From Spinning?
No, if your dog is showing signs of dizziness after spinning, it might be due to vestibular disease.
Dogs don’t get dizzy from spinning, but if they get dizzy, there can be many other reasons behind that. The dizziness due to spinning in humans doesn’t apply to dogs. One of the most probable reasons behind a dog getting dizzy is any issue in its vestibular system.
There aren’t many studies that support the claim that a dog can get dizzy due to spinning. Dogs show some unusual signs after spinning, like wagging their tails or panting, but that does not imply feeling dizzy.
Damage in their vestibular system is the primary reason behind a dog’s dizziness, and there can be a wide range of reasons that ignite this disease.
Some dogs can also feel dizziness due to weakness, but that is a different topic to discuss. If the dizziness continues in your dog for an extended period, it may have happened due to a problem in their ears, and it is better to get them checked.
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Dog Ear Twitch Reflex, Why?
This is likely because it is either irritated or itchy.
The twitching of ears in dogs is a widespread phenomenon, and it can have a vast number of reasons behind them. Dogs have a large number of muscles in their ears, and they can control a large number of movements of their ears. The position of the ears is also a vital sign in understanding your dog’s mood, and different motions symbolize different emotions and moods.
A dog usually twitches to protect their inner ears from strong wind or any other danger. If the twitching is once in a while, you don’t have anything to worry about. But if your dog twitches its ear frequently, then there can be several reasons behind that.
Twitching the ear is a sign that the dog feels irritated or itchy. In some cases, dogs rub their ears on a surface or rub them with their paws to cope with irritation. Twitching is also a common phenomenon, but it is also a vital sign, and we should not ignore it.
What to do if your dog is twitching it’s ears regularly?
Check for ear mites.
One of the most probable reasons behind a dog twitching its ear is ear mites. If your dog has been twitching its ear very frequently, then there is a high chance of feeling itchy due to mites or an infection.
The twitching can be easily tackled by washing the dog’s ear with an ear cleaner. It is also necessary to look for signs of infection, cut, rash, or any other wound if the twitching continues.
If you can’t find any probable reason behind twitching, then it is best to consult a vet. There may be some inner workings in a dog, giving it an itchy feeling and making its ear twitch.
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Dog Falls Backward When Pooping
This can also be a symptom of vestibular syndrome.
Dogs generally have a strong sense of balance and don’t easily fall while pooping or urinating. If you have observed your dog falling behind while pooping, the most probable reason behind it, is an issue in their vestibular system.
A dog faces problems while walking or even standing if suffering from vestibular disease. Dogs generally poop by pushing their back downwards, and if they are suffering from vestibular disease, they can quickly get off-balance and fall back. If this problem continues for a more extended period, you have to do a lot of additional tasks like cleaning after them and washing them.
This disease is a widespread problem and can happen to any dog, and with proper care, it can be easily cured. You can also give your dog a chamber to poop in if the problem is continuous for a longer time. Getting it checked and healed remains the best option in this case.
Why Is My Dog So Clumsy?
It could be because of weakness, injury, or vestibular disorders.
It is natural for Dogs to be goofy and clumsy occasionally, but it can also be a hint to a severe problem if it is happening regularly. There can be a wide range of reasons behind their awkward nature, and we should not force our dog for activities in such cases.
Common reasons behind the clumsy nature are weakness, injury, and vestibular disease:
Weakness and fatigue can be a reason behind clumsiness. It may have fed on something fatty, due to which it is now facing problems, indigestion, and acting uncomfortable. If the problem continues for an extended period, it is best to consult a vet before the pain increases further.
It may have happened that your dog has been injured somewhere near the legs and that is why it has been walking improperly. There is also a chance that your dog has been facing vestibular disease, making it off-balance and disturbing its movements.
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A Few Final Words
Dogs do not understand problems that can be happening inside their body, and their pet parents must read the signs they give and take proper care of them.
Vestibular diseases are not life-threatening, but they can make a pet owner’s daily life exponentially harder. It is a self-healing disease, and if the clumsy nature of your dog is in moderate amounts, then you can wait for 2 to 3 weeks, during which time it will heal by itself.
If the problem lasts longer than that, then some other issue might have induced the vestibular disorder. In that case, it is best to get your dog checked by a vet as soon as possible before the matter could get any worse.
Thank you for reading the article and hope we answered most of your queries if not, please write to us in the comments and we will revert back to you.
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