| Head tilting in dogs can be a simple sign of | | | | dog when trying to chew anything or simply in |
| curiosity or a playful act on the part of your dog, | | | | opening their mouth. |
| or it can be a sign that there is something very | | | | The second is a condition known as nystagmus, |
| seriously wrong with your pet. If it is just an | | | | which is a rhythmic and oscillating movement of |
| occasional sign there is nothing at all to worry | | | | the eyes. This can be a very frightening |
| about. However, it could be the first sign that you | | | | experience for any owner and equally as |
| will see that something is wrong with your dogs | | | | frightening for your dog. This to-and-from motion |
| vestibular system. | | | | is an involuntary action that will occur in vertical |
| If it persists, it can over time, be the cause of | | | | movements. However, although not nearly as |
| your dog falling, rolling, or beginning to circle for no | | | | common, these movements may also be |
| explained reason. If it becomes serious, it may | | | | horizontal. |
| even cause what is refereed to as nystagmus, | | | | This symptom can look like your dog is |
| which is a very strange jerky movement of the | | | | possessed by something as it can be that |
| eyes. | | | | frightening. Although it not always associated with |
| A persistent head tilting by your dog or the | | | | serious brain damage that is one of the major |
| turning of their head from one side to the other is | | | | causes of this terrifying symptom and it can |
| usually an indication that your pets vestibular | | | | appear very rapidly after the initial head tilting in |
| system has been affected. The vestibular system | | | | your dog. |
| in your dog serves the body functions of both | | | | Causes: |
| balance and equilibrium. It accomplishes this task | | | | Vestibular symptoms that are causing this tilting |
| by automatically assessing the head and the body | | | | to occur will have two major causes: the inner or |
| movement relative to their position in space. It | | | | middle ear, or the brain. For this reason, it will be |
| than generates a neural code with this information | | | | very important to document the occurrences as |
| and distributes it to several sites along your dogs | | | | well as the frequency in assisting your veterinarian |
| central nervous system. | | | | in quickly identifying the actual problem. If it is a |
| These functions in most every case are largely | | | | brain disease of some type, time is of the |
| done by reflex and are considered unconscious | | | | essence. |
| functions until they are disrupted. The major part | | | | The most common cause is an infection of your |
| of this system is located in your dogs inner ear | | | | dogs middle or inner ear as the result of bacterial |
| and it is a very delicate sense organ that is | | | | infections or by ear mites. Although ear mites are |
| entirely surrounded by hard bone that is located | | | | more common in cats, they also affect dogs and |
| at the base of your pets skull. | | | | they spread very rapidly form direct contact with |
| It acts as the main connection between the brain | | | | another infected dog. They can cause |
| and the auditory and vestibular nerves. | | | | inflammatory symptoms much like bacterial or |
| The inner ear is also very closely associated with | | | | yeast infections, and will cause intense itching in |
| the middle and external ear, and it is usually an | | | | your dog. However, there is one other cause that |
| infection of some type of the inner or the middle | | | | a lot of owners are not aware of; grass seed. |
| ear that will cause a disruption in this natural | | | | As all owners can attest to, your dog loves to roll |
| process and cause your dogs head to tilt. | | | | in the grass. If you have recently seeded your |
| However, there are is another potentially | | | | lawn and your dog suddenly develops head tilting, |
| dangerous cause that may show up in the | | | | this may be the cause. |
| symptoms. | | | | The next major cause is from Geriatric Canine |
| Symptoms: | | | | Idiopathic Vestibular Syndrome and this affects |
| Head tilting in your dog can be the first actual | | | | older dogs. It is referred to as idiopathic simply |
| symptom that you may see of a very serious | | | | because in most cases there is no ear infection, |
| underlying medical condition, other than just an | | | | no brain problems, and as a result, no actual |
| inner or middle ear infection. There are also | | | | known cause known, adding to its mystic. It may |
| several different symptoms that you can watch | | | | have no cause, but it still is a very painful ordeal |
| for that your dog is developing this condition. In | | | | for your dog. |
| most cases, the symptoms will start out very | | | | Ototoxicity, which is a reaction to a drug or a |
| slow and increase in their gravity, but like coughing | | | | chemical, may also be the potential cause. If your |
| in dogs, the symptoms may also develop very | | | | dog has been given a new medication for |
| rapidly. | | | | whatever reason, and they suddenly start to tilt |
| The first set of symptoms that you will see will | | | | their heads, bring this to your veterinarians |
| be an obvious tilt of your pets head from one | | | | attention as quickly as possible. |
| side or the other. But this will not be a normal tilt | | | | Encephalitis, which is the inflammation of your |
| that is playful or curious in nature. As the tilting | | | | dogs brain, usually caused by a viral infection or a |
| becomes persistent, they may than start to fall, | | | | hypersensitivity to a virus, may also be the cause. |
| circle, or roll. Most all of these actions will be in the | | | | Some of the diseases that may be the underlying |
| same direction as the head tilt. | | | | cause include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, |
| If this does start to happen, very quickly check | | | | Blastomycosis, and Coccidiomycosis. However, the |
| your dogs ears for redness as well as for any | | | | underlying cause may also be a tumor or a |
| type of pain. If the actual cause is from an ear | | | | developing cancer that is affecting your dogs ears |
| infection, touching your dogs ears will be very | | | | or their brain. |
| painful to them. | | | | Summary: |
| The next set of symptoms that usually surface | | | | Head tilting in dogs is something that all owners will |
| are both nausea and vomiting caused by the lack | | | | see in and is nothing alarming and can actually be |
| of balance that your dog is now suffering from. | | | | cute, unless it becomes obvious that it is not just |
| However, there are two other symptoms that | | | | a gesture. Once it starts to persist and your dog |
| may also develop and they may give some | | | | shows any of the symptoms, time may be of |
| insight into other possible causes of the head | | | | the essence for your dog, especially if they |
| tilting. The first will be mild to severe pain in your | | | | develop rapid and frightening eye movements. |