What is Geriatric Vestibular Disease in Dogs?
I first became aware of Geriatric Vestibular Disease when my senior poodle, Tiny, woke up one night in distress. He stood up, his body curved into a “C” shape towards the side, and continually moved his head to one side. He could only walk in circles, and he had an eye twitch. When his symptoms did not resolve after about fifteen minutes, I rushed him off to the emergency veterinary clinic, fearing a brain tumor or other life-threatening disorder. The veterinarians at the emergency clinic quickly checked him over and presented me with a diagnosis of vestibular disease, akin to vertigo in humans. In vestibular disease, something affects the vestibular apparatus, defined by marvistavet.com as the “neurological equipment responsible for perceiving one’s body’s orientation relative to the earth…and informing one’s eyes and extremities how they should move accordingly. The vestibular apparatus allows us to walk, even run, on very uneven ground without falling, helps us know when we need t
