A ruff time for 'old dog'

Q:My 14-year-old dog had a sudden collapse, losing his balance, rolling around and being sick. It was terrible to see. After an examination and tests, our vet thinks he has an "old dog" problem and is hopeful of a fairly quick recovery. Have you seen this?

- OUR VET DAVID GRANT

A: Your dog has vestibular syndrome, which affects the balance system.

The signs are sudden in onset and very alarming to see. They include loss of balance, in the worst case with the dog unable to stand.

A very noticeable feature is a head tilt, and in those dogs able to stand there is often circling when attempting to walk, usually in the direction of the head tilt.

Another noticeable feature that was seen in all my cases is nystagmus.

This is constant twitching of the coloured part of the eyes, most often from side to side. This makes affected dogs nauseous and leads to vomiting.