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djcvet · Jul 26, 2010, 10:34 AM

We have an AKC Golden that is 6 years old. The other day we noticed that she her head was slightly cocked and she stumbles slightly and has an irregular gait. She does not show any symptoms of being sick other than a loss of weight (14 lbs) and a slowdown of drinking water. Otherwise there is no vomiting or irregular stool. The vet said she had a severe bladder infection after taking several tests so we have been treating her for that but she still shows the tilted head and the irregular gait. She is back in today for more tests. Has anyone seen anything like this before?

Emily94 · Jul 26, 2010, 10:35 AM

It could be an ear infection, they seem to cause a tilted head.. I don't know about the irregular gait though..

Wondergirl · Jul 26, 2010, 10:39 AM

My brother had an ear infection that caused him to tilt his head and have an uneven walking pattern and loss of balance. Also, maybe a slight stroke could cause your dog's symptoms?

Emily94 · Jul 26, 2010, 10:41 AM

I'd ask your vet to check and see if he has an ear infection before doing any other tests. It will probably save you some money.

djcvet · Jul 26, 2010, 10:46 AM

Thanks but I forgot to mention that they did think it might be an ear infection and we are treating that also. The stroke issue came up also. The tests they are doing now are for something to do with ticks and possibly some kind of parasite.

Emily94 · Jul 26, 2010, 10:49 AM

The ear infection medication could just be taking awhile to kick in. Is she doing it constantly? Or is it more of an on and off thing?

djcvet · Jul 26, 2010, 11:23 AM

It's hard to say. At times she appears better but other times she seems to be the same. She seems to be eating good but still not drinking a lot of water.

Emily94 · Jul 26, 2010, 12:36 PM

This is a long shot... But could she be having a minor seizure? My dog had them and during my research I found that sometimes a dog will just tilt it's head and still seem normal (other than the head tilting). I'd Google "dog tilting head" and see what comes up, when my dog went to the vet I did my research before, told the vet what I thought it was they ran the test and sure enough that's what me dog had... The vet told me they wouldn't of thought of it so I saved myself a lot of money.

djcvet · Jul 28, 2010, 07:21 AM

Another problem that our Golden just started is a dry heave gagging. It's like she is going to vomit but nothing ever comes up. It sounds she has phlem in her throat but nothing has ever appeared. It sounds horrible. Any ideas?

Emily94 · Jul 28, 2010, 08:28 AM

Could be kennel cough, pnemonia, something got stuck in her esophigus... My dog did this as well (we had to put him down because it started as kennel cough, then turned into pnemonia, and it was to far gone to stop) the vet also said it could be a rare muscle disorder, is your dog chattering there teeth (every so often you'll hear her teeth snap down)

Emily94 · Jul 28, 2010, 08:32 AM

Also, is she eating lots of grass? My dog did this as well (it may be no help because my dog was never diagnosed for this issue but if it is the same thing act fast, my dog went from being his playful self to laying on the floor not being able to breath in only 3 days) keep an eye on exactly how much she is eating, if you notice a big drop in appetite get her to the vet (I'm just going by my experience and what I wish I did when my baby got sick)

djcvet · Jul 28, 2010, 10:03 AM

No chattering of teeth.

Emily94 · Jul 28, 2010, 12:25 PM

Then you can rule out the muscle disorder. Is she eating lots of grass?