My Dog's eyes are twitching and he seems off balance. I've noticed this only today.
Hi, How old is your dog? What breed? Is he walking like he's drunk or dizzy? Are his eyes going back and forth like he's watching a tennis match? Is he eating, drinking and eliminating as usual? Thanks, Cher
Reply to Cher's Post: He'll be 13 in July. A Bichon Friese poodle mix. Yes, his eyes a twitching from side to side. He seems to be walking fine, but jumping, shaking and just lifting his leg to urinate to be a little bit of a challenge. He has urinated a little bit today, but thats it, and he has been eating and drinking normally.
Hello again, and thanks very much for your additional information. He seems to have some symptoms of vestibular disease. The vestibular apparatus controls balance, and if it is disturbed (sometimes by an ear infection), the dog will feel dizzy and his eyes will move back and forth rapidly (this is called nystagmus). http://www.petplace.com/dogs/vestibular-disease-in-dogs/page1.aspx If he's not urinating as much as usual, this may be contributing to the problem, if he's slightly blocked. A male not urinating a full stream, or as often as usual, can be a medical emergency, as they can develop bladder stones, or 'uroliths', which can block the normal flow of urine. These may be caused by crystals (tiny, sand-like particles) forming in the urine, which develop when the urine is not acidic enough, and/or a bacterial infection. Because he's eating, drinking and you HAVE seen him urinate today, that's good, but I wanted you to be aware of the symptoms so that you can watch for any non-urination. A blocked male will also refuse to drink, even though he's thirsty, and his abdomen will be painful to touch. He also may be not urinating as much as usual, because he feels unsteady on his feet when he lifts his leg. http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/bladderstones.html I recommend a vet visit, ASAP, tom'w, to get a definite diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Monitor him through the night, and if he continues to eat and drink and attempts to urinate a little, that's good. If he should stop doing these things, an ER vet would be a good idea. I hope he'll be fine and please let me know how he's doing and what the vet's findings are. Thanks, Cher