Why does my dog with cerebellar issues get stiff and uncoordinated from stress?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Chronic stress is never good for the body and if stress can be reduced, this is ideal. Stress can certainly worsen pre-existing diseases and I would recommend reducing stress as much as possible. There are natural products such as the Adaptil products, which can be found online quite easily or supplements such as NaturVet Quiet Moments calm chews with melatonin. If these do not work well, I would recommend discussing other means of reducing stress with your veterinarian. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using PetCoach! It sounds like Bruno could have "old dog idiopathic vestibular syndrome". There is more information below but we don't know why it happens and in general it usually gets better within a few days. Of course, we can never rule out a middle ear infection, brain tumor, or other problem so I always recommend seeing a vet. Even if it is the just the old dog vestibular syndrome, your vet can give Bruno some anti nausea medication for his vertigo. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/vestibular-disease-in-dogs Best of luck to you and Bruno!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh no! Poor Charlie! I have not heard of strokes being a side effect of Vetoryl (trilostane). It is very well tolerated and has significantly decreased the side effects for treating cushings compared to the older drug choice. Untreated cushings can cause clots though. I wonder if the stroke is unrelated and maybe he is experiencing a Vestibular event. Look at his eyes and see if they are moving abnormally. Dogs with Vestibular disease have abnormal eye movements, a head tilt, fall to one side, walk drunk, pant and drool because they are very dizzy. Vestibular disease is rarely fatal and can be managed. They tend to get better. I would encourage you to take Charlie to an emergency hospital to be evaluated. I wish you the best!

Little Baby Boy needs to see the veterinarian quickly. Weakness/neurological signs are never normal and can indicate many things including toxin ingestion, drug exposure, an infection in the brain, low blood sugar, a middle ear infection or liver dysfunction. Vestibular disease affects older dog but an infection in the middle ear is similar. A stroke would be very unlikley unless he got into certain medication or had a congenital abnormality. Also, yes, there are classic presentations to these diseases but not all pets read the book about how they should look so other presentations are possible. A physical exam and bloodwork is needed to begin figuring out the cause and the best treatment. Other diagnostics may also be indicated. I hope it's nothing too serious and that he gets back to normal quickly.

Hello, and thanks for using Pet Coach. Stress alone in an otherwise healthy dog is unlikely to cause death, but if a dog were to have underlying respiratory or cardiovascular compromise, stress could definitely put it over the edge with the increased heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen demands. This could happen much faster than several hours depending on the degree of underlying disease. Hope this helps.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cuddles. I agree that his condition sounds very serious. Most of the time, sudden onset vestibular disease does not have an underlying cause in an older dog. There are cases that are due to an inner ear infection, thyroid disease or even cancer. If there is not an underlying cause of his vestibular disorder, most dogs will recover within 24-48 hours. Most dogs will benefit from motion sickness/anti-nausea medication to keep them comfortable until the symptoms resolve. That being said, the inability to use his rear limbs is much more concerning. A bulging or ruptured disk in the lower back can cause paralysis. Severe orthopedic disease can cause the same problem. Not being able to walk and interfere with the dog's ability to urinate and defecate. Furthermore, sores can develop on the limbs from the dog dragging itself. This is where quality of life issues present themselves. You obviously know Cuddles best, but it is worth having a more detailed conversation with his veterinarian concerning euthanasia. You can voice your concerns and gain insight into why his veterinarian made this decision. I hope this information helps.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bruno. I base quality of life decisions on several factors. Is the patient eating and drinking on his own? How is his mobility? Can he navigate stairs safely, move freely around the house and get outside to go potty? This tends to be a significant problem in large breed dogs. Any time a pet has a chronic illness, there will be good and bad days. Are the good days still outnumbering the bad days? Finally, does he still seem happy? I would recommend carefully thinking about these questions and seeing what his blood work shows. Cushing's can be managed most cases. The seizures are worrisome though. They are unpredictable. He might never have another one, but they could go on to become a frequent occurrence. His blood work will determine if he is healthy enough for anti-seizure medications. I hope this information helps.