My dog has a head tilt. Could it be from her Apoquel or Prednisone?

I am sorry that Bella is not feeling well! It is certainly possible that her head tilt is being caused by an ear infection. Ear infections have 2 main culprits - bacteria and yeast and sometimes both. And sometimes there can be different types of bacteria as well! If Bella does have an ear infection, it is possible that the organisms are different than last year and the medicines would be ineffective. A good veterinary exam will determine if the ear is causing Bella to walk around with her head tilted and what the best treatment would be. I recommend taking your old medicines with you to the veterinarian - then your veterinarian can advise you if they are appropriate this go around. Thank you for using pet coach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do not recommend using this medication without knowing what is going on. This may indeed be an ear infection and in that case cortisone would not be indicated. I recommend that you have Mika evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this and proceed with therapy accordingly. Best of luck!

What you are describing with Shasta may be something called vestibular disease. I am attaching a handout with more information about it below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=564 If Shasta has a history of ear infections, she may have a middle ear infection that is causing her signs. That is discussed in the handout above. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Shasta and determine what might be causing her signs and the appropriate way to treat them. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your vet suspected that the swelling behind the ear is from trauma and that Mila is in pain, anti-inflammatory medication would be a better choice than an antibiotic. It is very unlikely that manhandling caused trauma to the middle or inner ear but it sounds that Mila is not very well. I would suggest to contact your local vets to confirm why Mila was prescribed an antibiotic and find out if they would prescribe a pain killer for her. The other option would be taking her to a different vet. Unfortunately, human anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen are toxic and must not be used in dogs.

I would be worried about a potential inner ear infection. Other ear infections can progress to inner ear infections which are painful, can result in hearing loss and balance issues. It is possible that the head tilt is the first sign that the balance Centers are being affected. I would advise taking Dahlia back in to the vet.

Your dog likely suffers from a severe ear infection, you cannot give him anything without taking him to the vet, he will need antibiotics/antifungal meds in order to recover and you need to do it urgently.

Dogs can have head tilts because of a neurologic problem (such as vestibular syndrome), or if something related to their head is bothering them. If the issue just started after your walk, and given Charlie's young age and the fact he was wearing a muzzle, I would be suspicious there's something bothering him with one of his ears - perhaps the strap of the muzzle irritated it, or he has an early ear infection, or got a little debris in his ear. Even if his ears look fine to you, the ear canal has a bend in it that requires an otiscope to be able to see all the way down to his eardrum. Problems in the mouth don't usually cause a dog to tilt their head. If the issue just started, and if he's acting completely normal otherwise, I'd keep an eye on it for a day or two. If he keeps tilting his head, or if any other symptoms start, I'd have him seen by a vet. Hope this helps!