My dog won't hold her head up and keeps falling. Is it serious?

it sounds like she either hurt one of her front legs (and by lowering her head it puts less weight and pressure on the affected leg) or she has a slipped disk injury (cervical slipped disks can affect the head and the limbs at once). If you can't take her to an emergency center or out of hours services let her rest and minimize her movement as much as you can until you can get her to your vet.

It's very likely that this is a [painful condition](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-most-painful-conditions-in-dogs), as evidenced by the fact that he doesn't want to hold his head up. It could be due to a sprained muscle, a pinched nerve, or something more serious involving the vertebrae in the neck. Most of the time these situations do not resolve on their own, and I find that my patients need pain medications and potentially muscle relaxers, as well as strict cage rest for at least 2 weeks. In addition, you'll want your vet to do a thorough exam to rule out [Intervertebral Disc Disease](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/intervertebral-disc-disease/) (IVDD) that can occur if there is pressure being put on the spinal cord by a disk. Until you can get an appointment with your vet today or tomorrow, I would get [a harness](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-collars-leashes-and-harnesses/dog-harnesses) instead of a collar so as not to put any additional pressure on the area.

The symptoms you describe can be caused by a neurological condition such as a stroke, spinal cord inflammation, or a mass. It can also be due to back/neck issues or an ear infection. Certain toxins or viruses can also be to blame. It is important for Mia to be seen by a vet to determine the underlying cause and begin the appropriate treatment. There are services in many cities that provide home visits from vets, who can perform a neurological exam on Mia. In the meantime, Mia should be kept quiet and calm in case she is in pain. I hope this helps and that all is well with Mia!

I am very concerned about your dog's condition and highly recommend a veterinary visit. There are a few general categories that fit with what your dog is showing at home. One would be weakness due to a nerve problem in the back end. This can happen if a disc has moved out of place in the spine and is pressing on the spinal cord. This can cause dogs to have trouble walking and placing their feet in an appropriate way. Some have the appearance of walking on their toes. Otherwise they are able to place weight on the back legs but stagger or sway when walking. This can be an emergency situation if the disc slips more into the spinal cord and causes paralysis. Another type of weakness that causes trouble getting up is if there is a lack of proper blood circulation. The lower level of blood in the body causes them to be lethargic due to the decreased oxygen circulating throughout the body. In an older dog, the most common cause of this is with a tumor or mass on the spleen that has ruptured. The spleen holds a large amount of blood and if it has a rupture, the blood leaks out into the abdomen. In addition to the lethargy, we often see pale gums and a pot belly appearance due to the pooling blood. An x-ray or ultrasound would help determine if this is occurring. These are the two most common reasons for such a dramatic change in her appearance. There is also the chance of her eating something she shouldn't. The best thing for her would be to have an exam as soon as you are able to determine what is causing her signs. The vet may recommend bloodwork or an x-ray. Unfortunately. older large breed dogs can lose nerve function in their back legs due to age changes. There is little we can do to help this aside from keeping them comfortable. Due to how sudden the signs showed up, this is less likely, as it is often a more gradual change.

Poor King Meza! He does sound like he isn't feeling well at the moment, but his symptoms are a little general to pinpoint a specific illness. I'm wondering if you mean that his head is shaking when you say he can't keep it still. That would be involuntary head tremors, and could be caused by an injury, toxins, inflammation, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), weakness, or pain. He might be lethargic as well. You have a couple of options in this case. You can take him into a vet right away for an exam to be safe, and I typically recommend doing that since I can't see the animal in person to say if they will be ok or not. In my opinion, it's always best to be safe and have an animal seen by a vet when there are concerns about their health. The other option is to monitor him for now. If his symptoms continue for the next couple of hours, they worsen, or he develops additional signs such as vomiting, anorexia, seizures, or any other concerning signs, I would take him into a vet right away.

Hello, It sounds like Taisie is experiencing some neurologic abnormalities. It is hard to say without physically examining her what the problem is, but some possibilities are spinal pain, a herniated disc, vestibular (inner ear) infection or disease, or a brain tumor. Any of these issues could cause drastic changes in balance and falling, but the treatment for each one would be very different. I would recommend taking Taisie into her veterinarian to be examined. They can offer you the best diagnostic and treatment plan based on their physical exam. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. OK, this does not sound good. Princess is in distress, either from a massive infection, vestibular disease, stroke or an inflammatory brain lesion. You need to have her seen by a veterinarian as quickly as possible. I hope you can have her seen soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.