Symptoms of canine vestibular disease are often mistaken to be a seizure; however, symptoms associated with vestibular problems does not include seizures. Vestibular disease will typically go away on its own within a few weeks and is usually caused by a problem within the nerves of the inner ear. A seizure, on the other hand, is caused by a malfunctioning of the nerves in the brain.
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The Vestibular System
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The vestibular system in a dog's body has two main functions. The first is to maintain vision by stabilizing the head of the dog in space when the dog moves his head. The second function of the vestibular system is to stabilize the head in a position that ensures that the rest of the dog's body will remain stable.
Vestibular Disease
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A problem within the inner ear or brain can affect the vestibular system. The name vestibular disease refers to any problem within the vestibular system, which may also be called peripheral vestibular syndrome, geriatric vestibular syndrome or idiopathic vestibular syndrome. This disease typically appears when there is an inflammation of the inner ear nerves that connect to the part of the brain that controls balance and orientation in space. Vestibular disease is common in older dogs, according to vara.org, and typically lasts between a couple of days to three weeks.
Symptoms
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Symptoms of vestibular disease include tilting of the head, rolling, falling, circling and nystagmus (rhythmic movement of the eye). Some of these signs may be more severe, which causes many dog owners to believe that the dog is having a seizure, according to canine-epilepsy.com.
Causes
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An ear infection is the most common cause of vestibular disease. Other causes include hypothyroidism, toxicity (caused by an overdose of medications put in the ear), cancer and an inflammation of the brain.
Seizures
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Seizures are caused by abnormal nerve signals in the brain that control the muscles of the body. A seizure consists of a dog losing control of his body, which can cause loss of consciousness, thrashing of the limbs, uncontrolled muscle movements and loss of control of bodily functions such as urination and defecation, according to canine-epilepsy.com.
These seizures can last from 45 seconds up to 3 minutes. A seizure can be caused by epilepsy, head trauma, a brain tumor, exposure to a toxic substance, an infection of the brain or underlying diseases such as hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia. A seizure with unknown cause is typically given the name canine epilepsy. If a dog is experiencing seizures on a regular basis, he should be examined by a veterinarian to determine the cause.
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