In life, we often see pets that like to tilt their heads. When you call it, it always likes to tilt its head and look at you. It seems really cute, but is it just as simple as tilting its head? In fact, it may also be vestibular syndrome!

About vestibular syndrome

Sometimes cats and dogs will look at you with their heads tilted, which makes people scream so cute, but do you know that a tilted head may also be a warning sign?

There is a vestibular system in the inner ear of cats and dogs that is responsible for managing their sense of balance and space. When they run or jump from a high place, the vestibular system can detect changes in head movement and send signals to them in a fraction of a second. In the brain, the position is determined, and the brain then sends instructions to the nerves to allow the body to maintain balance.

Therefore, when the vestibular nerve is damaged, cats and dogs will have problems with their balance system, and their external behaviors will also show symptoms of imbalance, including head tilt, which is one of the obvious symptoms. This is the so-called vestibular syndrome.

Symptoms

1. The leg or hind leg on one side of the body cannot exert force, and sometimes all four limbs cannot stand;

2. The head is tilted to a certain side (maybe the side of the affected ear);

3. Hearing is damaged and unable to respond normally to the owner’s calls;

4. The body sways and falls easily;

5. Vomiting due to dizziness;

6. Excessive drowsiness or coma;

7. Changes in behavior: spinning and walking in circles;

8. Nystagmus: The eyeballs tremble involuntarily left and right or up and down at a fixed frequency;

9. Lack of energy and poor appetite;

10. Drooling and runny nose;

Dog breeds such as German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Akitas, Beagles, and Tibetan Terriers should pay attention to whether they have congenital vestibular-related diseases, which can be detected when they are about three months old. It is a common condition that occurs in older dogs. Because the symptoms are similar to stroke, it is often misjudged by owners. If you have similar symptoms, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Possible causes

1. Infection of the inner ear and middle ear leads to inflammation;

2. Excessive cleaning of the ears leads to eardrum perforation;

3. Stroke;

4. Tumor;

5.Polyps;

6.Meningitis;

7.Head injury;

8. Certain drugs that stimulate the nerves of the inner ear;

What to do?

The most common cause of vestibular syndrome is inner ear hair lossDamage to the vestibular system caused by inflammation, but at this stage, it is often impossible to identify the cause.

When you find that your furry child has suspicious symptoms, please go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment immediately. In addition to visual examination, sometimes X-rays, blood tests, cytology tests, MRI and other tests are needed to determine the possibility of other diseases.

Current medical technology cannot actually diagnose or cure vestibular syndrome, but it can help alleviate symptoms. You can take anti-nausea and anti-nausea medications or treat inflammatory symptoms of ear infections.

Special attention should be paid to home care. Due to the dizziness caused by vestibular syndrome, sick children cannot walk normally, which makes it difficult to eat and go to the toilet. Food and water must be placed close to them, and they even need to be fed manually and assisted in excretion. If the condition is so severe that you are unable to eat on your own, you will need to be hospitalized for intravenous drip and nutritional support.

When caring for your furry child, please lower your volume and avoid shaking your head so hard as to avoid aggravating their discomfort. Try to keep them in a calm mood and maintain a good and cool resting space.

Although there are still many unclear parts of vestibular syndrome, owners do not need to worry too much. Many children who have had the disease since childhood will have symptoms that will slow down as they grow up, and children who have the disease in old age may also develop it over a period of time. He got better with time and returned to normal life.