TL;DR: If your dog is circling or falling, it indicates a balance disturbance that requires immediate veterinary evaluation to rule out serious neurological issues or ear infections.
Why is my dog walking in circles or falling over?
When a dog begins walking in repetitive circles or repeatedly falling over, it is usually a sign of a disturbance in their vestibular system, which is responsible for balance and spatial orientation. This condition, often called ataxia, can be caused by various issues including:
- Deep ear infections
- 'Old Dog Vestibular Disease' (Idiopathic Vestibular Disease)
- Neurological toxins
- Strokes
- Brain tumors
Is it an emergency if my dog can't balance or keeps circling?
Urgency Level: High. You should contact an emergency veterinarian immediately. While some causes are not life-threatening, your dog requires professional stabilization and diagnosis if they exhibit any of the following:
- Flickering eye movements (nystagmus)
- A persistent head tilt
- An inability to stand at all
- Symptoms indicating a severe neurological event or poisoning
How can taking a video of my dog help the veterinarian?
If it is safe to do so, capturing a 15-to-30-second video of your dog's behavior can be an invaluable tool for the veterinary team. A video allows the doctor to:
- See the exact nature of the circling behavior
- Determine the direction of any eye flickering (nystagmus)
- Analyze the specific way the dog is losing balance
- Differentiate between a peripheral issue (like the inner ear) and a central issue (like the brain) faster than a verbal description
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
Circling and falling in dogs can be attributed to several neurological conditions. Vestibular dysfunction results in ipsilateral falling, rolling, or circling. Lesions in the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata can cause paresis or paralysis, often more severe on the side of the lesion, while cerebellar lesions produce ataxia and dysmetria. Chronic lesions in the cerebral cortex and diencephalon may lead to compulsive circling with a relatively normal gait. In specific breeds, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, as seen in Dandy-Walker syndrome (especially in Toy Fox Terriers), can cause tremors, ataxia, hypermetria, head tilt, and circling. Cerebellar abiotrophies, varying by breed and age of onset, are also associated with these clinical signs.
Chapter: Neurology
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 1217)