How to Care for a Canine With ‘Old Dog Syndrome’
Key takeaways:
Deb Hipp’s 16-year-old dog, Toby, collapsed one night in 2014, howling loudly and unable to stand or walk.
A vet at an emergency veterinary clinic diagnosed Toby with canine vestibular disease, a condition that affects balance and coordination, which is also known as “old dog syndrome.”
Cold laser therapy, leg extension exercises, and massage helped with Toby’s recovery.
When my 16-year-old dog, Toby, collapsed on the living room floor one evening at midnight in 2014 and couldn’t get up, I rushed him to the emergency veterinary clinic. The veterinarian diagnosed Toby with canine vestibular disease, also known as “old dog syndrome,” “old dog vestibular syndrome,” or “old dog vestibular disease.”
A dog’s vestibular system regulates their balance and coordination. When the vestibular system malfunctions because of vestibular disease, it results in issues with these functions. As a result, Toby couldn’t walk or stand.
I worried this condition might signal the end of Toby’s life. I wasn’t sure how to help a dog with old dog syndrome. Toby’s lack of balance and inability to stand or walk frightened him. It scared me, too. Would my old dog be able to walk again and have a normal life? Or would I finally have to say goodbye to my old friend?
Toby was older than 90 in human years
When I visited a local animal shelter to adopt a dog in 2003, I found Toby, a black chow chow mix who weighed 60 lbs, in the last kennel on the row. Unlike the other dogs who were barking for my attention, Toby didn’t make a sound. He just sat near the kennel door, staring at me. The staff told me he’d been at the shelter for a year. They said black dogs aren’t typically adopted as quickly as blonde, brown, or other lighter-colored ones. Toby was 5 years old, too, which also worked against his adoption chances.
When I met Toby in the shelter playroom, he was friendly and playful. I loved his brown eyes and black-spotted tongue. I adopted Toby the next day. He quickly adapted to my home, and we soon bonded.
In true chow chow fashion, he was a loyal protector. One day, I left a handyman to work in my house while I ran out for a sandwich. When I returned, Toby was blocking the bathroom door. He refused to let my handyman pass until I returned.
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Nine years passed, and Toby gradually slowed down. We still took daily walks, but they were shorter than before. One day, I borrowed a book from the library about how to care for an aging dog. That same day, I returned home to find the book shredded into pieces on the floor. Maybe there was potato chip grease from another library patron on the book. But I like to think this was Toby’s way of saying, “Don’t call me old.”
Thanks to daily walks, regular veterinary care, and a healthy diet, Toby still got around great at 16 — more than 90 years old in human years. Then, that Sunday night in 2014, Toby’s age caught up with him.
Trauma at midnight
Late that night, I heard Toby howling like he was in pain. I ran to the living room and found him on the floor where he’d collapsed behind a chair. He couldn’t stand, so I picked him up the best I could and dragged all 60 lbs of him to the car. We raced to the emergency veterinary clinic 8 miles away.
The vet who saw Toby diagnosed him with canine vestibular disease, which is common in dogs over 9 years old. Vestibular disease can come on abruptly, as in Toby’s case. Or it can appear as less severe symptoms at first. Middle- and inner-ear infections in dogs can cause vestibular disease. Other causes include hypothyroidism, a ruptured eardrum, middle-ear infections, and tumors.
I was relieved when the vet told me that Toby would likely recover in a couple of weeks. She prescribed him medication to help with nausea and dizziness and recommended I take him to my regular vet the next day.
Toby’s vet recommended he be hospitalized for the next few days, since he was unable to walk. She suspected he might have a disc injury from collapsing on the floor. So she suggested I take him for cold laser therapy, a treatment that could help him recover faster. Laser therapy uses light to increase circulation and is commonly used on dogs to treat arthritis and promote healing after tendon, tissue, or disc injuries.
What to expect if your dog loses balance: If your dog loses balance because of vestibular disease, there’s a good chance their symptoms will clear up within a few weeks.
How do you care for an older dog? There are many things to consider — from food to falls — when caring for an older pet.
How much does it cost to put a dog down? At a veterinarian’s office or pet hospital, the cost typically starts at $50. Read more about how to help your dog avoid suffering with euthanasia.
The physical therapist who treated Toby with laser therapy recommended 5 consecutive days of approximately 30-minute sessions targeting the back and legs. She also recommended a special harness that allowed me to lift him off the floor easily, so I could help him stand.
The therapist showed me how to do daily leg extension exercises and leg massages on Toby to help him walk better. After 5 days of cold laser therapy, Toby could walk again. But he wasn’t fully recovered yet.
How to help a dog with old dog syndrome
Toby’s recovery from old dog syndrome was hard on both of us. Even after he could walk again, I had to hold his harness when he peed at first, because his balance was off. He walked around in circles, a symptom of canine vestibular disease, for what seemed like forever before peeing. And I had to stand there waiting, sometimes in the pouring rain.
I continued performing daily leg extensions and massages on Toby for the rest of his life. They brought him relief and calm while helping him walk much better. I also took him to cold laser maintenance treatments every 2 weeks. These treatments allowed Toby to live a better-quality life. They may have also extended his life by allowing him to get out and sniff around during short, daily walks.
Toby lived to be nearly 18 years old before it was time to let him go. That’s an unusually long life for a large dog.
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Making the most of our time together
If your old dog has a vestibular disease attack, they will likely recover within 2 or 3 weeks, depending on their overall health. Some recover after just a few days.
Vestibular disease, which is common in geriatric dogs and cats of all ages, isn’t painful. But it’s frightening for the animal, who doesn’t understand what’s happening with their body, balance, and coordination. The condition is treated with anti-nausea medications such as ondansetron, maropitant citrate, and metoclopramide. A sedative may also be prescribed for anxiety.
Today, I have two older dogs who are 14 and 15. I hope there aren’t late-night emergency vet visits in our future. But I also know a lot of things can go wrong with an older dog.
I’ll always miss Toby. But I’m glad I didn’t rush to put him down when IVS struck. And I’m glad I worked with him on his recovery. We had almost 2 more years together, during which he got lots of walks, cuddle time, naps, and massages. That’s a pretty good life for an older dog.
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