Not me, Benny.

Benny puked his guts out before breakfast after we went out this morning, but that happens sometimes so I didn't think too much about it. He didn't want to eat, which is unusual, but still no big deal. Then we went out again and everything was fine.

Then we went to get the mail at 11 and he could barely get down the stairs (and they are 4' risers). He walked around almost in circles and found some grass to eat and puked a bit again. But walking was still an issue so I help him into the house and called the vet.

I though maybe it was some sort of stroke since he was going in circles, but he didn't lose his bladder so maybe not. Anyway, it pays to call the experts. The nurse at the vet's office asked questions and the answers to all of them were yes. They had it narrowed down, but they got him in first case after lunch.

Meanwhile I was supposed to be at the dentist to have the drain removed from the tooth from hell, so the vet's person said to leave Benny in the crate where he was since he prefers it, and we did and the dentist said the tooth was doing well, and the vet said Benny would be Ok in a day ot two or three.

I just googled the disorder and the vet in the video says the same thing Benny's vet said about older dogs. Here's the link and a bit of the relevant text (for anyone who still may be using dial-up).



Treatment of Vestibular Disease

Nausea and vomiting can be alleviated with motion sickness medications. But there's no specific treatment that consistently manages congenital vestibular disease or the geriatric form of the condition.

These pets require supportive therapy in the form of nursing care and confinement. I have used homeopathic remedies with some success and rehabilitation therapies to help these patients learn better body awareness and improve their physical stability.

Dizziness can prevent a dog from walking normally or at all, so food and water sometimes needs to be close by or even brought to the patient to encourage him to eat or drink. Some patients even need to be hand-fed until they're feeling better.

Many dogs need assistance in getting back and forth from their potty spot.

The good news is puppies born with congenital vestibular disease issue often adapt and are less affected by the condition as they get older. In geriatric dogs, the condition usually resolves in one to two weeks, though the tendency to tilt the head can remain for a lifetime.