Dogs will walk around in circles for numerous reasons. Dogs may walk around in circles as they are insecure, this can happen if a dog has been abused and wants to check there is nothing around to harm them. They will walk around in circles to ensure that there is nothing following them or endangering them. If your dog has been hurt in a previous time it may have developed this issue. Most normal dogs do a little loop before going to bed to check they are safe, but in this case it may be an extreme and you should talk to your vet. Dogs may also circle if they are pregnant as they will feel uncomfortable and will do this as a means of trying to ease them. Dogs will do this most commonly before they go to bed to settle themselves. Dogs may also walk in circles if they have Alzheimer's disease and get confused. This can make them walk around in circles as they are confused and forget where they are or are coming from. Though it is most likely dogs have done this as they are beaten as pups or during formative times and they are insecure.
If your dog is walking in circles without any other symptom like drunken walk, head tilt etc then this can be compulsive behavior. Dogs can walk in circles when they are nervous and under stress. If this is compulsive behavior then does not require medicine to treat. Your dog can be treated by petting him regularly, regular exercise and playing with him. If your dog is having other symptoms along with circling then he might be having vestibular disease and neurological disorders. It will be better to take your dog to vet for diagnosis and advice.
I was writing to try to find an answer as to why dogs walk in circles. I have read some of you have written. But some of us do. Our dogs are part of our families. And when you don't get answers from your vet it really is hard to see changes going on in your dog on a daily basis. My dog is 9 years old. He started having seizures. Started falling over unable to stand up. The vet thought it was encephalitis or menangitis. We treated both symptoms aggressively. He seemed to have gotten a lil better for a few months a lil improvment then the same thing started over weakness in the joints pain in his back. Again he was treated aggressvily. Finallly the meds stopped except for his pain medication. Then right after seizures started. Now he is on seizure medication. Then right after that he started to walk in circles and he continues to run into things and he is not paying attention no listening or obeying any commands. His favorite word is squirrely. He would go nuts run to the door and bark untl e let him out so he could go to the trees to search for squirrels. Now he does not even respond every now and again an eir will perk up but he does nothing.
"Signs include nausea, difficulty or the complete inability to stand, head tilt, circling, and nystagmus (the movement of the eyes in a repetitive jerking motion, usually horizontal). Vestibular signs can be caused by inner ear disease, a brain tumor, or rarely a stroke. The major risk is that the dog is often unable to eat, drink, or go outside to urinate or defecate."
Hydrocephalus (water on the brain) can cause it. On the one hand they are very prone to it but on the other they can just look like they have it because of the shape of their heads and characteristics. Diagnostics are necessary.
If this out of character for your dog, (in other words - not just boredom) it can be one symptom of a dog who's had a seizure. If that's even a tiny possibility, then your dog really needs to be seen by a vet.
My old girl (20 years old) does the same thing. It was explained to me as doggie dimentia. Nothing to be done. We just re-direct her when she does this and it helps for a little while.
He needs to be examined by a veterinarian immediately. It sounds like he is in a great deal of pain. The "walking funny" description makes me concerned that the pain is neurological in origin. Your veterinarian can confirm where the pain is originating from and start appropriate treatment.
I'm afraid it's not a good sign. My friends 3 year old chihuahua started walking in a left circle. Then he started having convulsions/seizures. They took him to Texas A&M animal hospital for lots of tests. For 8 weeks now they have been giving him lots of medicine and he has not improved. He's gotten worse. Doctors don't know exactly the cause, but it's a brain tumor problem specific to chihuahuas. My friends have spent several thousands of dollars and seem to just be prolonging the pain for their dog. I think the steroids or tumor will eventually kill the dog, but he's so drugged up now, he has no quality of life. Very sad!
I would suggest you take your dog to the vet asap! The symptoms you mentioned describe a possible neurological issue, the cause of which could be many different things. The sooner you seek treatment for your dog, the better his prognosis will be!
Try to move your dogs leg, feel if there is anything broken. He might have a bruised muscle. Then call your vet and let him take x-ray or see if there is a ve that is open at night and call them and bring him in.
Boy some people are really insensitive childish jerks or just uneducated.
There are two possible causes for excessive circling: 1. Vestibular problems - this can be common in older dogs and can be as simple as an ear infection or chemical imbalances due to toxins or kidney problems; these problems can go away on their own or after treatment with antibiotics. 2. Brain damage - stroke or tumor which also impacts the balance system in the brain - strokes are rare in dogs, but tumors do happen. However, I am sad to say that the additional symptoms of her facial symptom and not recognizing you make this seem more likely than a simpler vestibular problem. The only way to tell for sure is to have a brain scan done and even this may not be conclusive. If it is a brain problem and its been 3 months it is unlikely anything can be done for her and you must consider if her life is still worth living or not - I'm very sorry.
Sounds as if she has some brain damage. If she has not improved over three months I am afraid she is unlikely to do so. You need to ask yourselves what her quality of life is like now. If you decide that it is time to let her go - remember the good times and know that you have our sympathy.
My Boston Terrier is having the same issue for about 10 days now. Vet seems to think either a neck problem or possibly Lyme's disease as he tested positive. He has been taking anti-inflammatory & muscle relaxer (for possible neck) and antibiotics for Lyme's for about 4 days now with no real effect.
Next thing to check is ear infection or possibly something neurological.
Circling in dogs is associated with vestibular disease in dogs. Balance and orientation in dogs is maintained by vestibular system. Problems in peripheral vestibular system can affect the balance and orientation in dogs. Usually, ear problem like ear infections and polyps are responsible for this condition. Thiamine deficiency, drug toxicity and head trauma are other possible causes. Symptoms of vestibular disease in dogs are
Circling
Rolling
Head tilt
Falling
Drunken walk
Eyes drift
In coordination
Some radiological and laboratory investigations are needed after physical examination. So, visit a vet for this purpose.
Well, I don't know the true answer to this as I am trying to find out myself. But you come on here asking a serious question and others have to give dumb answers which is not very helpful to you. I posted a question about my blind dog going in circles and I got some dumb answers too like you did. I wish people would have more sympathy toward the asker instead of just giving out dumb answers and to truly give a serious answer.
The same symptoms as my dog has. I really don't know what to do with her. The vet says it is from toxins gathered because of some liver problem. I don't know what to think. She is SO thin and gets so quickly frightened. I cry a lot seeing the sate that she is in, especially that she is only 6 years old. She also has a problem at one eye the direction of her circles , I wonder if it might be because of that ??????
Most common cause of circling in dogs is nervousness. Your dog might be nervous and this condition can not be treated with medicines. You should give time to your dog and pet him regularly and take him for walk daily. Arrange some toys for him.
My dog did something similar to that after receiving his shots. I called the Vet and he said he was having a reaction to his shots all being given at the same time. He said to make sure I remind them of this the next time he is due for his shots and they would separate them. He was o.k. After about 3 hours. Could this be a possibility?
I have a dog that had a middle ear infection she had her head tilted all the time and at one point she started to circle at times I would take her to the vet and if it is the same thing the surgery is quite expensive but my dog came out of it just fine and has not had a problem since
Some dogs do that you know? My neighbor's dog will walk in circles right before laying down a log. Some dogs go in circles before laying down... That is normal.
I don't know though if that is ALL that it's doing, so it's hard to say, it is probably nothing at all.... Who knows, maybe it's like me and just likes walking in circles. :D
