Dogs are always very active. Looking at little kids, you will come to notice that they also fall after spinning. But when it comes to the dog, there is no reason for losing balance or falling. My dog is walking slow with head down, what should I do? Initially, someone might think that walking slow with head down can be due to a submissive dog.
But that’s not the case. There are numerous reasons for a dog to pull of such behavior. The primary cause may be a head hit, resulting in tilting down a dog’s head to some certain angle. Other than that, ear infections, neurological problems, or vestibular disease can cause tilt.
Signs And Symptoms
- Rejecting to take the weight
- Not able to walk normally
- Climbing stairs seems difficult
- Signs of discomfort can be noticed
- The affected area may show loss of muscle
- Walking very slowly
- Keeping head down
- Placement of paw cannot be done properly
- Abnormality and swelling in jaws can be seen
Causes For This Problem
- Infection in internal parts
- Arthritis
- Congenital abnormalities
- Elbow or Hip dysplasia
- Vestibular syndrome
- Insect sting
- Ear infection
- Weight load in neck
Possible Reasons For Strolling With Head Down
There may be several underlying and unwanted reasons that may cause this problem. It may be for any kind of injury, or it may cause any abnormal anatomy. Some possible reasons for which your dog might suffer from this problem are:
1.Vestibular Syndrome
This syndrome is caused due to the dysfunction of the inner part of the ear. These symptoms usually don’t show up at any particular time. As this can happen at any time, that is why people mix this symptom with stroke. Along with falling off the head, there may be other problems that your dog might face.
With a tilted head, your dog may face more problems such as working in circles, having nausea, and having frequent vomiting. Tilting the head is the primary thing; secondary issues such as dehydration may occur too.
2.Infection In-Ear
The most common reason dogs can walk slow and lose balance is an ear infection. There may be other symptoms such as scratching, flickering in the eye, head shaking. It is seen that the dogs may have redness, discharge, and odor. Other than that, swelling may also happen as it is associated with the affected ear.
One of the primary and potential reasons dogs have trouble walking is disc disease. This disease can cause a dog to walk wobbly and also cause paralysis or paresis. It is noticed in recurring episodes of IVDD. There are some intervertebral discs present in dogs that get deteriorated due to IVDD.
Moreover, the spinal cord of dogs gets damaged due to this disc disease, and for that, they cannot walk properly. Treatments are there for getting dogs rehabilitated to get rid of IVDD. There is a particular process, such as physical therapy. It can help the dog to get its feet functional again.
4.Degenerative Myelopathy
This is not a typical case for dogs. This problem happens when a dog loses its internal spinal cord connection with its brain. This causes the dog to have a breakdown in its motor function. A dog can initially fall into a significant issue such as dragged toes, having legs crossed while walking for having this problem.
There is no significant pain associated with this problem. But here, pain is not necessary because it can cause a terminal breakdown for your dog, and it may become permanent if not addresses immediately. Sudden ways are there to eliminate this problem, and stopping it initially won’t have any long-term effect.
Proper diet and regular exercise is the primary key. Besides that, enough nutritional supplements are necessary for keeping the dog walking at an average pace for a long distance.
5.Fibrocartilaginous Embolism
The FCE problem is similar to a human stroke. Most of the symptoms are similar to the stroke of a human being. However, it is common for most breeds. The main reason causing FCE is when an internal disc breaks down and clots into the blood vessels connected to the spinal cord of a dog. As soon as a blood clot happens, the area gets blocked.
When the blood does not flow through, the affected area starts to die slowly. There may be permanent damage if not treated timely. FCE can essentially attack a dog’s hind leg. It is not possible to anticipate this problem immediately.
But when noticed, it becomes an emergency to go to the vet and start the treatment as soon as possible. No long-term pain is associated; just initial pain occurs. When your dog goes down yelping, then there might be FCE happening.
6.Dysplasia And Arthritis
Dogs who are older and much more aged are more likely to have this problem. It occurs in the hips and knees of dogs and for which their head may tilt down. Slow walking or stopped walking issues may be seen in them. They will become non-responsive at that time.
7.Traumatic Injury In The Spinal Cord
This incident can happen when your dog is uncertainly get hit by a car or get into intangible fights. Even the impactful sound from a gunshot can cause injury to the brain and spinal cord. The large breeds can get traumatized after such sudden sound waves and may suffer from disc rupturing.
It will cause damage to their spinal cord, and soon they may get down to stroll with their head down. Proper physical therapy is needed for your pet to get recovered from this problem.
Top Reason For Dogs Moving Slowly
The top Reason, a dog, moves slowly is if the animal is aging. When this is the case, the dog may not have much energy or strength to play or run as fast as it used to. Aging can be a natural process for all animals and in many cases. Here is some reason:
- Dogs that are slower than usual may have an injury or illness.
- If a dog is moving slowly, this might indicate that the animal may have an injury.
- The dog’s diet may be affecting his behavior.
- Inflammation of the joints can also contribute to dogs moving slowly.
Behavior Changes And Pain In Aging Dogs
Dogs experience many of the same conditions as humans, like arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. While some are unavoidable, others can be controlled with diet or lifestyle changes. There is a direct correlation between age and pain in dogs.
The older a dog gets, the more difficult it is to view the act of maintenance; this is compounded by the fact that elderly dogs often become “masters” of hiding their discomfort or discomforts from their owners. Many factors contribute to this pain, including decreased mobility, increased sensitivity to pain and chemicals, loss of or reduction in appetite due to medications, and incontinence.
The Meaning Of A Dog Turning His Back Or Butt
A dog turning his back or butt to a person is an aggressive and confrontational signal. This behavior can be seen in dogs when guarding possessions, protecting territory, or keeping an intruder at bay. When this behavior is directed towards a family member such as the owner, it is typically interpreted as dominance behavior.
The dog feels he should be in charge of the household and sees you not following his lead as a challenge. Possessiveness of toys, food, bones, etc., is another reason for this type of “back off” gesture from the dog.
Symptoms Of a Pinched Nerve In a Dog’s Neck
If you see your dog exhibiting any of these behaviors, it may have a pinched nerve in its neck:
- It tilts its head to one side.
- It holds its head tilted up or down.
- Its body can be seen shaking from time to time.
- Its eyes blink excessively and don’t seem focused on anything.
- The dog is limping or just dragging its legs.
- It keeps its face up, and its ears are forward.
- The dog is panting heavily, and it has difficulty breathing.
- It keeps its head upward with some tension as if sticking out of deep sleep.
- It has trouble swallowing.
- The dog’s gums are white or chewing on its legs or feet.
- It feels stiff, achy, and painful to move the neck in any direction, especially on the left side of the neck.
- Its eyes are dull from lack of blinking.
Why is My Dog Staggering And Falling Over
A dog’s balance and motor skills improve through exercise, while an older or overweight animal may have vision problems that contribute to the problem. A tired, overloaded dog has trouble stepping up to take a step, which exposes them to the risk of falling. If the dog’s gait becomes uneven, it may be more likely to fail.
One possible cause is arthritis in the legs, which has weakened the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support the dog’s weight.
“Parkinson’s disease also can be a problem for dogs as it causes a similar loss of balance. It is therefore important to identify movement abnormalities to get your dog treatment,” according to Veterinarian Stuart Chapman in “Your Dog: A Complete Veterinary Guide.
Practical Solution To Fix This Problem
Caring for your dog is a crucial duty sometimes; it may be stressful. But these solutions will not create any stress for you. It will be very normal to do all of these and get your dog recovered. So below are some solutions that can help your dog to disrupt walking problems:
1. Lugging During The Walk
Dogs usually don’t walk; they go for a run. So when you take your dog out for walking, make sure you leave your dog freely so that it can run at a full pace.
You can put on a collar on the most vital part of your dog’s neck and pull it from behind. As they want to go forward against the resistance, but that will increase their strength in legs. In this process, the dog is the one that will pull you.
2. Distraction In Walk
A common habit seen in dogs when they go for a walk or run is that they stop after some time and start smelling grasses or roses. This stopping happens again and again as it’s a natural behavior of a dog to stop. But to prevent this from happening, what you can do is you can shorten the dog leash.
Make sure to keep the head of the dog upwards. You need to main assertiveness and remain calm and focus on the destination. You will not give the dog break, but it will depend on your choice, and it will be for the dog to relieve itself. It is not a reward for your dog; instead, it is for controlling the dog’s nose and smelling habit.
3. Taking A Break During The Walk
After much running and exercise, it is quite normal for your dog to get overtired and exhausted. Actually, the walk and the running of a dog is for keeping the dog fit; it is not for bringing more pain to your dog. Dogs running and pushing it for running depends on the age of the dog.
Make sure your dog isn’t suffering from any kind of health issue. You need to consult a vet first, then apply the technique to keep it back on track. For this, you need to make tug the leash on from the front side—this time, you need to force your dog to run and take it back to its pace. Further, you need to continue doing this constantly so that it doesn’t become lazy.
4. No Interest In Walking
One of the common problems which are primarily seen in puppies is they have no interest in walking. They either stay in their place or always keep sitting down. The thing you can do is that you can pick the puppy and take it away from its house so that it doesn’t find the house again initially. But for a puppy finding its house is normal. So it will eventually walk and search for the paths and return to the place.
Conclusion
For dogs to face difficulty in walking with keeping their head down, there are a lot of reasons that can be the cause for it. It is essential to take time to analyze all the problems and adequately give them medication.
Most importantly, it is safe to visit a vet and get your dog diagnosis. Your dog’s mobility can get disrupted for it and cause more problems. So, for this reason, the more this problem gets addressed, the faster your dog will recover. I hope now you know what to do when my dog is walking slow with head down.
FAQ
1.What To Do If Your Dog Doesn’t Want You To Touch Its Butt?
Ans: If your dog doesn’t want you to touch its butt, keep your distance and watch. It may also mean that your dog is sick or has something wrong with it.
2.Why Do Dogs Sleep With Their Bum Facing You?
Ans: Although it can vary from dog to dog, typically, dogs sleep with their bum facing the person they trust most—you. This means that if your pup feels safe and secure when sleeping, it’s likely because you’re right next to them.
3.Can You Get Along With A Dog If You Turn Your Back On Him?
Ans: The answer is yes. But a dog that has never had to learn this lesson might not understand and react accordingly. When faced with the same situation, some dogs will show aggression, others will turn their head away but otherwise not respond, and others will walk away if given the opportunity.
4.What if I’m not sure my dog has pain?
Ans: It’s a good idea to make an appointment with your veterinarian. Some dogs may exhibit outward signs of pain, while others do not.
5.What Should I Do If My Dog Has Slowed Down?
Ans: You will have to take them for a walk or run on the treadmill, which can help get the blood pumping again and wake them up. Your dog may just be bored and need new activities to do during their free time.
