Your puppy might seem fine, and then without warning, it could start to head tilt and circle it to one side and suddenly collapse. Unintentional twitching or flickering eye movements in the medical world is also known as nystagmus or vestibular disease.
Our suggestion is not to panic because this condition is more of a symptom than an illness. Pet parents often think it is a stroke or a seizure, but in most cases, it is a vestibular disease.
Like humans, dogs have a vestibular system that helps balance and spatial orientation. The most common symptoms are dog eye twitching, flickering and abnormal eye movements. These symptoms can concern you; therefore, call your veterinarian to perform a neurologic exam of your dog’s orientation and balance system.
In some cases, this could be a troubling sign of your dog’s nervous system that requires urgent medical attention.
Let’s dig deeper and find out more about eye twitching in dogs.
What Is Nystagmus?
Movement of the eyeballs rhythmically and involuntarily side to side or up and down is called nystagmus. It is a symptom of the vestibular disease that affects the body’s balance.
Nystagmus is mainly seen in old and geriatric dogs and affects their brain or ear. Therefore, this disease is also known as canine idiopathic vestibular disease or old dog vestibular syndrome.
We have all seen twitching eyes in dogs that stare outside of a moving car, but be aware that twitching while the dog’s head is calm is an alerting condition.
What Are the Types of Nystagmus?
The two most common types of nystagmus are:
- Jerk nystagmus – The eyeballs move slowly in one direction and jerk back to the opposite side rapidly.
- Pendular nystagmus – Caused by damage in the brain or ear, the eyeballs make circular movements with small oscillations. It is described as a swinging pendulum back and forth that can be faster or slower than other nystagmus types.
Other types of nystagmus are:
- Horizontal nystagmus – Also known as a side-to-side flickering eyeball
- Vertical nystagmus – Up and down flickering eye movements.
What Are The Causes of Nystagmus in Dogs?
Nystagmus is most commonly seen in old and geriatric patients, and the primary cause is vestibular disease. Many factors lead to vestibular disease, including:
- Toxic drugs
- Ear infections
- Injury or head trauma
- Thiamine deficiency
- Tumor
- Hypothyroidism
- Viral infections (canine distemper)
- Heart attacks
- Inflammation
- Hearthemorrhages
If your vet cannot diagnose any of these causes, it can be referred to as an idiopathic vestibular disease that requires no medical intervention.
Congenital nystagmus is another common type of nystagmus usually seen from birth, and the puppies are born completely blind.
What Other Symptoms Have Dogs with Nystagmus?
Dogs with nystagmus may show the following symptoms:
- Head tilt
- A droopy face
- Circling
- Loss of balance
- Standing with widely-part legs
- Frequent falling on the ground
Nystagmus refers to ocular abnormal eye movement. Therefore, many dogs may show secondary symptoms like motion sickness, nausea, and excessive vomiting.
How Is Nystagmus Diagnosed?
It is often simple for the veterinarian to identify this apparent condition. Many eye tests like the Schirmer tear test or the fluorescein eye staining are uncomfortable for your dog. Therefore, your vet will probably suggest sedation to properly examine the tear ducts, eyelids, and eyes.
Depending on the underlying cause of nystagmus, your vet may perform different types of tests. To reveal inflammation related to the balance of the dog’s eyes, a veterinary neurologist may take cerebrospinal fluid from the dog’s brain or spinal cord for examination.
CT scans are widely used in veterinary medicine, and they can identify any damage that leads to imbalanced eyeballs.
To detect the underlying cause of nystagmus, vets can also perform a urinalysis, bacterial cultures, or serologic testing.
Treatment of Nystagmus
Each owner has a different approach to the pet’s health. However, many pet owners practice the “wait and see approach”.
Depending on the severity of the symptoms and the condition’s underlying condition, vets can perform various treatments.
Some dogs may show signs of vomiting and anorexia, so your vet might recommend you change the nutrition and the food, proper medication and intravenous fluid therapy to prevent dehydration.
You are the first one that ensures your dog is safe and healthy; therefore, here are some tips on what you can do before you panic and call your vet:
- Comfort your dog – When your dog has nystagmus, it can become agitated and dismayed or lose its balance if the condition is related to a problem in the inner ear. Pet your dog, try to use a calming voice and keep your dog calm while assessing the problem and deciding on your next step.
- Keep track of the symptoms – It may seem awkward, but keeping track of all abnormal physical problems and behavior is crucial so that your veterinarian can give a diagnosis more efficiently.
- Contact your veterinarian – Explain the symptoms to your vet and ask for a recommendation if your dog needs immediate care.
If your doctor recommends emergency veterinary attention, you should follow the next steps:
- Take your dog to a veterinarian – We, as owners, cannot do much about any medical issue. So, if your puppy is constantly twitching, you should seek expert advice to determine the underlying cause.
- Accept veterinary exams – To get to the bottom of the health issue and get the proper diagnosis, your vet must run various laboratory tests and determine additional testing.
- Determine if the twitching is a side effect of some medication – This is another reason why you should be honest with your vet and explain if your puppy has taken some unprescribed medication. For example, Metronidazole, a drug for an inflamed gastrointestinal system, can cause uncontrolled twitching.
- Determine if the dog eye twitching is caused by diseases like:
-Canine idiopathic vestibular syndrome which is an acute inflammation of the vestibular nerve
-Central vestibular disease that is a brain-related condition
-Peripheral vestibular disease that affects the inner and middle ear - Provide supportive care – Two weeks after the initial treatment with antibiotics or other medications, your vet may suggest a neurological exam. Although, it is your job to keep your dog calm and comfortable during the whole treatment.
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Final Thoughts
This condition can be disturbing for both dogs and owners. Many causes can lead to dog eye twitching and nystagmus, and we as owners cannot do much to protect our furry friends. However, never ignore any signs because early detection and proper care can improve your dog’s quality of life.
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*photo by Patryk_Kosmider – depositphotos