Since the dog cannot tell you what worries it and what hurts it, you, as a responsible and loving owner, should be attentive to any changes in the animal's behavior. If there are signs of a lack of coordination, the dog should be immediately shown to the veterinarian - those diseases of which this pathology is a symptom are too serious.
Disturbances in the work of the nervous system
The main cause of loss of coordination in dogs is diseases of the nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord, as well as peripheral nerves. In addition to impaired coordination, such diseases are characterized by epileptic seizures, loss of sensation, paralysis, rapidly progressive weakness and changes in muscle tone.
One of the most dangerous diseases is considered rabies, caused by a virus that is transmitted, most often, through the saliva of a sick animal - a raccoon, fox, bat or other dog. The first symptoms of rabies are behavioral changes, fever, diarrhea and vomiting, and photo and hydration. Already at the first stage of the disease, there is a violation of the coordination of movements.
You can observe the same symptom in the case of tick paralysis, when the animal is poisoned by toxins secreted by female forest ticks during a bite. Changes begin with impaired coordination of movements, followed by weakness and paralysis, loss of the ability to breathe and death of the animal. Distemper, a viral infection that affects the nervous system and also causes loss of coordination of movements, can also end with paralysis.
This symptom can be due to one of the many types of encephalitis, as well as tetanus. Like the rest, these diseases of the nervous system can be fatal for your pet. Therefore, at the first sign, you should immediately contact your veterinarian.
Other causes of poor coordination
The cause of such violations can be an acute shock, as a result of which the dog may also lose the ability to move - sitting on its hind legs, it will not be able to stand up. In some cases, shock may be accompanied by fainting or syncope. After a while, the dog regains consciousness and does not feel any consequences, but sometimes it may require medical assistance.
Often the dog loses coordination when the nervous system and its tissues are affected by tumors, which often happens in aging animals. The nervous system can be affected not by the tumors themselves, but by the developed metastases. How the animal will behave depends largely on where the tumor is located, but the loss of coordination clearly indicates that the nervous system is affected. Sometimes the loss of coordination is due to damage in the cerebellar region or a microstroke. In any case, this is always a cause for alarm.
