# Wobbly and disoriented



## Holly Huryn

So I was throwing the ball for our little 18 month old lab today. She's only been on leash for the past month because she is in heat. After about 10 minutes or so, she dropped the ball and so I figured she was done. We started to walk down the driveway and she fell on her face. Then her legs were all wobbly, she looked drunk. She fell onto her face once more and going into the garage, instead of turning to go to her kennel, she bonked her head into the stairs, and looked very vacant and disoriented. 
I put her in the kennel with some water. About 10 minutes later I took her out and she was a bit slow, but seemed fine. 
I called the vet's and they said if it's the first time, just to watch her.
After about 20 minutes, she was back to normal and has been fine all day.

Do you think it was just over-exertion? I'm not sure how much excercise she had in her previous home, I excercise my dogs a LOT so maybe it was too much??? Any ideas?


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## Bob Scott

Could be heat exhaustion. If it happened once it's more apt to happen again. 
Siezure is another possibility.


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## Adi Ibrahimbegovic

that was my first thought, like the 2nd poster when i read your post - a very mild heat stroke or heat exaustion, or dehydration, whatever you want to call it, something along those lines...

be careful out there, summer heat is creeping on us.


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## Kellie Wolverton

I would have the heart checked. For my peace of mind, I like to rule out the more serious problems first


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## Jenny Thorp

I agree with having her checked out by a vet.

There is a condition in Labrador Retrievers known as Exercise Intolerance and Collapse ( EIC ) , also sometimes called Exercise Induced Collapse.

Here's some info on it : 
http://www.thelabradorclub.com/uploads/file/Exercise Induce Collapse.pdf

Hopefully it was just her overdoing things.


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## Carolyn Herle

Holly,
Hasn't it been quite cool in your area? Did she show any signs of laying down after she had the ball before she came back to you to indicate tiredness? My thoughts are more on the seizure side because of the vacant look and disorientation..:sad:
I sure hope this isn't the case.

Carolyn (froze here again last night)




Holly Huryn said:


> So I was throwing the ball for our little 18 month old lab today. She's only been on leash for the past month because she is in heat. After about 10 minutes or so, she dropped the ball and so I figured she was done. We started to walk down the driveway and she fell on her face. Then her legs were all wobbly, she looked drunk. She fell onto her face once more and going into the garage, instead of turning to go to her kennel, she bonked her head into the stairs, and looked very vacant and disoriented.
> I put her in the kennel with some water. About 10 minutes later I took her out and she was a bit slow, but seemed fine.
> I called the vet's and they said if it's the first time, just to watch her.
> After about 20 minutes, she was back to normal and has been fine all day.
> 
> Do you think it was just over-exertion? I'm not sure how much excercise she had in her previous home, I excercise my dogs a LOT so maybe it was too much??? Any ideas?


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## Chris Jones II

EIS presents in the back legs as far as I know. They just stop working for a while. The dog does not usually become disoriented. This sounds like heat exhaustion and if it is, as someone said, you pushed your dog way too far and she has permanent organ damage and this will happen more frequently for the rest of the dog's life.


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## Don Turnipseed

Years ago my cocker was acting strange like that. I had been on the phone when I noticed her walking funny and acting like she didn't know where she was. I call the vet and described what she was doing. He said it sounded like she was drunk. I remembered that I just poured a drink before I got on the phone. I went in the other room and it was empty. The dog was falling down drunk.


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## Holly Huryn

@ Carolyn - it has warme dup over the last few days, but by warm it was about 10 degrees outside. 


@ Don - it was only 9 am, if it was late afternoon, I certainly would've checked my beer mug! 

She didn't at any time, give any indication of being to tired to continue. Considering how much I excercise my other dogs, I don't feel like I over-did it with her. However, I have mals and gsd's, I've never owned a lab. I'm going to read up on that EIC.

What kind of tests can they do at the vet for heart, etc??


Thanks for the suggestions!


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## Kellie Wolverton

Holly Huryn;269008
What kind of tests can they do at the vet for heart said:


> The vet can listen to the heart Usually, but not always, the vet can hear a murmur or can detect if the heart isn't working properly. My male Beauceron has DCM, and his heart sounds "squishy" . The beats aren't clear.
> 
> I had an ultrasound done of his heart.
> 
> I would make sure, if you are going the ultrasound route, to find a cardiologist. If you are in an area where there are some bigger conformation shows, very often, there is a health clinic offered. The cost is usually less expensive there.
> 
> FYI...my dog's litter mate also has DCM. My dog has never presented with any symptoms. I just had him checked to make sure he was OK:-( His litter mate is a very active dog, but when he had his first symptom, it sounded very much like what you are describing. Disoriented, wobbly, etc. He had to be carried back from the field where he was working.
> 
> Good luck to you! I really hope it is nothing!!


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## Ang Cangiano

Being a Lab (field lines?) it sounds a lot like exercise induced collapse to me. It normally happens in athletic, in shape dogs after 5-15 minutes of work, starts in the hindlegs and quickly progresses to all four legs, dogs normally are better in 10-20 minutes, though they can die from it. There is a DNA test for it:
http://www.vetdnacenter.com/canine-exercise-induced-collapse.html

Ang


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## Holly Huryn

@ Ang - from what someone told me, she is from part show lines - I guess her reddish coat indicates that. It seemed to be more in her front legs, thus the falling flat on her face twice. But everything else sounds the same. 

I don't know if this is a good idea, but I was thinking of taking her to the vet on Monday morning, excercising her out back and seeing what happens. It seems to me that is was from excercise.


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## maggie fraser

Just to add to your dilemma, confusion and disorientation sounds like a seizure of sorts to me when the brain is affected. I've had a dog keel over with heat and exhaustion before, he was absolutley fine after rest and a feed with no recurrence.

Either way I don't suppose there is a whole lot to do unless it happens again is there?


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## Ang Cangiano

Yes, disorientation sounds like a seizure, not sure if dogs with EIC display that or not, but a $60 DNA test isn't a lot to figure it out, especially if it seemes that exercise is what triggered it. Heat stroke normally takes longer than 10-20 minutes to recover from and there would be an excessive amount of panting to go along with the collapse, normally they show quite a bit of staggering behavior first as well. 

Ang


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## Maren Bell Jones

Holly, hard to say. I would suggest if you see it happen again, try your best to video tape it to show to either your vet or a neurologist.


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