Hi there,
First of all, I’d strongly recommend taking your dog to the vet. A loss of balance isn’t something to be taken lightly, and it's important that he's seen by a professional. Ideally, try to get a video of him when he's coughing, losing his balance, or shaking his ear to show them during the appointment.
As a vet student, I can suggest a few possibilities and the factors for and against them based on what you’ve described:
* A cough usually suggests a respiratory issue, which could be viral, bacterial, or allergy-related. However, these theories would only explain the respiratory symptoms and not the neurological signs (loss of balance) or the ear discomfort.
* Fainting episodes (syncope/loss of balance) could be down to a vasovagal response: the coughing stimulates a nerve which causes a drop in blood pressure. This could also suggest a heart condition, which involves similar mechanisms but is a more serious underlying cause. Again, though, this doesn't explain the ear discomfort.
* Depending on your dog’s breed, coughing fits related to tracheal collapse could be a factor. However, he would likely also show breathing difficulties, especially during exercise.
* An ear infection could explain the ear discomfort, but not the coughing. Unless your dog is shaking his head at other times of the day, regardless of the coughing, it seems more likely that this symptom is a result of something else rather than the cause of the problems you're seeing.
* Finally, these symptoms could point towards a neurological issue, such as a 'vestibular' problem (an inner ear issue that affects balance) or an atypical form of epilepsy. Vestibular disease involves both neurological and ear-related signs, but this is just one possibility to be explored through a clinical examination and further diagnostic tests.
In any case, these symptoms have been going on for a week now and are serious. I’d advise you once again to get him to a vet quickly.
Best regards,
Quitterie
Translated from French
