What is Head Pressing?
Often, the first sign of illness in dogs is abnormal behavior. Lethargy, weakness, or personality changes can indicate something is wrong before other symptoms begin to show. One of these abnormal behaviors is “head pressing,” during which the animal stands near a wall or corner, hanging its head low, and not moving. The animal need not actually press its head against the wall to exhibit “head pressing,” but this often occurs as well. Head pressing often indicates that something is wrong with the nervous system. This could be a nervous-system specific ailment, or an existing condition that has progressed to neurological involvement. This behavior is not normal and will not go away on its own. Schedule a visit with a local veterinarian as soon as possible if your dog exhibits abnormal behavior like head pressing or general personality changes. You know your dog best, which means when you notice something off, you're the only one that is able to correct it.
Head pressing is a behavior exhibited by animals experiencing neural damage or under the influence of certain toxins. An affected animal will often stand in a corner or near a wall with its head hung low, or physically press the head against objects.Symptoms of Head Pressing in Dogs
- Pressing the head against stable objects for no obvious reason (i.e. not scratching an itch)
- Exhibiting reduced reflexes
- Compulsive pacing, often developing sores from excessive pacing in a small area.
- Seizures
- Strong changes in behavior
- Visual problems, such as identifying objects or obstacles
Causes of Head Pressing in Dogs
- Canine distemper virus
- Neurological disease
- Metabolic disorders, including hyponatremia
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Brain tumor or body tumor
- Other cancers of the nervous system
- Infections of the nervous system
- Meningitis/myelitis
- Poisoning
- Degenerative disease
- Trauma
Diagnosis of Head Pressing in Dogs
If you notice your dog pressing its head against walls, pacing or standing facing a corner for extended periods of time, contact the veterinarian immediately. If your pet has a neurological disease, it will need immediate treatment in the hope of avoiding permanent damage. Be prepared to give a detailed medical history of your pet, including any medications, surgical procedures, or recent visits at a kennel or pet hotel. Be sure to let the veterinarian know if you suspect poisoning. This may include mentioning any known poisonous plants in a neighbor’s yard, if your dog has vomited recently, or if the dog came to you with plant material on lips or stuck to teeth), as lifesaving action must be taken immediately.
A veterinarian will make a physical examination of your dog to distinguish symptoms of poisoning from illness. Poisoned dogs will often exhibit greatly increased or reduced heart rate, dilation/constriction of the eyes, muscle tremors or lethargy, and may vomit. This usually, but not always, is differentiated from sickness by the absence of a fever.
If the dog appears to be sick, and not poisoned, there are a number of tests that the veterinarian may order. A CBC (complete blood count) is often the first line of investigation, and will reveal abnormalities in the amounts of different blood cells. Increased white blood cell count, for example, often means the dog is fighting an infection. Other symptoms, like fever, sneezing, and fluid in the lungs can be signs of illnesses like Canine Distemper Virus or meningitis. Rarely, liver damage can cause a condition known as hepatic encephalopathy, resulting in neurological symptoms like head pressing from the toxins released by the liver.
If no obvious disease or poisoning presents itself, the veterinarian may refer your dog to an animal hospital for medical imaging, such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), X-ray or CT (Computed Tomography) scan. These are larger machines that may require your dog to be sedated to keep them still during the imaging. Results from these tests provide veterinarians with high-resolution images that may show evidence of a brain tumor or mass pressing on the nervous system.
Treatment of Head Pressing in Dogs
Head pressing can only be resolved by treatment of the underlying condition. If your dog has been poisoned, the veterinarian will attempt to identify the toxin and counter it. This can include a variety of methods, such as providing fluids to combat dehydration, activated charcoal to absorb toxins, chelation therapy, or drugs that keep the body from processing the substance into its toxic by-products, such as in the case of antifreeze poisoning. Providing the veterinarian with information about toxic hazard in and near your home is often key to saving your dog’s life. These treatments are administered as soon as possible and stopped once the animal recovers.
Neurological diseases like meningitis can be identified by culturing the cerebrospinal fluid and choosing an appropriate antibiotic. The antibiotic administration must be given as directed until the entire course of medicine has been used up, even after symptoms improve. This ensures that your dog will not relapse or develop antibiotic-resistant strains of the infection. Antibiotics are usually safe, but in some pets may irritate their stomach.
Cancers will be treated according to their location, type and progression. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery may be required.
Recovery of Head Pressing in Dogs
The recovery of your pet will depend on the cause of the head pressing. As neurological symptoms are serious, the veterinarian will more than likely request follow-up appointments to monitor your dog’s condition. Let your pet rest as much as possible and provide food, water, and medication as directed. Try not to overexcite or stress your pet (e.g. by vacuuming) if possible. Neurological symptoms brought about by poisoning or infection usually resolve quickly once proper treatment is found. Head pressing caused by degenerative diseases and cancers often take much longer to resolve, or in some cases, not at all.
Cost of Head Pressing in Dogs
Head pressing can be a symptom of poisoning, a neurological disorder or even cancer (although not as common). If head pressing is the result of poisoning the veterinarian will likely begin treating your dog with fluids ($40 to $60) to help flush the toxins out. Activated charcoal 280mg ($10 for 100ct. to $15 for 250ct.) can be used to absorb toxins. Chelation therapy ($200 to $1,000) is used to remove heavy metals from the blood. This could be very helpful if your dog is suffering from mercury poisoning. There are also medications for poisoning from toxins (i.e. antifreeze) that the veterinarian could also choose to use. Bicarbonate 8.4% 100ml injection ($10 per injection on average) is often the medication of choice for this type of poisoning. Your dog’s head pressing may also be a symptom of a neurological disorder (i.e. Meningitis). The veterinarian will need to perform a culture of the cerebral spinal fluid and provide the appropriate antibiotics (Ampicillin $50-$55). If the diagnosis is for cancer, the appropriate costs will vary great and can be upwards of $5,000.
Head Pressing Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
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My 13 year old miniature schnauzer Rufus has been acting strange lately. He has started crawling under the beds and laying into corners. He walks into corners and stares at the wall and can't seem to back out. He hears his name but will run around looking for you even if you're standing in the same room. When he gets up in the morning and shakes his back legs are weak and he has trouble and has to shake again. He's started sleeping more and he seems to always be hungry.
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My 11 year old Chihuahua/rat terrier is a pretty laid back dog - he sleeps most of the day, but is always excited to get a "cookie" (dog treat - sweet potato fry). Last night he came into the house walking gingerly. He climbed up to me and just laid down. When I moved a lap blanket, it touched him somewhere and he yelped. I felt and pressed everywhere on him, but didn't notice any reaction from him. He continued to be subdued the rest of the night - even when asked if he wanted a cookie - he just sort of perked is ears a second and laid his head back down.
Today is much of the same - but he's laying in his dog bed with the top of his head up against the side of it, and isn't sleeping at all. He just lays there with his eyes open.
Between last night and today, I feel like I noticed his eyes moving slowly and unfocused a couple of different times, and when he goes to shake his body, he slowly shakes his head once or twice and appears to decide against a full body shake
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My dog is not acting his normal self. He walks around like he’s depressed. He will just stand in a corner for long periods of time. Also, he’s not eating as good. When I give him water he will just stick his head in it and not drink. Please help!!
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My 10 year old yorkie sometimes sleeps on his side with his head pressed against the wall. Is this considered head pressing and should I have blood work done? He also shows aggression everytime I try to pet him ( unless I have food then he is nice) he has always been moody. Sometimes people will pet him and he's happy and lovable then the next thing I know he will snap at them.
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For months now our dog Grover has been greeting my son and I with morning head presses. He stands above one of us in bed, and lowers his head firmly against that person's chest/neck/face, keeping it there for several seconds. We figured it was a sign of affection, like how a cat might press its head. He'll also do it in the midst of playing. Head is always lowered when pressing, and it can go on for up to a minute. It's never against doors, always against one of his people. He also frequently presents with anxious panting, pacing, lip-licking, yawning, coat-shaking, and leaning heavily against doorways, wall corners, and furniture.
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Thank you, Dr. Turner! We will do that. Glad to hear it might very well be an affectionate behavior.
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I love my dog so much, but i've become worried about her. Recently my dog has been hiding going behind our couch (Normal spot) and putting her nose against the wall like someone who's been punished. She is overweight, and were going to try to take her to the vet soon, but i' very worried that its something severe.
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I've never noticed this before, and I think this is the first time my dog has ever done something like this, however my dog was head pressing in a corner. When I called his name he wasn't responding and he stayed like that for roughly a minute and a half. After that he turned around and was back to normal. Should I be worried because of this or could my dog have just acted weird for a bit just because?
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My dog is head pressing but she presses her head against my chest when she jumps up to lay in my lap. Is this a sign of affection or should I worry?
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My puppy is about 10 weeks old. She would have seizures and get very weak so a vet told us to give her pancake syrup because it sounded like she had hypoglycemia. Well lately I've been noticing she's been vomiting, having diarrhea, walking very slowly, and pressing her head against things. She hasn't had any shots yet. What could be wrong with her?
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Puppies may receive vaccines starting at six to eight weeks and should be done as soon as possible. Head pressing may be a symptom of trauma, poisoning or systemic disease; Chihuahua's may develop a condition called hydrocephalus which one of the symptoms is head pressing, it is important to visit your Veterinarian for a check up and if suitable to start vaccination. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
www.vetary.com/dog/condition/hydrocephalus
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My dog is epileptic. She had a seizure 2 days ago and fell of the bed and hit her head. Since then she has been trembling all the time (like small seizures but not grand mal) and pressing her head overthe wall. Is it the trauma of the fall? What shall i do? The vets in lebanon are not that experienced. And we dont have all options for dogs
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The head pressing is most probably connected to the trauma of falling from the bed; other causes are infection, liver disease, poisoning or cancer. The problem with the treatment in traumatic cases is that we usually don’t know the full extent of the trauma due to the lack of CT or MRI technology which would indicate if there is bleeding within the skull. Without knowing the full extent of injury, treatment is usually symptomatic and supportive with a wait and see approach taken. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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Hi! Our 14 year old collie cross kelpie had a seizure for the first time last night. It was under 5 minutes. Weve been to the vet, whom checked him and everything seems okay. We have done bloods which state the red blood cells have decreased and whites increased. All organ functioning came back clear. We have had another test done to check acid in the liver? He is losing his hearing, ane his sight, however he passed his sight test when the vet touched the corner of his eyes. After his seizure he was very lost for a few hours. Pacing, didnt know where he was and was walking into things. Since he has been a little lost, more just wandering & sometimes bumping into things. I noticed today he seems to like his head pressed against things. Only for a few minutes & then wandering off. His still walking the best he can (with arthritis) and waging his tail. Hes eating & drinking well.
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Head pressing is usually a symptom of neurological injury or due to toxins, if blood tests and biochemistry came back clear we are probably looking at neurological injury. Seizures and head pressing may be caused by trauma, infections, tumours, organ failure, poisoning and other causes. Your Veterinarian would have taken a bile acid test to determine the functioning of the liver just to make sure that isn’t the cause. It is now a case of ruling out possible causes until a diagnosis is made and treatment or management can be started. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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Our 15 yr old King Charles mix is head pressing , pacing and circling. We need to guide her to her bed and sit with her to help her lie down then she sleeps a lot. This weekend she was at her worst and I intend on bringing her to our vet tomorrow . She is a much loved pet and I'm afraid of the outcome tomorrow .
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Head pressing may be caused by a few different causes including trauma, infection, vestibular disease, tumours, poisoning, liver disease, kidney disease etc… This should be treated as an emergency and you should visit your Veterinarian first thing in the morning. Until then ensure that Lucy remains comfortable and hydrated. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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My 12 year old staffy seems to have alot of these complaints she is walking into the house doing a circle to the bedroom then, her bed ,her food bowl then back outside every minute or so, we recently moved interstate, leaving her in kennel boarding for 3 weeks although she was fine on pick up since the move in the last 7 weeks has developed this problem this week. She is eating, and still playful but is acting strangely and is also panting when exhibiting this behavior, she was given a clean bill of health by a vet administering her C5 and tick meds before being kenneled.She does get exercise in the bush block across the road.
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Given Lexi’s age, it may be a case of idiopathic vestibular disease where a dog’s balance is affected by an unknown cause leading to circling and a loss of balance (among other symptoms); idiopathic vestibular disease usually resolves itself within a few weeks without medical intervention. Other causes may be due to head trauma, infections, parasites, poisoning, hormonal conditions, liver and kidney disease. I would visit your Veterinarian to try to narrow down the cause to see if the symptoms can be treated or managed. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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My 3 year old lab/hound/rottie mix is head pressing. She has a lengthy medical history including Lyme disease, low blood sugar, frequent urinary tract infections and a few months ago, we nearly lost her due to pancreatitis. We returned yesterday from vacation - our neighbors were caring for our two dogs and 2 cats - and found her to be somewhat out of sorts. We typically are away about 1x per month for about 3 days, this time we were away for 7, so we thought maybe she was just sad about our absence. Through the night, she paced the floor, often running into things, beds, walls, she tried to get into my closet (never has done that). I brought her into the bed and laid her down where she slept for approx 3 hours. She did not get out of bed when I did. I had to physically remove her from the bed. She is uninterested in food. Continues to pace and run into things. She has been pressing her head in the corner in my dining room. She drinks excessive amounts of water also, and continues to do so now.
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There are various possible cases for the head pressing including hormonal conditions (especially with the increase in water consumption), liver disease, infectious diseases, vestibular problems, poisoning etc… It would be best to visit your Veterinarian for an examination as there are many different possible causes; blood tests may be required to check liver and kidney function. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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