Toy Poddle Walking Problem

In the last few weeks, my toy poddle, age 14, has had sudden dizzy spells where he becomes unbalance and will start to sway from side to side.  During these spells, he tries to walk it off, but he just looks like his walking drunk.  I'm really concerned because you can see him trying to shake these spells off but he can't.  The spells last about 10 seconds.  Right before one of this happens he usually starts coughing.  I don't know if the coughing and dizzy spells are related.  What is going on with Cisco?  

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Causes of what you are describing are: Syncope, Partial seizures, or Episodic geriatric vestibulitis,. and others.

Syncope is a temporary episode of insufficient blood flow (and therefore oxygen) to the brain and causes symptoms that you describe.  Syncope is most commonly caused by heart disease, but,  tracheal collapse is also a strong possibility.  These are the most likely causes of your dog's problem since your dog routinely coughs prior to the episode.  Cough is common in both tracheal collapse and heart disease.

Seizures can be caused by brain tumors, chemical or toxin exposure, infectious agents that affect the brain, head trauma, and others.  There is also idiopathic seizures, but these are usually seen in younger dogs.  Vestibulitis is a problem of the inner ear which occurs in older patients and is of unknown cause

[Edoggy]

Im sorry to hear about your toy poodle, but I think this may just be happening because Cisco is getting old.  He is a very old dog and it seems as if you have been very good to Cisco since he is so old.  You must be a very good pet owner.  I wish I could help you more, do you know if he has a bad leg or something?  I would consult a vet.