What could cause a dog to have "vertigo?"?

Call the vet back and tell them you are wanting more information on the diagnosis of your dog, that you are not understanding what caused it, if there is something you need to do to help the dog other than giving it dramamine.

Could be a faulty gene or check his ears. sometimes, earwax will build and cause a dog to be dizzy, just like humans. i had a dog that fit this description. he stayed on a drunk, until the vet cleaned his ears.

Vertigo? How tall is this dog?

He’s not a thousand feet tall, so that’s certainly not the problem. Normal medium sized dog.

A very common problem in older dogs is vestibular syndrome, which causes vertigo.

Is it possible that he is having a seizure? Ours used to experience similar symptoms.

“Petit Mal Seizure (aka Absence Seizure): Depending on the authority quoted, petit mals are described as either very rare or usually unrecognized in animals. Signs are brief (seconds) duration of unconsciousness, loss of muscle tone, blank stare, and possibly upward rotation of eyes. According to one authority (Kay), the term petit mal is misused by veterinarians and should only be accorded to cases manifesting very specific clinical signs and EEG abnormalities.”

Source

its sounding like inner ear problems.My late dog had it near the end.

@crisw has it right! Here is another reference.

Vestibular Syndrome is common in older dogs, and is usually idiopathic (meaning we don’t know exactly what causes it). With supportive care and some time, it usually resolves. The rare exceptions would be inner ear problems, which require treatment, and some sort of brain tumor, which is usually untreatable.