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My German Shepherd falls over after short play. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | spayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 60 lbs

I just got done playing fetch with my dogs and my german shepherd starting falling all over herself like she was drunk. Its not super hot out, very shady, and we had only been out there for 5ish minutes. This isn't the first time this has happened. What does it mean and what can I do to prevent it in the future?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 1st, 2017

There are a few things that could be causing Nyx to have this behavior. The first is heat stress, some dogs are not heat tolerant. Try the same activities inside and see her response. The other is syncope or fainting spells. These can sometimes be caused by poor blood flow from her heart. When she is more active, her heart rate speeds up to accommodate the needed extra blood flow. If the episodes continue, try to get a video it to show to your vet. Nyx may need an ultrasound of her heart (or an echo) to look at its function.

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that you think Nyx is having a problem. This is very hard to assess without actually seeing it happen or a video of it. It would be good to have your camera handy and try to capture the episode so a veterinarian can evaluate what is actually happening. It is possible she is having a small (petit) seizure, having balance problems, having gait (walking/running) problems, etc. I hope you can capture this on video so you can figure out what is going on with your veterinarian.

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