Case report suggests Ménière’s-like syndrome in a dog
Bottom line
A new case report in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, published August 25, 2026, describes a 15-year-old mixed-breed dog with recurrent vestibular episodes and progressive hearing loss whose presentation resembled human Ménière’s disease. The dog had repeated attacks lasting 30 minutes to several hours, with ataxia, head tilt, nystagmus, distress, and falling to the right. MRI and other diagnostics did not identify structural brain or middle ear disease, but auditory brainstem response and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions testing showed bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, including preserved high-frequency hearing in the right ear, a pattern the authors say parallels human Ménière’s disease. The dog went on to have six acute episodes between 2022 and 2025, while maintaining good quality of life to age 18. (frontiersin.org)
Why it matters: For veterinarians, the report raises the possibility that some dogs labeled with idiopathic vestibular disease may have an underrecognized Ménière’s-like syndrome, especially when episodes recur and pet parents report worsening hearing. That matters because idiopathic vestibular syndrome is common in geriatric dogs, and expert consensus already notes that advanced hearing assessments such as ABR are used infrequently in these cases. The authors also emphasize that this remains a single case report, and they cannot exclude coincidental coexistence of recurrent vestibular disease and sensorineural hearing loss. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: Whether future case series confirm a distinct canine Ménière’s-like syndrome, and whether hearing testing becomes a more routine part of workups for recurrent “idiopathic” vestibular cases. (frontiersin.org)
Key facts
- Study type
- Single case report
- Journal
- Frontiers in Veterinary Science
- Publication date
- August 25, 2026
- Patient
- 15-year-old mixed-breed dog
- Main finding
- Recurrent vestibular episodes with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss resembled human Ménière’s disease
- Episode pattern
- Three self-resolving episodes over two weeks, lasting 30 to 60 minutes, and six acute episodes between 2022 and 2025
- Key diagnostics
- MRI found no structural brain lesion, otitis media, or inflammatory middle ear changes
- Hearing test results
- ABR showed 80 dB nHL threshold in the right ear and no detectable response in the left ear; DPOAE was absent in the left ear and present only at 8 kHz in the right ear
- Limitation
- Single case report; authors could not exclude coincidental coexistence of vestibular disease and sensorineural hearing loss
A case report published August 25, 2026, in Frontiers in Veterinary Science argues that a Ménière’s-like syndrome may exist in dogs, based on a geriatric mixed-breed dog with recurrent vestibular attacks and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The patient, first evaluated in 2022 at age 15, had three self-resolving vestibular episodes over two weeks, each lasting 30 to 60 minutes, and later went on to experience six acute episodes between 2022 and 2025, up to age 18. (frontiersin.org)
What makes the report notable is the way the authors frame the case against human diagnostic criteria. In people, Ménière’s disease is defined by recurrent spontaneous vertigo episodes, fluctuating aural symptoms, and audiometrically documented low- to mid-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, after excluding other vestibular disorders. The authors say the dog’s pattern, recurrent vestibular episodes paired with hearing decline and no structural lesion on MRI, overlaps with those criteria closely enough to suggest a canine analog, even if it cannot yet be called a confirmed disease entity. (frontiersin.org)
The diagnostic workup is central to that argument. Otoscopy found only mild bilateral otitis externa, while MRI showed no structural brain lesion, no otitis media, and no inflammatory middle ear changes that would explain the attacks. Hearing testing was more revealing: click ABR showed severe hearing impairment in the right ear, with an 80 dB nHL threshold, and no detectable ABR in the left ear, above 90 dB nHL. DPOAE responses were absent at all tested frequencies in the left ear and present only at 8 kHz in the right ear, suggesting residual high-frequency cochlear function with disproportionate loss at lower frequencies, a pattern the authors say resembles human Ménière’s disease more than typical age-related presbycusis. (frontiersin.org)
The dog improved with supportive care, including intravenous fluids, maropitant, and clopidogrel, and returned to near-normal neurologic status aside from mild residual head tilt and persistent hearing impairment. The report also notes hypercoagulability on thromboelastography, but the broader diagnostic picture did not support a structural vascular event as the primary explanation. Importantly, the authors are careful not to overstate the finding: they write that recurrent vestibular episodes and sensorineural hearing loss could still be coincidental rather than part of a single disease process. That caution is consistent with an earlier 2024 European Society of Veterinary Neurology abstract from the same group, which presented the case as “suspected” Ménière’s disease in a dog. (frontiersin.org)
There isn’t much published outside commentary on this specific report yet, but the broader literature helps place it in context. A 2023 review on idiopathic vestibular syndrome described the condition as one of the most common neurologic disorders in veterinary medicine, especially in geriatric dogs, and found that few specialists routinely use hearing diagnostics such as brainstem auditory evoked responses in these patients. Other veterinary reports have described recurrent vestibular syndromes in dogs, including suspected idiopathic vestibular epilepsy and isolated recurrent peripheral vestibular paroxysm, which means recurrent episodes already sit in a crowded differential list rather than pointing to one diagnosis automatically. (frontiersin.org)
Why it matters: For clinicians, the practical takeaway is less about declaring a new disease and more about sharpening the workup. In older dogs with recurrent vestibular events, especially when pet parents mention progressive or fluctuating hearing loss, this report supports considering auditory testing alongside MRI, otoscopy, blood pressure measurement, and other standard efforts to separate peripheral from central disease. It also suggests that some cases currently filed under idiopathic vestibular syndrome may be more heterogeneous than the label implies. Because this is a single case, it shouldn’t change standards of care on its own, but it does point to a potentially overlooked subset of patients. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: The next step will be replication, ideally through additional case reports or small series using standardized hearing assessments and longer follow-up. If similar cases accumulate, veterinary neurology may need clearer criteria for distinguishing recurrent idiopathic vestibular disease, vestibular epilepsy, vascular events, and a possible Ménière’s-like syndrome in dogs. (frontiersin.org)