Rottweiler mix 7 year old male neutered

Question
This doggie is a dandy but sometimes (three times in 6 months)he is afflicted with some rather bizarre behavior.
Clearly when this happens there is an overall sense of unwellness and periodically, some abdominal(?) pain. At first it appears that he becomes stumbly and has a bit of balance trouble.  Next thing is he does not appear to be able to focus his eyes and becomes somewhat disoriented.  Following those things comes a hunching of his back and pain most (not all) times when in the process of getting up or lying down.  Usually by the next day most of these symptoms have subsided though they will pop up to much lesser degrees over the next 3 or 4 days.  
He has been seen by the Vet but, by the time we get him there or the Vet to us there isn't a whole lot to see.  
I'm not really asking for a diagnosis as much as I am wondering if you have ever even heard of anything like this before?
In any case thank you for your time and may peace be with you in these troubled times.

Sandy Clemons

Answer
Apologies for the delayed response.  Your dog's signs from what you describe sound to be neurological in nature though orthopedic problems could also be at work.

When you say that his eyes cannot focus do you observe them moving?  (side to side for example)  If so this is a sign called nystagmus and that together with the stumbling could be indicative of vestibular disease caused by ear infection, hypothyroidism, cancer or other systemic problems.  Vestibular disease can also be idiopathic, meaning that no specific cause can be found.

If it has not been done already I would suggest asking your veterinarian to do a full neurological exam and they may wish to do some x-rays of his spine to rule out any sort of vertebral problem being the cause instead.

Seizures also lead to disorientation and stumbling.  These can be difficult for your veterinarian to test for as they may be relatively normal outside of the episodes.  

I wish you the best of luck in finding the problem with your pet.  Neurological problems can be challenging to diagnose but even if a direct cause cannot be pinpointed hopefully your veterinarian can find a medical management plan that will help with his symptoms.