Signs that Your Dog Has Had a Stroke
As many older adults can attest, strokes are serious, life-threatening events that you never want your loved ones to have to endure. As a pet parent, you should know that strokes are not limited to humans, as our dogs can suffer from them as well. Therefore, it’s important for you to be able to recognize warning signs and other symptoms of strokes in your doggo to keep them safe in the event that they suffer from a stroke.
What Causes Strokes?
Strokes are losses of blood flow to parts of the brain that can lead to neurologic abnormalities. In doggos, strokes can be caused by obstructions in blood vessels that can occur due to blood clots, tumor cells, clumps of platelets, bacteria and parasites, and internal bleeding in the brain that can result from blood vessels rupturing or clotting disorders. Sound serious? That’s because they are! Stokes can cause permanent damage in your dog, so you should be able to recognize the signs to make sure that your dog is OK.
What Do Strokes Look Like in Dogs?
In humans, strokes can cause slurred speech or loss of memory, but obviously dogs can’t show the same clear symptoms since they cannot speak or communicate their memories to us. Therefore, subtle strokes can go unnoticed in dogs, but if your dog shows the following symptoms, it may be a sign that they had a stroke:
- Loss of consciousness
- Abnormal behavior
- Inability to walk or walking in an uncoordinated way
- Tilting their head
- Moving their eyes abnormally
- Falling to one side
- Blindness
Symptoms can come on quickly, and many pet parents report that their dog seems fine and then all of the sudden cannot get up. If you notice any of these symptoms in your furry friend, contact your veterinarian and they can properly diagnose your dog to see if they have suffered from a stroke. Your vet may give your dog an ECG, chest x-rays, and a cardiac ultrasound. They may follow this up with an MRI or CAT scan. Once the cause of the stroke is determined, your vet will recommend a treatment plan to help manage the damage.
Unfortunately, strokes cannot be prevented from striking our beloved furry friends. However, familiarizing yourself with the signs and symptoms of strokes in dogs is the best way for you to be prepared to take care of your dog in the case that they do suffer from a stroke.