Dog Stroke Symptoms

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Dog stroke symptoms can be quite difficult to spot, thats why we have provided a guide to the common cause of a stroke and the signs and symptoms you should look for.

You may notice that your dog starts eating out of the left side of his bowl or he appears more tired than usual. Whether it is a severe or mild stroke you need to get advice from your vet fast.

However, the after effects are much more serious in humans than they are in dogs and although there is no cure, there is treatment available and new methods to help diagnosis and aid recovery.

Dog stroke symptoms can include…

• Loss of balance
• Tiredness and lethargy
• Your dog may choose to eat out of one side of the dog bowl – the left side or right side – eating all of the food on one side and leaving the other.
• You may notice that when you call your dog he turns around and walks the other way.
• Your dog may fall over for no apparent reason
• Your dog may also become blind after a stroke
• You may notice behavioral changes in your dog
• Other symptoms include loss of bladder control and also control over his bowels.

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The cause of a stroke in dogs are…

A canine stroke is caused due to the blood flow being disrupted. This causes the neural pathways in the brain to stop functioning properly. After the brain has stopped working properly this can lead to some of the dog stroke symptoms listed above. You need to act fast as a stroke can easily kill.

Hemorrhagic & Ischaemic Stroke 

There are are two types of strokes that affect dogs. The first is when the blood flow to the brain is blocked due to fat, a tumor or parasites this is called – Ischaemic . The second type is a Hemorrhagic stroke – this is when blood starts to hemorrhage from the blood vessels (due to a burst blood vessel) causing blood to form pools around the rain – both are very serious and equally life threatening.

Conditions that cause a Hemorrhagic Stoke…

1. Trauma to the head through an accident or injury
2. Brain tumor
3. Lung worm
4. Your dog may have developed abnormal blood vessels around the brain
5. Poisoning especially rat poison
6. Anything that has caused your dog to develop high blood pressure including cushings disease.

Conditions that cause an Ischaemic Stroke…

1. Diabetes
2. Fat
3. Spinal cartilage
4. Parasites
5. Tumors
6. Hypertension
7. High blood pressure
8. Over active thyroid glands

Dog Stroke Diagnosis…

For a dog, stroke symptoms can vary so it’s important that you get expert advice and an accurate diagnosis.

• Your vet will start by asking questions so that he/she can build up a picture of what has happened.
• The vet will then perform a physical examination.
• If the vet feels that your dog has suffered a stroke then he/she may take urine and blood tests.
• The final diagnostic tool is the use of a CT or MRI scan.

Treatment…

Unfortunately treatment for a dog that has had a stroke is limited, The best method is prevention – make sure that your dog has a healthy diet and you don’t give your dog human food or scraps from the dinner table. Make sure that you give your dog regular exercise and annual check ups at the vets will help prevent a stroke from happening in the first place.

Certain breeds are more susceptible to suffering from a stroke including Bull Dogs and Pugs. It is important to remember that the faster you spot the symptoms in your dog and get treatment as soon as possible the more likely that your dog will make a full recovery.