What is a Dog Stroke?
A dog stroke is not that common but does occur in our canine friends. There are essentially two types of stroke, which may each have a variety of causes. The first type, called an ischemic dog stroke, occurs when a blocked or clotted artery stops blood flow to the brain. Some dogs can also get conditions where they have significant bleeding in the brain. This is called a hemorrhagic stroke and this abnormal bleeding actually blocks passage of blood to the brain.
Just as in people, a dog stroke can result in brain damage. When brain cells don’t get needed oxygen, they can quickly die. However, dogs tend to recover from strokes better and with greater ease than do people, and some dogs may have a stroke that owners don’t even notice.
The symptoms of a dog stroke may be varied. A dog may seem disoriented, it may be blind, its head may be tilted in one direction, and it might seem off balance. Dogs affected may lose control of their bladder and bowels and their behavior might be markedly different. They can also seem very sleepy. If you notice your pet is behaving strangely, this could be due to a number of causes. If you notice several of these symptoms, you may suspect a dog stroke and you should get veterinary care immediately.
There are a number of things that can cause a dog stroke, including traumatic injury, a variety of blood abnormalities, malformation of veins and arteries, and even accumulation of fat in the veins. Dogs may also suffer a hemorrhagic stroke if exposed to certain common poisons. Treatment after the dog has a stroke will usually start by identifying cause.
As stated, many dogs make a very good recovering from strokes. This is not always the case, but many will be able to regain function of limbs, especially with lots of care and help from their owners and their vets. Treatment can be expensive and if a dog is at an advanced age, some owners choose to euthanize their dogs after a stroke. This isn’t always necessary.
There are instances of dogs having some personality changes after a stroke, and this makes sense given some loss of brain function. These may be minor and a dog may regain its old personality. Understanding the cause of stroke may allow your dog’s vet to tell you what the likelihood of full recovery from a dog stroke will be.
Written by Tricia Ellis-Christensen
