Signs of a Stroke in a Dog

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Dr. James Dee. I'm with Hollywood Animal Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. For years we never felt that animals developed strokes. But now we come to find that it happens more than we felt, more than we knew. It's tough to diagnose a stroke. Now a stroke is, any time there's lack of blood supply to the brain. This could be related to a hemorrhage in the brain, or it could be a clogging of a vessel in the brain, secondary to tumorous cells, tumor cells, secondary to a clot, secondary to a fibrous or cartilage type type clot that develops. The signs are not necessarily the same that you see in people. For you and I we might have paralysis on one side or maybe drooping of a lip or drooping of the eye. In the dog we tend to see head tilt, circling, falling over to one side, maybe collapse, and depending on the severity of the blockage, even death. So again, the signs of a stroke in a dog are not necessarily the same as in people. They can be, but they're more likely to be head tilt, circling, falling over or even passing away. Now just because your pet has these signs, does not mean that it is a stroke. It could be an ear infection or some other neurological problem. The outcome of a stroke in dogs, in most commonly is very good. On occasion, obviously depending upon the severity of the blockage, it may be fatal."