Extreme weakness: There may be a neurological weakness of the limbs. This means that the nerves are not working and therefore do not give the legs the right information about how to stand up and support the dog. Although the muscles are strong enough to support the body, they do not receive the right nerve messages and so the animal is extremely weak and unable to stand. Nystagmus: Nystagmus is the technical term for when the eyes flick rapidly from side to side, as if watching a tennis match on fast forward. This is a common indicator of stroke, although it can also happen for other reasons, such as meningitis. Again, once nystagmus starts it can last for days. It also makes the pet feel nauseous, because it invokes a form of motion sickness. Because of this, the dog may vomit and lose interest in food. Sudden loss of balance. Be on the look out for a dog that cannot coordinate its limbs. Altered consciousness: In severe strokes some dogs may seizure or fit, whilst others may lose consciousness. This means they are unaware of what is going on around them and do not respond to their name or other stimuli.
Please note, this symptom also overlaps with inflammation in the balance mechanism in the inner ear. In addition, there is a sliding scale of weakness, depending on the severity of the stroke. Sometimes if it is only mild the dog can stand and walk around slowly as if drunk, other times the dog is incapacitated, lies on their side and is barely conscious.
If your dog is unable to stand, turn it to lie on the opposite side of its body every half an hour to reduce the risk of pneumonia because of blood pooling in one side of his lungs. Put water near your dog so it can drink without getting up. If it doesn’t want to drink for a long time, wipe its gums with a wet cloth to give it some moisture.
Make note of your dog’s symptoms so you can relay them to the veterinarian over the phone. It’s important to know the strength and length of symptoms, so that you can properly communicate the severity of your dog’s condition to the vet.
A stroke is almost always caused by a blood clot which lodges and causes obstruction in the blood vessel, but it is also possible that it’s caused by a plug of fat that has dislodged and circulated to the brain. A stroke can even be caused by a plug of bacteria in the brain. For many years there was dispute amongst veterinarians about whether animals had strokes or not. But this argument has now been largely won by the “yes they do happen” camp, because sophisticated imaging techniques, such as MRI scans, have produced pictures of the blockages in the brain. [5] X Research source Clinical and topographic magnetic resonance characteristics of suspected brain infarction in 40 dogs. Garosi, McConnell et al. J Vet Intern Med 20, p311-321
The lowest risk group for stroke are young, fit dogs with no health problems that are regularly treated against heartworm.
