Resources for Dog Lovers
Clear, well-researched information for pet parents facing canine stroke. Learn to spot the signs and help your dog recover at home.
Most dog owners don't know that strokes and blood clots can happen in dogs too. The warning signs can look like other health problems.
Stroke also happens in dogs, but it's not well understood and is often missed. Its signs can look like other brain conditions. Watch for:
Blood clots can block circulation in dogs and cause a range of signs. A clot in the lungs and a clot in the legs look completely different, so both are listed here. Watch for:
If your dog shows any of these signs, don't wait it out. Get to a vet.
Stroke signs in dogs come on suddenly.12 They can keep getting worse for the first day or two, because swelling builds around the damaged area after the stroke itself, before signs settle and start to improve.3 Stroke is often linked to another underlying illness. In a study of 125 dogs, the most common were high blood pressure and protein loss through the kidneys, followed by kidney disease, cancer, and clotting problems.4 In that same study, 93.6% of dogs survived to leave the hospital.4 In a smaller study of 22 dogs, about 77% were still alive 30 days after the stroke.5
The list above reflects the published literature. What follows is one dog: Finley, the Border Collie our founder Jordan Davis cares for, across four strokes and two close calls. His strokes were diagnosed based on his symptoms by two veterinary neurologists. There was no MRI, because the imaging was out of financial reach. So these are not confirmed infarcts and not established clinical criteria. They are here because symptoms were all anyone had to go on, and because this is what a stroke actually looked like before it had a name. In Jordan Davis's words:
Every episode after the first one started the exact same way: a hesitancy to walk that looked like a vision problem before anything else showed up. That is three strokes and both close calls, five of the six events listed here. It was easy to miss and easy to explain away. In both close calls, I recognized the signs early enough to step in, and no stroke happened.
One dog is not evidence. If you see these in your own dog, treat them as a reason to call your vet, not as a diagnosis. Read Finley's full story →
Two other problems can look almost exactly like a stroke in a dog. Telling them apart matters, because what happens next is different for each.
Old dog vestibular disease. This is the most common cause of a sudden inner-ear balance problem in an older dog, and it gets more likely with age.1 A dog wakes up with a head tilt, eyes flicking side to side, stumbling or unable to stand, sometimes nauseous from the dizziness. It is frightening to watch and it looks like a stroke. But the trouble is in the balance organ of the inner ear rather than the brain. Most dogs improve over days to weeks, but a lasting head tilt is common and the signs can come back.1 Your vet still needs to see the dog, because the signs overlap with a real stroke.
Brain tumors. Meningioma is the most common brain tumor that starts in a dog's brain.23 These usually grow slowly, but bleeding into one, or swelling around it, can cause a sudden decline in a dog who seemed fine a few days earlier. Seizures are the most common first sign owners notice.2
On the day it happens, all three can look the same. Imaging is what separates them, which is why sudden neurological signs are worth a scan rather than a wait-and-see.
Both of Finley's close calls ended without a stroke. This is what Jordan does when she sees the early signs. It is not a treatment, it is not a substitute for veterinary care, and it is not a way to tell how serious the episode is. Only your vet can judge that. These are simply the steps she takes.
This box is one owner's routine, shared because it is what she does, not because it is a protocol.
A stroke and a blood clot are two versions of the same problem: blood is not reaching a part of the body that needs it. Where it happens is what changes the signs. In the brain, that is a stroke, and signs like a head tilt, circling, or weakness show up all at once instead of slowly getting worse. When a clot blocks the arteries to the back legs or the lungs, the signs are pain, weakness, or trouble breathing instead.
Stroke. When blood flow to part of the brain is cut off, or a vessel there bleeds, that is a stroke. There are two kinds.
A blood clot blocks a blood vessel that feeds the brain. This cuts off oxygen to that part of the brain. This is the most common type of stroke in dogs.1
A blood vessel in or around the brain breaks open and bleeds. This type is less common. It can happen after an injury, from a bleeding disorder, or from a tumor that bleeds.1
Risk factors. Vets find an underlying health problem in about half of these dogs. The most common ones are high blood pressure, Cushing's disease, kidney disease, and an underactive thyroid.1
Embolism. An embolism is a blood clot, or a piece of one, that breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream, and lodges somewhere else, blocking blood flow. Clots normally form to seal an injury and stop bleeding, but if one forms in the wrong place, or breaks free and travels where it shouldn't, it can block blood flow instead of helping. When that happens outside the brain, it is not a stroke. Two places it happens in dogs are the arteries to the back legs and the lungs.
A clot gets stuck in the main artery leading to the back legs. This blocks blood flow to the hind end. In dogs, this usually happens gradually, not all at once. It causes weakness, dragging, or pain in the back legs that builds up over time. You may also notice weak, absent, or cold-feeling pulses in the back legs.1
A clot travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow there. This makes it hard for your dog to breathe. Signs include fast or heavy breathing, lethargy, coughing (sometimes with blood), bluish gums, collapse, shock, and in severe cases, sudden death.2
A full workup helps your vet find the cause and catch problems early. At your appointment, ask about:
Keep a symptom log. Write down everything you see and when it started. Note whether it's getting better or worse. This timeline is one of the most helpful things you can bring to the appointment.
Most dogs who make it home from a stroke go on to have good time left. The largest study of canine stroke followed 125 dogs for years afterward. Here is what it found.1
Small changes to your home and routine can make a big difference while your dog regains strength and confidence. Consider:
This page is just getting started. If there's something you wish you'd known earlier in your dog's recovery, let us know and we'll work on covering it.
General inquiries
info@caninestroke.orgWe're actively building out this page. Here's what's coming next: