Most people view concussions as a health issue that affects humans. While it's certainly true that humans suffer from concussions as a result of sports injuries, car accidents, and more, you should realize that pets can also occasionally develop concussions. There are several different ways that your pet dog could get a concussion. It might slip and fall down the last few steps on a flight of stairs and hit its head on the floor, for example. Or, it might stumble while running outside and fall forward, striking its head on the ground. It's important for you to be able to identify the signs of a suspected concussion so that you can take your dog to the local animal hospital to receive proper pet care. Here are three signs to watch out for.
Dizziness
In humans and pets alike, dizziness is a common concussion symptom. Your dog obviously can't communicate to you that it's feeling dizzy, but there are all sorts of warning signs that you may notice. For example, the pet may struggle to walk in a straight line because of dizziness. It may slowly drift to either side as it walks across the room. In some cases, dizziness can cause the pet to misjudge obstacles around it. It might bump into a door frame as it attempts to walk through the door opening between two rooms.
Drowsiness
A concussion often causes a considerable amount of drowsiness, which can make a normally energetic dog behave in an unusual manner. For example, your dog might typically be eager to go outside when you go outside. If it's drowsy as a result of a concussion, it may stay on its bed instead of heading toward the door with you. Similarly, the pet may spend most of its time sleeping, even when people enter the room. This change in behavior can stand out if your dog normally gets up to greet you when you approach it.
Confusion
Confusion can also result from a concussion. There are all sorts of scenarios that can indicate to you that your dog is acting in a confused manner. For example, if you call it to come to you, it might misinterpret your command and do something different. In other cases, it might act confused as to which family member summoned it, perhaps approaching someone else instead of you. It's important not to ignore any potential concussion symptoms, especially if you're aware of the dog having had a fall or other incident that could have resulted in head trauma. Visit your local animal hospital to get your pet the care it needs.
A vet is someone who is there for your pet from their early years until their last years. When your pet is young, a vet can give them the vaccines they need for disease prevention as they become acquainted with the world. As your pet ages, your vet can monitor them for the conditions that often come with old age, such as arthritis and cancer. Vets care about their patients. We hope you will learn more about this care as you browse the content on this blog. We do our best to offer well-researched and helpful information for pet owners like you.