With the untimely passing of actor Luke Perry, awareness of strokes came into the spotlight. Can dogs and cats have strokes? Yes; they can. Here’s what you need to know.
Types of Strokes
Just like humans, dogs and cats can have one of two types of stroke: ischemic or hemmorhagic.
Ischemic
Ischemic strokes are caused by a blood clot, called a thrombus, which forms inside one of the brain’s arteries. The clot then blocks blood flow to a part of the brain. However, unlike humans, it typically only involves the smaller blood vessels in pets.
An embolism is a small blood clot (or piece of atherosclerotic plaque debris in people) that develops elsewhere in the body and then travels through the bloodstream to one of the blood vessels in the brain.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
There are two types of hemorrhagic strokes: intracerebral and subarachnoid.
An intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain bursts and leaks blood into the surrounding brain tissue.
Subarachnoid strokes are typically caused by an aneurysm, which refers to a weakening of an artery wall that creates a bulge, or distention, of the artery. This type of stroke involves bleeding in the area between the brain and the tissue covering the brain, known as the subarachnoid space.
Signs
The symptoms or signs of strokes are similar in dogs and cats. They are rare and usually occur in geriatric pets.
Cats
- Abnormal eye movements
- Altered mental status
- Circling
- Head pressing
- Head tilt
- Muscle spasms
- Not using the legs normally
- Seizures
- Unequal pupil sizes
- Unsteadiness when walking
- Weakness
Dogs
- Abnormal behavior
- Abnormal eye movements
- Abnormal eye positioning
- Blindness
- Falling to one side
- Head tilt
- Inability to walk or walking with an uncoordinated gait
- Loss of consciousness
Causes
Cats
- Brain tumors
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Hyperthyroidism
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Lung disease
- Vestibular disease
Dogs
- Bleeding disorders
- Cancer
- Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism)
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High and prolonged doses of steroids like prednisone
- Hypothyroidism, severe
- Kidney disease
- Vestibular disease
Prevention
A stroke is usually caused by an underlying disease. The best preventative measure is to monitor the pet periodically in order to diagnose the disease before a stroke can occur. Disease diagnosis involves twice yearly check-ups in geriatrics and annually in younger pets , which includes routine blood, endocrine and urinalysis screening.
What to Do in the Event of a Stroke
If you think your companion dog or cat has suffered from a stroke, please take him or her to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
As well, we recommend that you always keep the phone number and address of your area emergency veterinarian on hand for all pet related emergencies.