Brain Injury in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospital

What is a brain injury?

Brain injuries are devastating and, unfortunately, often fatal. There are both primary brain injuries that are the result of a direct insult to the brain, and secondary brain injuries that occur following the primary brain injury. Secondary brain injuries may include bleeding from a brain blood vessel or swelling of brain tissue.

The typical signs of brain injury in a dog include altered consciousness that may signal bleeding in the skull, decreased blood flow to the brain, or fluid causing swelling within the brain itself. The dog may have seizures, some evidence of trauma on the head or other part of the body, bleeding into the eyes, or bleeding from the nose or ears. Adog with brain trauma may have difficulty regulating his body temperature causing either fever or a body temperature that is too low. The heart may beat very slowly. The pupils of the eyes may be uneven in size and may react abnormally to light. The overall function of the nervous system may be altered or compromised in some way, and those abnormalities may change over time.

There are many potential causes of brain injury which include the following:

Risk factors for brain injury in a dog include unsupervised roaming that may result in trauma or exposure to toxins, heart disease, lung disease, a blood-clotting disease, or diabetes mellitus.

Treatment of a brain injury in a dog will depend on what led to the brain injury. The initial goal of treatment is to maximize oxygen levels in the brain tissue. If the blood pressure is too low, then supporting blood pressure improves brain blood flow. If the blood pressure is too high, or if there is high pressure inside the skull for some other reason, then decreasing pressure in the skull is the priority.

Any necessary intravenous fluid therapy must be administered carefully to avoid any fluid build-up in the brain, even if there is bleeding that requires fluid replacement. Your veterinarian balances your dogs blood pressure in order to prevent it from going either too low or too high. The head should never be lower than the body in order to prevent increased pressure inside the skull. Some dogs with a brain injury do not blink their eyes normally, so lubricating the eyes may be a part of the treatment. It will also be important to prevent any urine or stool soiling if the dog is unable to position properly for elimination.

Any dog with a brain injury must receive adequate nutrition to support healing. This may require tube feeding at first if eating is difficult or impossible. Surgery may be necessary if there is a skull fracture, a foreign object penetrating the skull, or build-up of fluid or blood inside the skull.

Medications may be needed to decrease pressure inside the skull by either helping the body eliminate extra fluid or by helping to pull extra fluid from the tissues of the brain. There may be a need for pain relievers, heavy sedation, or even a temporary state of general anesthesia to spare the brain from additional injury. Adequate levels of oxygen must be provided, so a tube may be passed into the windpipe to assist breathing. If the dogs blood sugar levels are too low, intravenous glucose may be needed. Alternately, if the dogs blood sugar level is too high, intravenous insulin may be needed.

Any dog with a brain injury should be monitored for the progress of his recovery. This may include measurements of blood pressure, as well as laboratory tests to monitor blood levels of various substances like blood sugar and minerals.

Some potential long-term complications of brain injury in a dog include:

For a young dog with a minor primary brain injury, and secondary injury limited to fluid build-upin the brain, the long-term outlook is favorable. If the dog experiences no additional nervous system deterioration over a 48-hour period, the prognosis also remains favorable. Finally, if blood pressure and blood sugar levels remain within normal limits, the prognosis is favorable. In some cases, the dogs nervous system signs may worsen before improvement begins. The extent of brain recovery may not be obvious for several days. The dogs full level of recovery may not be apparent for up to 6 months or longer.

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Brain Injury in Dogs | VCA Animal Hospital