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This information is provided by
Provet for educational purposes only.
You should seek the advice of your
veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the
diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.
Feinting or collapse occurs
occasionally in cats and dogs - and it is a reason to seek veterinary help as
an emergency There are many clinical
reasons why a dog or cat might collapse suddenly, and these can be difficult
for an owner to differentiate:
- Collapse in animals with abnormal
locomotion and other signs - such as incoordination, staggering,
stumbling, weakness or behavioural changes - suggests a neuromuscular
disease.
- Episodes of weakness and collapse
associated with behavioural changes and major neurological signs -
suggests a primary neurological problem
- Occasional convulsions (seizures) during
which the animal collapses and there is muscle activity (eg kicking the
legs) with/without vocalisation - suggests epileptic fits which may be
primary, or secondary due to another disease. Epileptic fits are only very
serious if the animal does not recover quickly and it goes into a
continuous state of fitting - called "status epilepticus"
- Occasional collapse during periods of
excitement or exercise - this is typical of cardiovascular disease. The
animal goes limp and often recovers very quickly.
- Collapse can also be caused by numerous
metabolic conditions that alter the blood concentrations of essential
chemicals such as glucose, calcium or potassium.
- Animals that are permanently collapsed or
in a coma are at risk of death unless the underlying cause can be
identified and treated rapidly.
Some of the most common causes of collapse are
:
- Heart disease
- Cardiomyopathy - especially seen in
large breeds of dog
- Congenital deformities of the cardiobvascular system - eg aortic
valve stenosis - seen in young dogs
- Endocardiosis (chronic valve disease) -
especially seen in old, small breed dogs
- Conditions causing an abnormal heart
rate - too slow (especially short-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds) or
too fast
- Internal haemorrhage
- Particularly common is bleeding from
tumours of the spleen in old dogs
- Following trauma
- Warfarin poisoning (a rodenticide used
to kill rats and mice)
- Epilepsy
- Diseases of the brain
- Cancer
- Encephalitis - distemper virus, feline leukaemia virus,
toxoplasmosis
- Hydrocephalus - common in young dogs from some breeds eg Chihuahua
- Narcolepsy
- Secondary brain disorders due to metabolic diseases - liver failure,
low blood glucose
- Trauma
- Thiamine deficiency in cats
- Toxicity
- Many examples including :
- Benzoic acid poisoning in cats
- Botulism - from eating contaminated foods
- Heavy metal poisoning eg lead, mercury
- Organophosphorus compounds - used as insecticides
- Rodenticides eg metaldehyde
- Strychnine
- Metabolic diseases
- Many examples including :
- Cancer of the pancreas
- Liver failure
- High blood fat content
- Kidney failure
- Storage diseases
- Low blood calcium - eclampsia, insufficient parathyroid hormone
- Low blood glucose - excess insulin, cancer
The different causes of collapse can be differentiated from the detailed
history of the animal and by conducting a full physical examination with
diagnostic tests eg blood or urine tests, XRays etc. Some of the causes of
sudden collapse are potentially life-threatening so veterinary advice should
be sought as soon as possible.
Many of the disorders mentioned above have been covered on the Provet web
site - use the SEARCH INFORMATION button on the Home page to look for more
information.
Updated October 2013
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