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FEINTING OR COLLAPSE

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


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