Emergency
He goes down limp, does not respond for a few seconds, then gets up as if nothing happened. Even if he looks fine now, a faint means a trip to the vet.
Emergency. Get him somewhere safe, check he is breathing and what colour his gums are, film if you can and note how long it lasted. Keep your hand out of his mouth, give no food or water. Ring your own vet now; go straight away if the gums are white or grey, he is breathing hard, his belly is swollen or he does not come round within minutes.
Call your own vet or the nearest clinic with an emergency service now, and set off. Do not ask a group what to do: every answer you wait for there is time lost for the dog.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
You threw the ball for the fifth time. Your dog set off after it, took three strides and went down on his side, limp as a rag. For a few seconds he did not respond to his name. Then he lifted his head, got up unsteadily and a minute later was his usual self again. Maybe it happened at home instead, in the middle of a coughing fit, or as he leapt about at the door to greet you. Your heart stopped, and now that he looks fine you are wondering whether a vet visit is really needed. It is. A dog who collapses and loses consciousness, even for a few seconds, nearly always has a cause that needs finding, and some of those causes are in the heart. Here is what to do in the first few minutes, what to tell your vet and what happens next.
The vet will ask this first, because the answer decides which tests come next.
| What you see | Looks like a faint | Looks like a seizure |
|---|---|---|
| The body | Limp, drops | Rigid, paddling legs, chomping jaw |
| How long | Seconds, rarely over a minute | Usually over 30 seconds, sometimes minutes |
| What came before | Exertion, excitement, coughing, weeing | Often resting or asleep; sometimes restless beforehand |
| Afterwards | Comes round quickly, within seconds or minutes | Confused, bumps into furniture, seems blind, thirsty, for minutes or hours |
| Saliva, urine, faeces | Sometimes a little urine | Often lots of saliva, urine, faeces |
| Gums | Can be pale or grey during the episode | Usually pink or red |
If you did not manage to see everything, that is normal. It is what the video is for.
| Situation | What is usually behind it |
|---|---|
| Collapse with exertion or excitement in Boxers, Dobermanns, Miniature Schnauzers, cockers | Heart rhythm problems, diseases of the heart muscle |
| Collapse after a coughing fit or after weeing | A reflex that suddenly slows the heart (common in small breeds with windpipe or heart problems) |
| Old dog going down with white gums and a big belly | Internal bleeding, most often from the spleen: emergency |
| Very small puppy, weak, not eaten for hours | Low blood sugar |
| Young Labrador whose back legs give way after 10–20 minutes of hard play | A genetic exercise-induced collapse condition, which can be tested for |
| Flat-faced breeds in heat or with exertion | Not getting enough air |
| Collapse in the heat, dog hot to the touch | Heatstroke (it has its own page) |
| Sudden collapse after an insect sting | Severe allergic reaction |
Not every faint can be prevented. Many of the causes can be caught early, though, and with an at-risk dog you can avoid the situations that set it off.
On a mantrailing session the dog works with his nose and his head. Speed hardly matters and breaks come often. Even so, a team that has once seen a dog go down checks gums and breathing at every break from then on. It is a good habit for anyone with a dog.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
Most often the heart: rhythm problems or diseases of the heart muscle. Other causes include a reflex that slows the heart after coughing or weeing, internal bleeding in older dogs, low blood sugar in very small puppies, heat and, in some breeds, genetic conditions that make the dog collapse with exercise. Some collapses are actually seizures. Your vet finds the cause with an ECG and blood tests.
Yes. A faint usually passes quickly, so the fact that he has come round tells you nothing about the cause. Some causes, such as a heart rhythm problem or a small internal bleed, can happen again, and worse next time. Ring your own vet the same day and take the video and your notes.
In a faint the dog drops limp, it is over in seconds and he comes round quickly. In a seizure the body goes rigid, the legs paddle, the jaw chomps, there is often saliva and urine, it lasts longer, and afterwards the dog is confused for minutes or hours. A video taken during the episode helps enormously.
If he is not breathing, has no pulse and the clinic is far away, start CPR until you get there. Dog on his side, rhythmic compressions on the widest part of the chest, 100–120 a minute, and after every 30 compressions hold his mouth shut and give two breaths into his nose. Someone else drives to the clinic meanwhile.
Usually an examination with the heart listened to and blood pressure taken, an ECG, sometimes a monitor worn for 24 hours to record the heart rhythm, a heart scan, blood tests including glucose and electrolytes, and chest X-rays. If the gums were pale, also an abdominal ultrasound to look for internal bleeding.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
He went over on his side, paddled his legs, drooled, then got up dazed. What to do next time, what to film and how you get to a diagnosis.
A murmur picked up at the booster, a faint in the park, a cough that comes at night. Heart disease is common from middle age on, and you track it with one simple number.
Panting with a wide tongue, looking for shade, wobbling, then lying down. Cool him first with cold water, travel second, and do not stop at "he seems better".
A big, restless dog retching with nothing coming up, his belly as tight as a football. A twisted stomach is operated on within hours, not days.
Call your own vet or the nearest clinic with an emergency service, say what happened and when, and set off. A call made from the car saves minutes on arrival.