{"id":3725,"date":"2026-05-03T14:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T11:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=3725"},"modified":"2026-05-03T14:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T11:04:00","slug":"what-can-cause-fainting-in-dogs-when-to-go-to-the-vet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=3725","title":{"rendered":"What can cause fainting in dogs- When to go to the vet"},"content":{"rendered":"

The moment when our dog suddenly loses consciousness is one of those “freezing” moments. We see our own creature, full of life and energy, fall to the ground and for a few seconds we feel that we too are losing the “earth beneath our feet.”<\/p>\n

It is perfectly normal to be afraid. But even so, calmness<\/strong> and proper information<\/strong> are our most powerful “weapons”. Our dog at that moment is relying on us and needs our calmness to recover and feel safe.<\/p>\n

The swooning<\/strong>, known in medicine as swooning<\/strong>, is a sudden and usually brief loss of consciousness<\/strong> caused by a temporarily reduced flow of blood to the brain<\/strong>. The dog may recover quickly and appear to us that “it was nothing serious”, but it is not a symptom to ignore, because in many cases it may be hiding something that needs monitoring<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Causes of fainting – Which dogs are most at risk<\/h3>\n

There are many causes that can lead to such an episode, with cardiac conditions<\/strong> being among the most common. arrhythmias<\/strong>, problems with cardiac valves<\/strong> or other cardiovascular disorders<\/strong> can reduce the blood supply to the brain and cause fainting.<\/p>\n

Also, metabolic disorders<\/strong> such as hyperglycemia<\/strong>, electrolyte disorders<\/strong> and anaemia<\/strong> can lead to severe weakness or syncope-like episodes. dehydration<\/strong> and overheating<\/strong>, particularly in high temperature and humidity conditions, stress the body, and respiratory problems<\/strong> that limit oxygenation may contribute to such episodes.<\/p>\n

In some cases, collapse is associated with intense physical activity<\/strong>, especially in highly active breeds such as Lambradors<\/strong>. It is not always a classic syncope, but a form of collapse that also needs veterinary investigation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it is very important to distinguish between fainting and an epileptic seizure<\/strong>, because they are different conditions that are often confused. In epilepsy we may see intense spasms<\/strong>, involuntary limb movements, spasms<\/strong> or even loss of urine and stool, and after the episode our dog may remain disoriented for longer after the episode<\/strong>. In contrast, in fainting, the loss of consciousness is usually brief and recovery is usually quicker. In either case, only a veterinarian<\/strong> can make the correct distinction.<\/p>\n

Some dogs exhibit increased predisposition<\/strong>. elderly dogs<\/strong> are more likely to develop cardiac problems, small breeds<\/strong> are more commonly associated with heart valve disease, while large breeds<\/strong> may develop cardiomyopathies<\/strong>. Particular attention is also needed for brachycephalic breeds<\/strong>, such as Bulldogs<\/strong> and Pugs<\/strong>, which have more difficulty breathing, especially in hot weather.<\/p>\n

What to do – When the incident is considered an emergency<\/h3>\n

An episode of fainting usually occurs suddenly, with our dog falling to the ground as if his legs are “cut off” and remaining motionless for a few seconds. In most cases he will recover quickly, although he may briefly appear confused<\/strong> before he fully recovers.<\/p>\n

If it happens to us, we first try to take a breath. What should we do?<\/p>\n

    \n
  • We place the dog in safe place<\/strong> <\/li>\n
  • \n
  • We lay him on his side<\/strong> <\/li>\n
  • \n
  • We check if he is breathing normally<\/strong> <\/li>\n
  • \n
  • Remove the perilium<\/strong> <\/li>\n
  • \n
  • If it’s hot, We We don’t give him any We don’t give him food or water<\/strong> until he has recovered<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Even if our dog gets up quickly and seems to have recovered, we do not ignore the incident. It is important to contact the veterinarian<\/strong> to rule out possible underlying problems<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The situation is considered emergent<\/strong> when:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • The episodes are repeated<\/strong> <\/li>\n
    • Last more than a minute<\/strong> <\/li>\n
    • There is difficulty breathing<\/strong> <\/li>\n
    • The gums are very white<\/strong> <\/li>\n
    • \n
    • There is daylight<\/strong> <\/li>\n
    • \n
    • There is an abnormal heart rate<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      At the end of the day, what matters is being there for our dog with care<\/strong>, attention<\/strong> and love<\/strong>. Animals rely on us to understand and protect them – and it is this implicit trust that makes us even more responsible caretakers.<\/p>\n

      Republished fromtopetmou.gr<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The moment when our dog suddenly loses consciousness is one of those that “freezes” us. We see our own creature, full of life and energy, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}