So yesterday I gained knowledge I never wanted. I now know the signs of a stroke in a dog. Over the weekend my oldest pup, Koda, who I inherited from my dad, started falling a lot and quit eating. I noticed when he did walk he would drift to his right and that side of his body wasn't as strong as the left. His right ear doesn't perk up as high as the left.
We went to the vet yesterday to get him checked out and once an ear infection was eliminated the vet said that it looks like a mild stroke. Apparently when our furry, four-legged friends have strokes it tends to hit the balance center of their brain. Koda's stroke appears to be mild and he should mostly recover. Steroids help but mostly it's just time for his brain to reroute the info around any damaged areas.
Today, I am dealing with the stress of unwinding all the tension I built up preparing to have to say goodbye to him. He's 15, but I'm not quite ready for that just yet. Very grateful that he gets to stick around a while longer yet.
