My dog has an enlarged heart. Is that why he's collapsing or fainting?

It is quite possible that your dog is suffering from congestive or another type of heart failure or condition. When she exercises, the heart may not be able to pump enough oxygenated blood to the brain and then she would faint. I suggest you take your dog to a vet for an exam. If there is a heart condition present then medication can make your dog feel much better and prolong her life.

Poor Tommy! Fainting is not normal and can indicate heart disease, blood pressure disease or even something like a seizure. He needs to see a veterinarian today for a physical exam as this is the only way to begin figuring out what is wrong. beat of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Alfie! It can be very difficult in some cases to distinguish syncope from epilepsy based on how the dog looks during a collapsing episode, because both problems can look very similar. Syncope is caused by a heart problem - occasionally we can see it with congestive heart failure, but most often it's due to a cardiac arrhythmia. Sometimes we can hear an abnormality in the heart beat during the exam, but not always - sometimes it only occurs during a fainting episode, which can make it hard to diagnose. Some tests that may be helpful at this stage would include chest x-rays and an ECG. If these are normal and the diagnosis is still uncertain, a device called an event monitor can be used to actually record an ECG during an episode - this would give a definitive answer.

I am sorry to hear that Max isn’t doing well. Collapsing events are commonly associated with heart disease, but other problems such as anemia or cancers could cause similar signs. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. X-rays and/ or Blood work may be recommended to help define the diagnosis. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

No this is not normal at all, and Skippers needs to see a vet right away for this. Passing out intermittently is a sign of serious heart disease, and he needs a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays to check his heart. Should he be in heart failure, medications can be prescribed to treat his symptoms but it unfortunately cannot be cured. Please take him into a vet asap.

I'm so so sorry that Freddy is having these episodes. I am sure they are very scary. It is difficult to know whether he is having a fainting episode or a seizure. If you can, I would try to catch the episodes on video so that you can show your vet and maybe they can determine which one it was. Fainting can happen from heart disease, abnormal electrical activity of the heart, low blood pressure. Seizures can happen from epilepsy, brain tumor, infection around the brain or organ problems like liver disease, low blood sugar. Unfortunately it can take a lot of testing to figure out the cause so you can know how best to treat Freddy as there are very different treatments based on what the real problem is.

Tyson urgently needs to be seen by your veterinarian as he could be suffering from so-called syncopes. As he is a geriatric dog, his heart may be compromised, so when he gets excited when you get home, it may not transport enough oxygenated blood to his brain and he faints. This is called a syncope. There may also be other reasons for this, and a veterinary exam will help find the cause for the "losing consciousness". Epilepsy may be another cause. Your vet may want to do chest x rays and blood tests.