My dog hit his head. Should I worry about brain injury or eye signs?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Oso definitely should be fully checked by your local vet. Difference in pupils size can be caused by ocular trauma (for example blunt trauma to the eye when Oso hit the bench) or less frequently, by brain concussion / brain trauma. Your vet will be able to distinguish between these two problems and recommend treatment, if required.

Poor Bruno! I am sure it hurt when he hit his head. Monitor him for any abnormal signs and have your vet take a look at him if you notice anything concerning, like disorientation, unsteadiness, unequal or dilated pupils, nausea, etc. If he just hit his head while turning around there probably wasn't enough force to cause any major damage.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Max. Dogs have pretty hard heads, but keep an eye out for unconsciousness, disorientation, bleeding from the nose and eyes, pupils of unequal sizes, and seizures. If he's acting normally, it's unlikely you will see any of these signs, but if you do, have him seen by a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Pupils will change in size frequently depending on the amount of light and other stimuli. Also, the right and left pupils can be different sizes at the same time. You should check Blaze's eye in about 30 minutes to make sure that the pupil has returned to normal size. You may want to do this in a dimly lit room since this will make the pupil bigger. Do not shine a light into his eye since the pupil with automatically contract and become smaller. If his pupil is bigger and is changing in size, you do probably do not need to be concerned. You should also watch Blaze's eye over the next day or so for any redness or swelling. If you notice any of these signs you should take Blaze to your veterunarian.

The pupil can constrict with bleeding or inflammation in the anterior chamber of the eye, blunt trauma, or a scratch to the surface of the eye. If you see blood, if your dog is squinting or seems painful, or if there is discharge from the eye I’d recommend traveling to see an emergency vet if at all possible since some conditions could compromise vision if left untreated. Otherwise I think you could monitor her for a day but if the pupil does not return to normal within 24 hours I’d recommend seeing a vet.

Poor pup! Cloudiness and anisocoria (the medical term for unequal pupils) are signs of a significant eye injury. It would be best to have Massimo examined by an emergency vet tonight if possible. If this isn't an option for you, he should be seen by your regular vet first thing in the morning. Prompt assessment and treatment is important in cases like this because the risk of permanent damage or vision loss increases the longer he goes without treatment.

Monitor for any vomiting or trouble walking or a head tilt. If you notice any eye movements jumping back and forth or a head tilt, that is a sign of head trauma. If you notice no signs after 12 -24 hours then you have nothing to worry about