If my dog had a seizure, would an aneurysm show up in necropsy?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry that this is happening! Yes, necropsy's include a full exam off all tissues including the brain. Any abnormal tissue is sent for biopsy. I would have it done at a lab like Antech or Idexx or at a Veterinary School. It is very likely that he is brain dead if his pupils are dilated and he isn't breathing on his own. I hope this helps!

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. It's possible that he may have had a stroke or blood clot secondary to his heart disease that traveled to his brain. Or, if he was regularly having collapsing episodes due to his heart (syncope), what you saw may have been one of these that was especially severe, as this is a common cause of sudden death in dogs with severe heart problems. If you want to try to get a more definite answer on what the cause of death may have been, you would need to have an autopsy done, called a necropsy in animals. Your veterinarian should be able to let you know where you can have this done, if it's something you want to pursue. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

I am sorry to hear of your loss - it is very upsetting to have to put a dog to sleep following such a traumatic illness. There are unfortunately many potential causes of seizures including parasitic, inflammatory and viral infection of the brain, tumours and birth defects. A full post mortem exam would be required in order to determine the exact cause. There are blood tests for diseases such as toxoplasma and neospora but be aware that you could test for multiple possibilities and still not find the cause or could indeed have a sample test positive for exposure to a disease which had no influence on the condition

Causes of seizure can be divided in intracranial and extracranial. Neurological examination, complete blood test, MRI scan and CSF analysis are usually needed to define exactly the underlying cause of it.

I am very sorry for your loss. if he is still at your vet clinic in the freezer it is still possible to have a necropsy done although i am not sure it's something you want to have done if you already know the cause of the illness.

Certainly a brain tumor is one of the greatest likelihoods of seizures in an older dog. There is a chance that Ava's nose bleeds could be related to a cancerous mass or bleeding disorder related to her seizures. That said, her nose bleeds could also indicate a nasal growth, foreign material in the nasal cavities or infection. Without being able to examine Ava, it is difficult to determine if there are any treatments available aside from hospice care alone. Consider taking Ava to her vet for an exam to determine if there are any other treatment options available to maintain a good quality of life.

In my experience it is not common, although possible, to have seizures after anesthesia and surgery. However there are many diseases that can cause seizures. Many of them are unrelated to surgery and could be coincidentally be causing your dogs's seizures. Some medications are such as ketamine, acepromazine,and related compounds are known to contribute to seizure potential. It is possible, but fairly rare, that something related to the surgery, anesthesia, or medications precipitated the seizures. You should keep looking into these things with your vet and consider referal to a veterinary neurologist if you and/or your vet are still concerned.