concusion

Question
What is the signs of a concusion?My dogs were playing around and I heard a thump sound when I looked one of them was down and couldn't get up,almost seemed like she didn't know where she was and really wasn't able to move,her pupils were dilated and she was shivering,I picked her up and held her to keep warm and rubbed her,after a couple of mins she started coming around and was fine,I was very concerned for what I should do in any case like this,I did call the vet and was going with her,but she came around before we left to go,they suggested she was fine and no need to bring her in unless she was acting weird or other signs of a problem,could you shed some light on how seriuos this is and what should be done in these cases,she did not seem hurt or bothered afterward and is running around fine.

Answer
I am concerned that your dog may have had a seizure. This may not have had anything to do with head trauma but instead may be from epilepsy. Epilepsy is very common in dogs and the age of onset is usually 2-8 yrs of age. I would monitor her closely. If it happens again you should have her evaluated. Depending on how often the seizures occur, she may need to be on long term medication to control them.

Acute head trauma, such as two dogs bunking heads, would not cause an immediate seizure. Nor is it likely to cause a concussion. The other possibility for an underlying problem is heart disease which can cause fainting which can look very similar to a seizure. If your dog has no history of a heart problem then this is unlikely.

Dr. Gifford