If your dog has taken a blow to the head, the most important thing you can do is keep them calm, avoid giving any medications, and get to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Even a mild concussion can mask more serious brain swelling that develops over hours, so this is always a same-day emergency. While you prepare to leave, there are specific steps you can take at home and during transport that genuinely help your dog’s outcome.
How to Recognize a Concussion
Dogs can’t tell you they feel dizzy or confused, so you have to read their body. The signs range from subtle to alarming, and they don’t always appear right away. In milder cases, your dog may seem dazed, walk with an unsteady or wobbly gait, or seem unusually sleepy. They might bump into furniture or stumble when turning corners.
More serious signs include:
- Loss of consciousness, even briefly
- Unequal pupil sizes or eyes that don’t respond normally to light
- Inability to stand or walk, falling to one side or both
- Head tremors, especially rhythmic shaking that worsens when your dog tries to focus on something
- Limb weakness or stiffness, particularly if your dog can’t pull a paw back when you flip it over
- Vomiting, especially repeated episodes
- Seizures
- A dramatically slow heart rate
In documented veterinary cases, dogs with brain concussions have shown a complete loss of reflexes in all four limbs, an inability to blink when something approaches their eyes, and severe depression or unresponsiveness. These are signs of significant brain disruption and need emergency care immediately.
What to Do in the First Few Minutes
Your instinct will be to comfort your dog, but an injured, disoriented dog can bite without warning. Keep your face away from their mouth. If your dog is snapping or showing signs of aggression, apply a muzzle before handling them. Do not attempt to hug or cradle them tightly.
Gently lay your dog on a flat surface. If they’re unconscious, keep their head level with the rest of their body. Don’t prop the head up or let it hang down, because improper positioning can interfere with blood drainage from the brain and cause additional damage. If your dog has vomited or looks like they might vomit, angle the head slightly below the level of the heart so fluid drains out of the mouth rather than down into the lungs.
Keep the environment quiet and dim if possible. Loud noises, bright lights, and sudden movements can worsen disorientation. If your dog is having a seizure, do not try to restrain them or snap them out of it. Move nearby objects out of the way, keep your hands clear of their mouth, and let the seizure run its course. Time it if you can. That information will be valuable for your vet.
Do Not Give Pain Medication
This is one of the most important things to know. Do not give your dog aspirin, ibuprofen, or any over-the-counter pain reliever. These drugs work by reducing the body’s production of compounds called prostaglandins. While that reduces pain and inflammation, prostaglandins also play a critical role in blood clotting. If your dog has any bleeding inside the skull, even a tiny amount you can’t see, an anti-inflammatory medication can make it worse by preventing the blood from clotting normally.
Beyond the bleeding risk, many human pain relievers are toxic to dogs at standard human doses. The safest approach is to give nothing by mouth and let the veterinarian decide what’s appropriate after examining your dog.
How to Transport Your Dog Safely
If your dog can walk, guide them slowly to the car with a leash and minimal excitement. If they can’t walk, use a flat board, a large towel, or a blanket as a makeshift stretcher. Ask someone to help you. Sliding a blanket under the dog and lifting from both sides keeps the spine and neck aligned.
During the drive, keep your dog’s head in a neutral position, aligned with the body. Don’t let the head flex downward or extend upward, as both positions can reduce blood flow from the brain. If your dog vomits during the trip, tilt them so the head is lower than the chest to keep the airway clear. Drive smoothly and avoid sudden stops.
What the Vet Will Do
At the veterinary clinic, the team will assess your dog’s brain function using a standardized neurological exam. One common tool is the Modified Glasgow Coma Scale, which evaluates three things: motor activity (how well your dog moves), brainstem reflexes (pupil response, jaw tone, eye position), and level of consciousness. Each category is scored from 1 to 6, producing a total score between 3 and 18. A score of 15 to 18 is considered good. Scores of 9 to 14 are guarded, meaning the outcome is uncertain. A score of 3 to 8 is grave.
In a large study of 72 dogs with head trauma, a decreased score on this scale was the single strongest predictor of whether a dog would survive to discharge. Dogs scoring 11 or below had significantly worse outcomes. The vet may also check blood oxygen levels, blood acidity, and other markers that help gauge the severity of the injury.
For mild concussions, treatment is often supportive: rest, monitoring, pain control with vet-approved medications, and possibly IV fluids. For more severe cases, the focus shifts to controlling brain swelling. Vets use medications given intravenously that draw excess fluid away from brain tissue, reducing dangerous pressure inside the skull. Some dogs need oxygen support or, in the most critical situations, a breathing tube. Dogs that required intubation in the study mentioned above had a lower survival rate, which underscores how important early intervention is before things progress that far.
Recovery and What to Watch For
Many dogs with mild concussions recover fully within a few days to a couple of weeks. Your vet will likely recommend strict rest, meaning no running, jumping, rough play, or stairs. Think of it like a human concussion protocol: the brain needs time without physical or mental stress to heal. Short, calm leash walks for bathroom breaks are typically fine, but follow your vet’s specific instructions.
During recovery at home, watch for any return or worsening of neurological signs. Renewed wobbliness, a sudden change in behavior, one pupil becoming larger than the other, new seizures, or increasing lethargy all warrant an immediate call to the vet. Brain swelling can develop or worsen in the 24 to 72 hours after the initial injury, so the first few days are the most critical monitoring window.
Some dogs, particularly those with more severe injuries, can develop longer-term issues. Post-traumatic seizures are a known complication of brain injury in dogs, sometimes appearing weeks or months later. Changes in behavior or cognitive function, like confusion, altered sleep patterns, or personality shifts, can also linger. If your dog seems “off” in the weeks following a head injury, a follow-up neurological exam can help determine whether additional treatment is needed.
Common Causes to Be Aware Of
Concussions in dogs most often result from being hit by a car, falling from a height (decks, open windows, being dropped), running full speed into a hard object, or being kicked by a larger animal. Small dogs and puppies are particularly vulnerable because of their thinner skulls and smaller body mass. If your dog has experienced any of these and seems even slightly off afterward, err on the side of getting them checked. The signs of a concussion can be subtle at first and worsen quickly as pressure builds inside the skull.