Can Dogs Have A Headache?
There are many diseases that both animals and humans can suffer from. Although migraines are difficult to detect in dogs, there are still some medical conditions that can cause headaches in dogs . This pain can be a symptom of various medical conditions.
Even though your dog cannot tell you that he has a headache , he still feels that pain. Therefore, it is important that you observe his behavior and try to identify any signs of pain and discomfort.
If you are seeing frequent evidence that your dog may have a headache, then you should see a veterinarian. This will then be able to determine the cause of this discomfort.
Can dogs suffer from headaches too?
As we already mentioned at the beginning, there are numerous diseases that can also trigger headaches in animals. Therefore, dogs can also be affected.
When our head hurts, there are usually other symptoms besides the pain. These symptoms can occur in dogs:
- Photo- and phonophobia : aversion to light and sound.
- You keep your eyes half closed.
- The dogs become still.
- Hyperreactivity. They will be overreact when you stroke them, especially on the head or neck.
- They are frightening and more easily irritable.
- Dogs will often shake their heads and hold them down. Often they also lean their heads against a wall, as if to relieve the pressure they are feeling.
- They are hiding.
- Also vomiting can be a secondary symptom of headache.
- Apathy.
- Clumsy or poorly coordinated movements.
Pain is a subjective sensation that each individual perceives to a different extent. However, in every species there are certain behaviors ( posture, gestures, noises. ..) that indicate pain.
If you live with an animal, you probably know the signs that indicate it is in pain.
Diseases that cause this symptom
Certain illnesses are associated with headaches and similar symptoms. However, that doesn’t mean that just because you think your dog’s head hurts also has these diseases:
- Encephalitis: This is inflammation of the brain that occurs due to an infection. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses or certain protozoa.
- Granulomatous meningoencephalitis : This is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system and can be fatal.
- Brain tumors.
- Sinus infections.
- Glaucoma.
- Epilepsy.
These diseases can cause more or less regular headaches. It is also believed that dogs may experience lighter pain or migraines.
These can be caused by stress, choke collars, blows to the head or neck, allergies, hormonal fluctuations, long periods of time without food, intensive training, heat stroke and tooth or bone problems.
If you suspect your dog has a headache, you should see a veterinarian
As you can see, headaches can also indicate very serious illnesses. Therefore , if you notice that your dog has increased headaches, you should see a veterinarian. The veterinarian will then examine the four-legged friend thoroughly.
Depending on the individual case, he will carry out various analyzes in order to make an exact diagnosis: rapid tests, blood analyzes, x-rays to rule out injuries or perhaps a neurological examination.
Providing your vet with all the information related to the headache will certainly help them make a correct diagnosis. For example, when did the symptoms start? How often does this pain occur in the dog? Has he recently been hit?
If the source of the headache is illness, treatment should begin as soon as possible. However , if there is no physical suffering behind it, but something in the environment or a trauma, then it is important to find the trigger in order to eliminate the symptom.
Sometimes the pain is also triggered by the environment or other factors: food, chemicals, stress … If you remove these triggers from the dog’s life, the headache will also go away.
Dogs can suffer from headaches, even if it’s not as obvious as it is in humans. If you suspect that your fur nose has a headache, you should act as quickly as possible. This can prevent the problem from getting worse.
