22 July 2024

Lewis, a 1-year-old Jack Russell, had an unfortunate accident with a fortunate ending. While in the forest, his owner tried to break a stick over a rock for Lewis to carry. As the stick came down, Lewis got in the way, and it struck his head. He became wobbly and lost consciousness for 30 seconds. When he regained consciousness, he quickly returned to his normal self. His owner noted he was tracking well with his eyes, walking normally, able to hear, and had no changes in pupil size—all signs we check for after head trauma. To be safe, he brought Lewis in for an exam.

The exam revealed no overt signs of trauma aside from a small bump on his nose. There were no neurological changes or swelling, and his vitals were normal. We were confident Lewis would do well with home monitoring and some pain relief. Sure enough, after returning home, Lewis experienced no other symptoms and resumed his playful activities. He is one lucky dog!