Blood Clots in Dogs
Written By hannah hollinger
Published: 11/10/2016Updated: 08/11/2021
Veterinary reviewed by Dr. Linda Simon, MVB MRCVS
Blood Clots in Dogs - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost
What are Blood Clots?
Blood clots can form when platelets and plasma proteins in the blood thicken and clump together. When these clots get stuck in the vessels, they can cut off the flow of blood to essential parts of the body, such as the brain, lungs or heart. If your dog develops the symptoms of a blood clot, it is crucial to get veterinary care as soon as possible. This is a potentially life-threatening condition which can progress rapidly, and timely care greatly improves your dog’s chances of survival.
When blood clots form and lodge in the blood vessels, they can cut off the flow of blood to essential parts of the body, such as the brain, lungs, or heart.
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Average Cost
$1,800
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Symptoms of Blood Clots in Dogs
The symptoms of a blood clot will vary greatly depending on where the clot is located:
Brain
  • Drunken gait
  • Head pressing
  • Head tilting
  • Loss of coordination
  • Loss of eye reflexes
  • Loss of facial reflexes
  • Seizures
  • Tremors
  • Weakness 
Gastrointestinal 
  • Bloody urine
  • Diarrhea
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Vomiting
Heart
  • Anxiety
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Hind leg weakness
  • Leg pain
  • Pale or blue pads or nail beds
  • Paralysis
  • Vomiting
Legs
  • Cold limb or limbs
  • Lameness
  • Pain in limbs
Lungs
  • Difficulty breathing 
  • Fatigue
  • Inability to sleep
  • Increased respiration 
  • Pale gums
Types 
Blood clots can occur anywhere in the body but are more common in some areas than others:
  • Brain - If the blood clot develops in the brain, it can lead to stroke and neurological symptoms that come on suddenly.
  • Heart - Blood clots often travel through the heart, but only occasionally lodge there; when they do, they can cause the animal to pass out suddenly
  • Lungs - Clots that occur in the lungs can be extremely painful and cause difficulty breathing
  • Legs - When blood clots form in the legs your dog may lose the ability to use that limb, and it may feel cold to the touch. Paw pads may turn a blue colour.
  • Gastrointestinal tract - Clots in the digestive tract may appear similar to other gastrointestinal disturbances; vomiting and diarrhea may occur as well as abdominal pain
Causes of Blood Clots in Dogs
Blood clots can form when platelets and plasma proteins thicken. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including:
  • Aneurysm
  • Cancer
  • Cushing’s disease
  • Damaged vessels
  • Diabetes
  • Heartworm
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
  • Inflamed pancreas
  • Injury
  • Kidney disease
  • Long term corticosteroid use
  • Parasite infection
  • Reduced blood flow
  • Underactive thyroid
Diagnosis of Blood Clots in Dogs
Tests to determine a definitive diagnosis will often start with imaging tests to confirm the presence of a blood clot and indicate exactly where it is located. These imaging tests will vary depending on the suspected location of the clot. The brain would be imaged using either an MRI or CT scan, and a CT scan could also be used for clots located in the lungs. Clots that are lodged in the legs or heart, or near the kidneys and liver will most likely be examined by ultrasound. Your veterinarian may even include a coagulation test known as a thromboelastography, which can tell the technician if your pet’s blood is more or less likely to clot. Once the blood clot is confirmed, the source of the clot will then be evaluated. Blood tests such as a biochemistry analysis and complete blood count can help to detect many diseases and disorders that can lead to blood clots forming.
Treatment of Blood Clots in Dogs
Initial therapy is either directed at removing the obstruction to the blood vessel, without creating new obstructions or supportive therapies if it is deemed safer to let the body clear the clot on its own. The clot-dissolving medication Streptokinase, which was designed for use in humans, is quite effective for canine patients as well. In some cases, the return of blood flow can cause dangerous levels of potassium, lactates, and acids to invade the patient's body. This syndrome is called reperfusion injury and is more common in cats than in dogs, and occurs most often with clots in the abdominal aorta. Surgical removal of the clot may also be an option for removing the blood clot, depending on where exactly it is located. They may choose to remove the clot by making an incision directly into the vessel, however, bleeding risks can be increased with this type of surgery.
Some situations allow for a specialized catheter to be threaded into the vessel to pull the clot out manually. Once the clot is removed or if your veterinarian deems it safer to let the body dissolve the clot, treatment will be focused on preventing new clots from forming. Anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulant medications like low-dose aspirin and heparin will be given, and your dog will be closely monitored until the danger from the clot has passed.
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Recovery of Blood Clots in Dogs
Blood clots can be dangerous when they occur, and many canines succumb rather quickly. The prognosis for dogs with blood clots that reach the veterinary clinic will depend on where the blood clot is located and how quickly treatment is begun. Keeping the recovering patient in a calm, quiet environment will help encourage healing, as will having appropriate food and water within their reach.  Some patients respond better to treatments than others, and recovery can also be affected by how quickly any underlying causes are diagnosed and addressed. Specialized feeding and care instructions may be given by your veterinarian to facilitate healing, and it is essential that you follow your veterinarian’s instructions regarding aftercare, as it can be unique to your dog.
Blood Clots Average Cost
From 413 quotes ranging from $500 - $4,000
Average Cost
$1,800
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Blood Clots Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
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Shih Tzu
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Five Years
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0 found this helpful

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0 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Throwing Up Blood
I want to know why is she throwing up blood and how can we treat it? She drinking water, there’s nothing wrong with her urine and she’s been throwing up for a whole day now, please help me.
Sept. 27, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. I apologize for the delay in my response, this venue is not set up for urgent emails. Since I cannot see your pet, it would be best to have them seen by a veterinarian, as they can examine them, see what might be causing this, and get treatment if needed.
Oct. 13, 2020
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Staffy x jack Russell
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dog-age-icon
Six Years
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5 found this helpful

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5 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Blood In Urine
My dog has had some blood clots and blood coming out in his urine. He is not in any pain or distress. Could this just be a urine tract infection? And will it go away with antibiotics?
Sept. 26, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
5 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. I apologize for the delay, this venue is not set up for urgent emails. It may be a urinary tract infection, but he may have a growth or stones, or other complicating factors. If it is a simple UTI, it may resolve with the right antibiotics. If you are concerned, It would be best to have your pet seen by a veterinarian, as they can examine them, see what might be going on, and get treatment for them.
Oct. 18, 2020
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Maltese poodle
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Six Years
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9 found this helpful

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9 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Couldn’T Use Back Legs
My dog passes away yesterday and I feel like she was misdiagnosed. On Wed/Thurs last week she had lost both feeling in her back legs and couldn’t stand. We took her to the vet and the dr let me know if was probably a slipped disk, he took x rays and said there was a spot that looked like where it could of happened. Couldn’t do surgery so he did a steroid shot and we took her to the next day to get another one. She did not get better only worse and ended up dying. I feel she was misdiagnosed and she had a blood clot. My question is would the steroids have made her worse if she indeed had a clot
July 30, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
9 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. It is possible that she may have had a blood clot, from your description, and the only way to diagnose that would be an MRI Steroids would not have made that worse, they just may not have helped. If she was having clots and ended up having one that caused her to die, there was probably another condition going on with her, and it may have been very difficult to save her. I am very sorry for your loss.
July 30, 2020
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German Shepherd
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Loki
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5 Years
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Weakness
Head Tilt
Vomiting
Muscle Spasms
Dizziness
Clumsiness
Hello, Last night my shepherd mix suffered what I thought was a seizure; after calming him down he showed few signs of improvement. He was holding his head at an angle, his legs were stiff, he refused to get up, and when I went to put some shoes on to bring him to the emergency vet he attempted to follow me and was hardly able to stay on his feet - very clumsy and weak, as if he had vertigo. The poor thing was stumbling and running into the walls of the hallway as he tried to come to me. I rushed him to the emergency vet where we looked at an ultrasound and an x-ray and found he had internal bleeding. The vet took him into surgery and removed his spleen and the huge, ruptured tumor that was attached. During recovery she said he had another mild seizure-like episode, and he needed a transfusion to survive the night. The vet now believes a blood clot from the rupturing tumor affected his brain and was what caused his two "seizures." He has improved some throughout the day, with his blood count coming up, but he appears to be having some trouble with his vision (tracking/finding people when spoken to), once again could not balance when he attempted to walk this morning, and is holding his head tilted. He did immediately recognize me by sight (complete with tail wag!) when I visited him a couple of hours ago and responds to being touched and talked to, and he is able to push himself up to sit and will eat when hand-fed. He's still in rough shape, but he is off fluids for now and the vet says he is calmer and less "stiff" than he was this morning, so for now we are optimistic. Given that he has not only survived so far and is fighting hard, I guess I'd like to get another opinion on his prognosis. My vet says that she has not seen many dogs survive these episodes so it is hard to tell if or how much he will improve, and I understand that much of this will be a waiting game. In addition, there will still be the lab results on the tumor to address. Because it's so uncertain, I don't know when I will be able to get him home if he pulls through, but if our luck continues and he's able to come home to recuperate, what are some things I can do to make things easier for him, especially if he is still battling some mobility and vision troubles? He still seems pretty distressed by all of this so I'd like to make him feel safe and comfortable. Additionally, what is the difference between a seizure caused by a blood clot and a stroke, and would we need to treat those differently? Thanks from us both!
May 21, 2018

0 Recommendations
It is still very early days in treatment after surgery and it is very difficult to give a prognosis, even after examining an animal in this type of case. Prognosis would be guarded to be honest given everything that has happened and there is still the question of the histopathology results as well. Each day and each visit should be taken as they come and any improvement should be taken in its stride. I cannot say whether Loki will bounce back or continue to have mobility issues, it is a waiting game as you already mentioned. The management approach to seizures would be different, but you need to wait to see if they are recurring or not. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 21, 2018
Hello, My dog had a small wound on his front leg most likely caused by him being snagged by barbed wire. Wound was flushed numerous times and was on cephelixen (for 7 days) and then clindomicin (4 days) (sp?) Before the antibiotics on day 3 of his wound (it had been flushed and cleaned the day it happened. On day 3, his leg started to swell. I immediately took him to the vet. Again wound was flushed and antibiotics prescribed. Wound healed from the inside out just fine but the swelling never went down in his leg. After 4 days on the new antibiotic I took him in again because nothing is effecting his poor swollen leg. Dr. did a ultra sound and says he has a blood clot in his leg vein causing the swelling. He prescribed 81mg of aspirin twice a day to "dissolve the clot" we are on day 5 of that regimen and still no improvement on the leg. My dog is not having any problem using his leg, nor is it cold at all. He told me he could still exercise. Other then his leg is swollen it doesn't seem to bug him much and he is HUGE baby when i comes to pain. When will I start seeing progress? Is there more I can do like laser that would help this? Is aspirin for a dog really the best medicine to get this to rectify the situation faster if possible. So far day 5, i see no progress.
May 21, 2018
Rebecca L.
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French Bulldog
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Boomer
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Three Months
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Bllod In Urine, Poop, Pain In Abdom
14 week old French bulldog puppy. The day we bought him, he peed blood. Went to vet er and they gave Climarx antibiotic for UTI. Since, he has been to vet many times and finally to Vet College at NC State where he was diagnosed with a huge blood clot in his bladder. They recommended test for hemophilia which was negative (done at Cornell U). Not they want us to bring the puppy back for more exploratory...so far, this has cost $2,000. Money is an issue. The puppy also has blood in his poop and blood runs out of his anus after he poops or strains. he strains to pee, whimpers when he pees and poos. Otherwise, he is active, playful, etc. He eats great but is not gaining weight. He eats everything we feed and he has only gained 1.4 pounds in four weeks. He is anemic according to vet. What should we do. Currently he is being treated by old country vet hoping he would have answers that the others did not but not much change.
May 20, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
I'm not sure that I can offer much more insight into what might be going on with Boomer than the veterinarians that you have seen have given. I'm sorry that is happening to him. It may require further diagnostics to determine what the cause of the bleeding in his bladder is in such a young pup. I hope that they are able to get to the bottom of his problems.
May 20, 2018
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Blood Clots Average Cost
From 413 quotes ranging from $500 - $4,000
Average Cost
$1,800
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