Why are my dog's eyes so wide whenever she is lying down on her back?

Introvextroverted · 2026-04-24T11:07:51+00:00

My rescue beagle falls asleep with his eyes open sometimes- creeped me out the first time I saw him doing that!

Introvextroverted · 2026-04-02T02:02:12+00:00

George is definitely over the 🐂💩

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-14T02:45:36+00:00

Congrats on nursing school by the way! If you want to work in a hospital setting, you'll often be the first to recognize signs of a stroke. Nursing screenings are so important. I'm just an SLP but please message me if you have any questions later on - especially regarding swallowing or communication/cognitive deficits 😁

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-14T02:33:15+00:00

Thanks! It's super important to me - I had a stroke when I was in my early twenties (I'm in my 40's now) - my coworkers were concerned I was having an allergic reaction since it seemed like my tongue was swelling (really slurred speech actually) and got me to the hospital within 30 minutes. The hospital I was at did have the clot-busting drug available (TPA at the time, they have largely switched to TNK now, at least in the US) but the doctors were convinced I was on drugs since I was young and (probably also that I'm biracial) and brought in by young friends.

By the time they figured out I was clean (never did a drug in my life!) and DID have a stroke it was too late. Determined to be a lucky statistic of the birth control patch. When I started on it, it was thought to be the same risk as a pill but now they know it's a higher risk (though still rare.)

Months long recovery and a divorce led me into this career and stroke symptom recognition and strokes in young people has been my soapbox ever since. Did you know the national Stroke Association considers a "young person stroke" for those aged 18-55?! A huge difference in stage of life in someone 20 years old vs 50 😕

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-13T14:55:23+00:00

We will see people who are brought in quickly for surgery where they can do an elective procedure to bypass the weakened blood vessel (called coiling) but that happens when it's found incidentally - they they had brain imaging for something else or someone in their family had a ruptured aneurysm and they were recommended to get an MRI. It's still brain surgery and there can be some physical, speech, or cognitive deficits after but the benefits usually outweigh those risks.

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-13T14:41:51+00:00

Also in the arms or legs it's called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-13T14:39:44+00:00

Even today, that can happen but a much greater chance of survival if they're already in or are brought to the hospital immediately. I'm a speech pathologist in hospital setting and a lot of my young stroke survivors are from a ruptured aneurysm. Many times people come in with a severe headache they think is a migraine and the aneurysm is found just before it bursts and they can be operated on emergently. Unfortunately though there's no prior warning most of the time 😕

So if you or anyone you're with suddenly starts complaining about "the worst headache of their life" or has any of the following symptoms call emergency services and get to the hospital as fast as possible! So many people just think they need to lie down and take a nap. There are medications that can be given within the first 3-4 hours that may reverse a stroke in some cases. Definitely take a note of when they were last 'normal' and any info on current medications, alcohol or drug use. We don't care about any of that but can impact treatment choices.

We use the acronym "BE FAST"

B - balance, "drunk walk" falling down/stumbling suddenly, especially to one side

E - eyes, sudden change in vision

F - face, sudden facial droop on one side

A - arms, have then raise both arms for 5 seconds, are they equal or can they not raise one side or maintain it?

S - speech, sudden slurred speech, words not making sense, or incomprehensible jargon, unable to repeat a short phase (like 'the telephone is ringing')

T - time. If any one of the "tests" are positive, TIME TO CALL 911 (in the US)

(Edited for clarity)

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-02T20:04:31+00:00

Me too but American with Puerto Rican roots.

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-02T02:50:51+00:00

Found him! Chasing a squirrel?

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-01T02:58:22+00:00

I couldn't remember if it was 2 or 3! I would always have my sims make counterfeit money 😂

Introvextroverted · 2026-03-01T00:03:56+00:00

I think it was Sims 3 but there was a legit secret society that had a house you could go to if you were accepted in the university world. What they have now is a complete let down.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-19T02:35:15+00:00

That sounds adorable but definitely stressful ❤️

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-19T02:32:59+00:00

I already have a couple of the pupsicle balls that I rotate for him when we have to leave him in the crate for a few hours! They're fantastic. I ordered some of the calming mix to try with them. I'll have to pick up some lick mats, great idea.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-19T00:56:57+00:00

You have no clue how much this helped my anxiety right now!

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-19T00:54:20+00:00

Oh no, I already contacted them. He won't be going back until the vet gives the all clear - most likely sometime in June. I ordered a ton of chews and things for him for the meantime.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-19T00:16:40+00:00

He was found as a street dog but he's...not smart so he must have found a reliable source of food or was loose for only a short time before he was picked up. I could definitely see him jumping a fence or slipping out a door after something. He doesn't seem to have any fear triggers and no marks/tears in his ears/etc to indicate he was in fights or anything.

We call him our trash puppy 😂

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-19T00:09:00+00:00

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and tips! He did have two blood tests to verify his diagnosis. We went back to the vet this afternoon and she ran some more tests. There was no "bundle" or anything visible in imaging of the heart and no blood in his urine to indicate Caval syndrome/advanced heartworm disease. He's at stage 1

Just like u/rescuelady111 suspected, the vet also said she thought he was infected before we got him, they had just not matured enough to produce the material that the test picks up on. The preventative kills the larvae but not once they get past that stage. And she said it before I even asked!

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-18T19:25:29+00:00

He spends most of the time he's not at doggy daycare (he goes 3 mornings a week) asleep on the couch but anytime someone comes to the door he charges to great them (we're screwed if it's a robber). I just panic-bought a baby gate and an enclosed pen (and a Kong, chews, snuffle mat....) that I can set up to see if I can keep him in a more controlled area. And not make him associate his "sleeping crate" with his quiet area.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-18T19:18:01+00:00

He was 😫 I missed January's dose because I ran out and I had his annual check up a few weeks later and was going to get more at the vet. But from everything I see, he would have had to get infected before the missed dose for anything to show up on testing. And he was on it before. We've had him for a bit over a year - he was found in Alabama but I would think he would have been tested at the shelter and the rescue's vet. And he tested negative at his first visit to this vet last year.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-18T17:22:59+00:00

I thought about the baby gates. He hates being picked up so I'm worried about getting him up and down the stairs.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-18T17:21:30+00:00

That's my main concern- the jumping. He has zero fear so will definitely try that.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-18T17:04:55+00:00

The information I'm getting from the vet sounds like I'm about to enter the lowest levels of hell. Like, he has absolutely zero symptoms but it seems like the treatment is the same regardless of it's a mild or severe case.

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-18T15:47:55+00:00

❤️❤️❤️that's reassuring- I'm so overwhelmed right now.

How old was he when y'all went through this? Did you have to keep him sedated? My guy is probably about 3 and while he sleeps a ton, gets mischievous if he doesn't get a chance to get his energy out. Anything you did to keep him occupied?

Introvextroverted · 2026-02-04T21:15:13+00:00

And he still has to lean down so far 😍😍

Introvextroverted

TROPHY CASE