Often, when our furry children display strange or funny behavior, our first inclination is to laugh and pull out the camera and post it on Facebook. I imagine many of you have seen images of dogs or cats with their heads against a wall or some piece of furniture.
At first glance it is cute and we think they are being playful or silly, however, this particular behavior can be a symptom of a serious medical condition.
If your cat or do is pressing their head compulsively against a wall or furniture for extended periods of time, you want to call your vet and make an appointment. Typically this behavior can indicate there is damage to the animal’s nervous system.
There can be many reasons for this type of behavior, below is a list of just a few:
prosencephalon disease (in which the forebrain and thalamus parts of the brain are damaged)
tumors (e.g. brain or skull)
liver shunt
toxic poisoning (e.g. lead poisoning)
stroke
infection of the nervous system (rabies, parasites, bacterial, viral or fungal infection)
head trauma
If your furry child is displaying this symptom or any of the others listed below, take action, call your vet.
constant pacing
walking in circles
face rubbing (pushing head into ground)
getting stuck in corners
staring at walls
damaged reflexes
visual problems
seizures
If you act quickly, you could save their lives.
JUNE 25, 2014/0 COMMENTS/BY JESSICA H. PAGE