Dog Collapse: What To Do When Your Dog Goes Down

Collapse is not a diagnosis, it is the last step of a dozen different problems. What you notice in the first minute often tells the vet which one.

A dog goes down and there is a horrible moment of not knowing what you are dealing with.

Collapse is not one thing. It is the final common path of bloat, internal bleeding, a heart problem, low blood sugar, heatstroke, poisoning, a seizure and several others. Which means your job is two-fold: keep the dog safe, and become the vet's eyes, because what you spot in the first minute can point straight at the cause and save a great deal of time at the other end.

First, the basics

1. Airway. Open the mouth and gently pull the tongue forward to clear it.
2. Breathing. Watch the chest rise and fall for ten seconds.
3. Circulation. Feel for a heartbeat behind the left elbow.

If breathing or heartbeat is absent, start CPR and get someone ringing the vet.

If the dog is breathing, lay it on its right side, head and neck stretched out, tongue forward. This keeps the airway open and lets any vomit drain out of the mouth rather than into the lungs.

Then keep it warm with a blanket, because a collapsed dog loses heat fast when circulation is poor.

Now look around, quickly

This is the genuinely useful bit. Thirty seconds of observation changes what the veterinary team has ready when you arrive.

• A hard, tight, drum-like belly: think bloat
• Pale or grey gums with cold paws: think internal bleeding or shock
• A recent bee sting, new food or a vaccination today: think anaphylaxis
• Paddling, foaming, jerking or stiffness: think seizure
• A known diabetic, or a puppy or toy breed that has not eaten: think low blood sugar
• Hot to the touch, panting hard beforehand, recent exercise or sun: think heatstroke
• **Any access to chocolate, antifreeze, raisins, mushrooms or slug bait**: say so
• A young, large-breed dog that collapsed during exercise: think heart
• An older dog, sudden collapse, pale gums, swollen belly: think a bleeding splenic mass
• No clue at all: airway, breathing, circulation, and go. They will find it.

What to do next

Ring the vet, tell them what you found, and travel. Watch the breathing on the way, and if it stops, start CPR. If the dog seizes, follow seizure first aid instead.

What not to do

Do not throw water over the dog or slap it to bring it round. It achieves nothing, and water near the face of an unconscious dog can end up in the lungs.

Do not put food, water or sugar into the mouth of an unconscious dog. Even low blood sugar, where sugar is the treatment, requires the dog to be conscious enough to swallow. If it is alert and able to lick, honey rubbed on the gums is fine. If it is not, nothing goes in the mouth.

Do not move a dog that has had a fall or been hit by a car without spinal care. Slide it onto something flat and rigid and keep the back straight.

Do not decide it was just a faint and go back to bed. This is the important one.

Even if it gets up

A dog that collapses and then stands up, shakes itself off and seems perfectly normal still needs seeing that day.

Collapse means the body briefly lost control of one of its core systems: heart, lungs, brain or blood volume. The recovery tells you the episode ended. It does not tell you why it happened, and most of the causes on that list above will happen again, usually worse.

Ring in the morning at the very latest, and sooner if anything about your dog is still not right.

Sources

This article was written using guidance from PDSA, the UK's largest veterinary charity, whose Pet Health Hub is written by its own vets and nurses; AVMA, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the professional body representing US veterinarians; RECOVER Initiative, the body that sets the international, evidence-based guidelines for pet CPR; and RSPCA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the UK's oldest animal welfare charity. This guidance is for general information and does not replace a consultation with your own veterinarian. In an emergency, always contact a vet. Read [how we write our health guidance](https://rochsociety.com/how-we-write-our-health-guidance/). Last reviewed July 2026.