15/07/2026
Poor little Daisy May always does the best sad dog face. But over the weekend she was unusually sad, down in herself, lethargic and behaving strangely.
Our client attended our emergency partner and they were immediately concerned about meningitis.
Our lovely client Grainne gave me permission to share her experience to alert other pet owners to the symptoms.
We had another suspected case in our clinic first thing this morning in a gorgeous French bulldog; and both of our patients have needed emergency MRIs and cerebrospinal fluid taps at referral.
Without rapid action by owners; and without a thorough assessment by their vet; and access to imaging facilities at short notice; these cases can be missed until it’s too late to save them.
Symptoms can include any of the following
* Severe neck pain and stiffness — the dog may hold the head low, resist turning it, cry when the neck is touched, or avoid bending to eat.
* Fever, often high or recurring.
* Marked lethargy, depression, and reduced appetite.
* Stiff, guarded walking or reluctance to move, jump, climb stairs, or play.
* Generalised pain, trembling, panting, or yelping.
* Sometimes joint pain, lameness, or swollen joints due to concurrent immune-mediated polyarthritis.
* In chronic or relapsing cases, occasional weakness, wobbliness, or other neurological deficits, though obvious neurological abnormalities are less typical in acute cases
These cases can be caused by viruses, bacteria, inflammation and toxins. I once had a puppy that kept getting arteritis and meningitis symptoms over the course of a few months until we figured out that he was having m&m sweets as treats!! The food dyes were inflaming his meninges!
These are the medical emergencies that we worry about; because they necessitate specialist imaging and they are very costly to diagnose. Pet insurance can be a godsend at these times when there is a large unexpected bill at referral, which can add financial stress at a very upsetting time.
We’re in close contact with our worried clients to support them through a very unnerving time for them and their pets. We’re awaiting final results on both cases, and it’ll be a few days before our patients are out of the woods.