Hi Customer (name blocked for privacy), Gina asked me to chime in for her.
I am very concerned about the episode that you describe in your dog. A stroke is not very likely as a stroke means that there as been bleeding in the brain and that is not something that they will recover from so quickly. The TIA (transient ischemic attacks) that are described in humans have not been identified in dogs, and although it is always possible, there are other things that are more likely.
Eating the dead rabbit probably isn't playing a role in this either. I am assuming that there has been no other possible chemical or poison ingestion either, but let me know if you think of something else he could have gotten into.
I still have to put a mild seizure on the list even though your dog did not get stiff during the episode. It is not particularly likely, but seizures can look like just about anything.
Another possibility is that your dog had what is called a syncopal episode. What this means is that the heart went into an irregular rhythm during this episode and it was not pumping blood adequately to the brain and your dog passed out from lack of blood supply and oxygen to the brain. This is not all that common to see in dogs, and when it occurs there is usually a significant underlying heart problem.
I know that what I am about to tell you will frigten you, and please realize that I do not KNOW for certain that this is what is going on in your dog, but because it is something very serious and is actually the most common cause for the symptoms that you described in this age and breed, I have to tell you about it. Dogs can have tumors that erode into a blood vessel and cause internal bleeding, and when that happens, they will have an episode like you describe. These tumors most often are in the spleen within the abdominal cavity. When the bleeding occurs, the blood collects within the abdomen and is not apparent from the outside so just because you did not see any bleeding does not mean that it did not happen. Did you happen to notice the color of his gums or tongue during or shortly after the episode? If bleeding occurred they will likely have appeared paler than normal (maybe even nearly white). Sometimes, the bleeding is controlled by the body and then they will recovery from the episode but act tired like you are describing, but they remain at risk for developing another bleed out.
Another tumor that can cause the the same symptoms are called heart base tumors. These tumors are located at the top of the heart and when they bleed, it fills the sac surrounding the heart (the pericardium) with blood and because this sac is not very elastic, the collection of blood within the sac puts pressure on the heart and prevents it from pumping very well.
Because these two last possibilities have to be at the top of possible causes for your dog's episode and because they are both life-threatening, I would recommend taking your dog in to the emergency clinic as soon as possible. It is likely that they will do blood work and x-rays and possibly an ultrasound to rule out these two conditions. Splenic tumors can often be removed surgically. They may or may not be malignant. The heart base tumors are much more challenging to address. Sometimes the fluid around the heart can be drained or surgery can be done to remove the sac around the heart so the blood doesn't put pressure on the heart. This will likely require a referral to a board certified surgeon and has a worse prognosis.
I truly hope that these last two things are not going on and that maybe this was a mild seizure, but I do not think it is safe to take a "wait and see" approach here. I know that this is probably very upsetting for you to hear, but I want you to have the every opportunity to help your dog before he gets into a crisis.
Please ask if you have any additional questions.
