A ten-year-old neutered female mixed breed dog was referred for pale mucous membrane and acute onset of right prosencephalic clinical signs. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive for right middle cerebral artery ischemic stroke. Based on cell blood count, serum biochemistry and serologic tests and flow cytometric detection of anti-platelets and anti-red blood cells antibodies, a diagnosis of immunomediated haemolytic anemia associated with thrombocytopenia of suspected immunomediated origin was done. Immunosuppresive therapy with prednisone was started and the dog clinically recovered. Two months later complete normalization of CBC and serum biochemistry was documented. The dog remained stable for 7 months without therapy; then she relapsed. CBC revealed mild regenerative anemia with spherocytosis and thrombocytopenia. A conclusive Evans’ syndrome diagnosis was done and prednisone and cyclosporine treatment led to normalization of physical and CBC parameters. The dog is still alive at the time the paper submitted. Possible thrombotic etiopathogenetic mechanisms are illustrated in the paper and the authors suggest introducing Evans’ syndrome in the differential diagnosis list for brain ischemic stroke in dogs.

In human medicine, central nervous system (CNS) concussion is defined as a transient neurological dysfunction following a traumatic event, without evidence of structural abnormalities of the affected region on advanced diagnostic imaging. Depending on the anatomical region involved, three forms of concussive syndromes are described: brain concussion, spinal concussion and cerebellar concussion. Although major textbooks of veterinary neurology admit the existence of canine brain concussion, spontaneous cases of this pathological condition have not been reported in small animals so far. This report describes two cases of concussion in dogs: a 9-month-old, intact male, shih-tzu with brain concussion; and a 10-month-old, intact male, poodle with cerebellar concussion. In addition, a brief review of the definition of the term "concussion" in the veterinary medical literature is provided, in comparison to its meaning in the human medical literature. Finally, this paper proposes an appropriate definition of "concussion" in dogs, that may facilitate clinicians in the recognition of such an elusive syndrome.