It’s amazing how much the brain can handle subconsciously, with the tiniest glands controlling some crucial aspects of our bodies. And in one dog’s case, she had miraculously survived for years with just 5% of her brain. According to her California owner, Maggie had lived a normal life, “although we always noticed she was a little off.” After six years, she had to be taken to the vet after she suffered seizures, but the staff was very “surprised she could walk based on her labs.” It was then that the owner and the vets discovered that 95% of Maggie’s brain cavity was filled with fluid.
“After having a dog for 6 years, we found out she had (almost) no brain,” the California woman titled her r/Weird post. Maggie has what’s called hydrocephalus, which, for those who don’t know, is a medical condition that causes cerebrospinal fluid to fill up in the brain. Hydrocephalus cases usually happen to young infants, but for Maggie, it went untreated for years. Fortunately, “her low sodium levels were her body’s way of keeping her brain in some form of homeostasis,” the owner explained. All Maggie’s owner had to do was make sure she was well hydrated. Sadly, she eventually died at age 12, but the owner’s family remembers her lovingly as “Our weirdo medical miracle 🩷🐾.”
Touched by Maggie’s rather heartwarming survival story, pet owners filled the comment section, sharing their own accounts of bizarre experiences with their dogs. One person claimed their Jack Russell Terrier was food poisoned and potentially gave itself permanent brain damage. “I was horrified,” the owner recalled, until the vet told them, “Well, she is a dog. She doesn’t have to do quantum maths.” In the end, it lived a long and happy life like Maggie. “I’ve had my dog for the same amount of time and I don’t need a scan to be sure he has absolutely no brain at all,” joked another pet owner.
While Maggie’s story is certainly not the norm, considering how long she survived with just a tiny percentage of her actual brain, it is a good reminder for pet owners to take their animals to get checked regularly, especially if they’re acting odd.
