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Shake. Creepy. Trembling. Run. They all describe intentional — and sometimes uncontrolled — bodily actions by dogs.
Dogs shake their bodies for a variety of reasons, from showing extreme excitement to fending off cold temperatures to dealing with a potentially serious medical problem.
Some of the causes of this body tremor are easy to identify, such as witnessing a noise-fearing dog shiver in fear at the explosions of thunder or fireworks. In other cases, the reason behind body tremors can be difficult to pinpoint. Case in point: dogs with congenital epilepsy usually don’t develop seizures until they’re about 2 years old.
Bottom Line: Yes, many behavioral, medical, and environmental reasons are behind body tremors in dogs. Never skip or skip doggy shakes. Always consult your veterinarian to determine the cause, recommendations Dr. Nicholas Dodmana board-certified veterinary behaviorist, chief scientific officer at Dog Behavior Research Center and best-selling pet author.
Dr. Lisa Radostaa board-certified veterinary behaviorist, moderator Florida Veterinary Behavior Service clinic in West Palm Beach, Florida, agrees.
She advises pet parents to immediately report all specific clues they see, hear, or smell in their shaking dogs. They should also describe the environment to their veterinarian to determine the reason and offer possible remedies. Radosta adds, take special action if your dog is shaking for more than 20 minutes, refuses to receive a reward, or can’t be distracted.
Let’s first identify some medical reasons and then highlight some behavioral and situational triggers.
Medical causes of dog shaking
Several medical conditions can cause uncontrollable tremors in dogs. Including:
- Addison’s disease: Medically known as adrenal insufficiency, this condition impairs the production of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone by the adrenal glands located near the kidneys. Intermittent body tremors as well as chronic diarrhea, increased thirst and weight loss are among the telltale symptoms. Many dogs diagnosed and treated with injectable and/or oral medications have a good prognosis.
- Hypoglycemia: Dogs with this low blood sugar condition will often experience tremors, loss of appetite, feeling weak, and possibly even fainting. Poor nutrition, cancer and liver failure are among the many possible causes. Treatment varies, depending on the cause identified.
- Epileptic: Although the cause of this brain disorder is unknown, there is a genetic predisposition in several dog breeds, including Beagles, Cocker Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and Siberian Huskies. During a seizure, the dog’s body stiffens and shakes violently. Convulsions may also occur in some dogs that ingest the poison. Veterinarians often prescribe anticonvulsants to reduce the number and severity of seizures.
- Shaker syndrome: This neurological condition is also known as generalized tremor syndrome and causes tremors in the head and body in some dogs. It is not known why, but most breeds at risk are white and include Maltese, Poodles and West Highland White Terriers (Westies), but any breed can be affected. Your veterinarian may prescribe corticosteroids to reduce episodes.
- Toxic exposure: Uncontrolled body tremors can occur in dogs bitten by venomous snakes as well as from ingesting marijuana. Xylitol, an artificial sweetener, is increasingly found in foods, including peanut butter. Adverse reactions to xylitol are 100 times more severe than dark chocolate containing theobromine if ingested by dogs – and ingesting theobromine is not good. Treatment and recovery depend on the cause and promptness of veterinary care.
Preventive actions include leashing dogs in wooded areas with snakes, keeping dangerous foods or plants out of the dog’s reach, and carefully reading labels on peanut butter and other foods/candies to make sure they are safe. they do not contain xylitol.
Dog shakes as a sign of happiness, anxiety or fear
Our dogs experience a wide range of emotions, just like us. Some dogs happily sway their bodies when reunited with their long-lost lover. This is definitely an act of wiggling in pure joy that demonstrates the strong friendship between dogs and humans.
Dr. Radosta calls this joyful act in dogs wiggling noodles. Although the body is moving sideways, the muscles are relaxed.
However, many dogs shake or shake because they feel fear, anxiety, or stress. The sight and sound of a thunderstorm, the hum of a vacuum cleaner, the screeching of skateboard wheels, or other noises put some dogs in a fight-or-flight mindset.
Whether the threat is real or perceived, an affected dog will physically react by pacing, whining, shivering, panting, and even excessive shedding. Radosta explains that dogs’ amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions, secretes the fight-or-flight hormones, adrenaline and cortisol.
Dr. Dodman, who has co-authored numerous studies on canine behavior on the effects of such emotions, shares his home with his now elderly dog Rusty. He adopted Rusty when he was just 8 months old from an animal shelter and quickly discovered that Rusty arrived with separation anxiety and shaky reactions, running away to some sounds and certain action.
Rusty shivered and ran into a corner like a child saver every time Dr. Dodman shook out a large plastic trash bag before putting it in the kitchen trash, or whenever he unbuckled his belt. Rusty also trembled and ran from the stove if hot oil wafting from the frying pan turned off the smoke detector.
Dr. Dodman patiently worked with Rusty to allay those fears. He warns pet parents not to dismiss or underestimate the fear their dogs display. If left untreated, the fear can progress to a phobia, defined as a persistent, unusual fear of a person or object.
Radosta, who has treated many such dogs at her clinic, notes that treatment depends on the dog and the level of fear or stress expressed. She encourages pet parents to assume that their dogs speak a different language. This can encourage you to slow down and start really observing your dog’s actions and sounds.
To help dogs shake with fear, work with a qualified canine professional, including a veterinarian, behavior researcher, and certified dog trainer. And, look for steady progress, adds Dr. Radosta.
Some dogs benefit from being given over-the-counter natural soothing agents such as Zylkene, a hydrolyzed milk protein. Others may require a stronger sedative prescription. The medications most commonly prescribed by veterinarians are fluoxetine, gabapentin, and trazodone.
Taking your dog for a daily walk and exercising their brain with food puzzle challenges can also help enhance your dog’s sense of security and calm. These exercises release feel-good hormones called endorphins. So, it might be possible to play a sound machine or classical music to muffle stress-triggering responses to hearing thunderstorms or fireworks.
Other reasons why dogs tremble
Many dogs shake their bodies when bathing to remove excess body water. It automatically and helps the dog dry his coat to reach a healthy body temperature. Dodman says their frequency of shaking depends on their size, but all fur mammals naturally shake to remove their coat from water droplets.
Exposure to cold temperatures, especially for long periods, causes uncontrollable shivering in dogs as their muscles flex and relax in an attempt to raise their core body temperature. . Dogs that are hairless and have thin coats are more at risk than dogs with thick coats and double coats.
Limiting your dog’s time in cold weather, dressing him in an appropriately sized sweater, and swaddling him in a blanket can protect against the dangers of cold temperatures. However, avoid rubbing his coat hard to try to warm him up, as you could inadvertently aggravate the damage caused by frostbite spreading to the skin.
Dr Dodman adds: “When two dogs play, one may stop and shake as a signal that it is done playing.
And, some dogs twitch while they’re sleeping. Like us, dogs go through three stages of sleep: non-rapid eye movement (NREM), rapid eye movement (REM), and short-wave sleep (SWS). Veterinarians and animal scientists theorize that dogs dream during the REM phase and act on their dreams by twitching or moving all four legs as if they were chasing a squirrel.
Avoid placing your hands on a sleeping dog as you risk injury from a startled dog that may react in response. Instead, call your dog’s name and talk to him calmly, letting him open his eyes on his own.
As you can see, dogs shake for many reasons. Pay attention to their specific actions and locations when shaking occurs and report these findings to your veterinarian for the best game plan for the best health. your dog.
Post Why is my dog shaking? via Arden Moore appeared first on dog. Copying the entire article violates copyright law. You may not know about it, but all of these articles have been assigned, contracted and paid for, so they are not considered public domain. However, we do appreciate you enjoying the article and would love it if you continued to share just the first paragraph of an article, then link to the rest on Dogster.com.
