The pet is shaking. Any reason to worry?
When the dog is trembling, you need to watch it for a few minutes. Most often, the tremor goes away without consequences.
There are physiological and pathological causes of trembling in dogs. Impressive dogs of small decorative breeds begin to tremble for any reason, and after a few minutes they calm down. Age-related changes predispose to tremor.
Distemper in puppies
Canine distemper is a viral disease. Puppies between three and six months of age are especially vulnerable to distemper. Caused by a single-stranded RNA virus, canine distemper affects multiple body systems in puppies. It attacks the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, the spinal cord and even the brain. As a result, symptoms of this disease include runny nose, high fever, eye inflammation, difficulty breathing, vomiting and lethargy. CNS signs include muscle twitching, spasms, chewing, and circling. As the condition progresses, the attacks progress to grand mal convulsions. Puppies that survive this virus usually experience slight twitching or tics.
Your puppies should receive distemper vaccinations between six and eight weeks of age. Puppies then need booster vaccinations every two to four weeks until they are 16 weeks old. Without a complete series of vaccines, vaccination against plague is ineffective. In addition to vaccination, you can also help prevent plague by keeping your environment clean. The plague virus is destroyed in the environment by regular cleaning with disinfectants and detergents. It also cannot survive more than a few hours at room temperature, preferring shady and cool environments.
Non-Dangerous Causes of Trembling
The following causes of trembling are considered safe:
- Emotional condition,
- Hypothermia,
- Sexual desire.
Emotional states
The dogs rejoice at the return of their owner, they are afraid of thunder, of another dog. Animals experience fear during transportation, at the sight of a veterinary clinic where she was hurt. More often than others, small dogs of some breeds and puppies shake with fear. Animals are frightened by rockets, explosions of firecrackers, loud shouts, and beatings.
Hypothermia
Dog owners believe that their pets heat themselves from the inside if they have enough food. Sled dogs with thick hair feel normal in temperatures of fifty degrees below zero. But decorative dogs with sparse fur freeze at above-zero temperatures after a short walk. Frost is not as bad as dampness, wind, sleet, or rain.
Sexual desire
Males detect a bitch in heat by scent. The gonads release testosterone into the blood. The dog is trembling, whining, fussing. When the object of interest is removed or the resourceful owner distracts the pet’s attention with something entertaining, the trembling goes away
Wobbler syndrome
Wobbler syndrome (spondylolisthesis) affects both puppies and adult dogs. The spinal cord is compressed due to a narrowing of the spinal canal or a ruptured disc in the puppy's neck. This leads to deformation of the vertebrae. Puppies with this syndrome develop an unsteady gait, loss of bladder control, chronic pain, and weakness in the hind legs.
In less severe cases, Wobbler syndrome can be treated with medications rather than surgery. Treatment includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, and pain management. About 25 percent of dogs treated remain stable. Surgical treatment involves fusion of unstable segments of the spine. Even after surgery, 20 percent of affected dogs and puppies experience recurrence.
Injuries, vaccinations and post-operative period
Immediately after an injury and during the recovery period, trembling causes pain. Post-vaccination complications are accompanied by an increase in body temperature.
When recovering from anesthesia, your pet will experience chills as the temperature drops below normal. Feverish phenomena are accompanied by muscular tremors. With spinal cord injuries, damage to the nervous system, contusions, certain parts of the body shake and paralysis of the limbs develops.
Viral diseases
Mostly unvaccinated puppies get sick. Bacterial microflora joins the causative agents of canine distemper, parvovirus enteritis, and adenovirus.
Neurotoxic substances accumulate in the blood, causing convulsions, paresis, and muscle tremors. Additional symptoms indicate the infectious nature of the disease: diarrhea, vomiting, refusal to eat and drink.
Diseases and parasite infestations
After an ixodid tick attack, the dog develops a severe blood parasitic disease - babesiosis. Piroplasmas feed on red blood cells, causing symptoms of anemia. The waste products of protozoan parasites are poisonous, causing tremors, convulsions, diarrhea, and vomiting. Similar symptoms, but less pronounced, are recorded with severe infestation.
Hypoglycemia
A decrease in blood sugar levels below normal is characterized by muscle tremors, loss of consciousness and falling into a coma.
Pathological symptoms develop for the following reasons:
- insulin overdose when treating dogs with diabetes;
- physical overload during hunting;
- malignant neoplasm of the pancreas;
- Juvenile hypoglycemia in adolescent toy breeds.
Fasting does not cause a drop in blood sugar: the body synthesizes glucose from fats and proteins in the body.
Allergic reaction
Additional signs indicate the allergic nature of the trembling: the animal itches, lacrimation develops, and rashes appear on the skin.
Diseases of internal organs
The following additional signs indicate internal non-communicable diseases:
- weakness, lack of coordination - in cardiovascular pathologies;
- unsteady gait is observed in hypothyroidism;
- weakness of the paws occurs when there is an imbalance of calcium, sodium, potassium, and other minerals;
- drooling and paroxysms raise suspicions of epilepsy;
When a pet is diagnosed with kidney or liver failure, muscle tremors appear during periods of exacerbation.
Poisoning
In case of an overdose of veterinary drugs, tubazide poisoning, the brain is affected and impulses between muscles and nerves are interrupted. The animal is trembling and drooling. After treating a dog to chocolate, anxiety, vomiting, spasms, and muscle tremors occur.
Heatstroke
When a dog is locked in a car, a stuffy room, or is outside in hot, cloudy weather with no wind, there is a risk of heatstroke. Brain swelling develops, which is manifested by muscle tremors and convulsions.
Pain syndrome
Pain is not an independent disease, but a sign of an underlying pathology. The pet refuses to eat, drink, and tries to take a position in which the pain is relieved. Additional symptoms appear: vomiting, diarrhea, cough, pale or yellowing of the mucous membranes.
Older dogs and animals with congenital abnormalities develop joint disease. During exacerbations, severe pain occurs, which is accompanied by tremors.
What to do
First of all, the owner must assume the cause of the trembling.
- physiological causes are eliminated on their own, or with a little help: cover the pet if it is cold, bring it into a warm place, remove it from the source of fear;
- Some breeds are hyperexcitable and tremble almost constantly from the slightest stimuli. Soothing teas will help cope with tremors due to an unstable nervous system;
- For allergies accompanied by tremors, antihistamines from a regular pharmacy help. They can be given for prevention or with the first manifestations. If the animal has had its food changed or vaccinated, allergy-related trembling can be predicted. You should check with your veterinarian how to react to a possible reaction after vaccination and what dosage of the drug is needed;
- Castration will help equalize the hormonal balance of males and smooth out the manifestations of regular cycles of females. It is recommended to sterilize animals if they are not expected to produce offspring. This has a beneficial effect on the quality and length of life;
- injuries are accompanied by pain and cause the animal to tremble. If it is a bruise, a small wound after a fight, painkillers will help relieve pain and trembling;
If it is suspected that the tremors are caused by a pathological cause, you need to:
- observe the animal: does the condition change, does the trembling go away, do any other manifestations of the disease arise;
- to measure the temperature;
- analyze the behavior of the animal before the symptom: did the dog pick up garbage on the street, how long was it in the sun, what was its diet;
- If you have any doubts, consult a specialist.
How to help your pet
It is necessary to analyze the situation, identify the cause of muscle tremors, and, if possible, prevent its onset. Trembling is considered harmless if it is not accompanied by additional symptoms, but appears from time to time when provoking situations are repeated.
How to eliminate harmless tremors
Animals of decorative breeds are not walked in bad weather, but are dressed in frosty and damp weather.
To calm tremors caused by an emotional state, the pet is distracted from the stimulus with a treat or offered to play. When stressful situations are often repeated and occur without additional symptoms, sedatives such as Stop Stress help. The dog owner should know when a stressful event will occur and use a sedative several days before the alarming event.
To prevent hypothermia, dogs living in the yard should have their kennels insulated and ensure that the feeder is not left empty. Animals of decorative breeds are not walked in bad weather, but are dressed in frosty and damp weather. You can use a store-bought jumpsuit or make your own sweater. The dog does not freeze, and its funny appearance improves the mood of the owner.
To weaken the male's sexual desire, medications are used or increased physical activity. An overly aggressive dog will be neutered.
Animals that experience prolonged physical overload are provided with special ready-made food.
When is a visit to the vet necessary?
Cases when veterinarian assistance is required immediately:
- suspected infection with viruses or bacteria;
- the presence of a large number of other signs of the disease, in addition to trembling: loss of appetite, loss of water, unexplained aggression or excessive lethargy, fever, chills, cough, conjunctivitis;
- condition after pregnancy and childbirth;
- prolonged trembling that does not go away after measures are taken;
- convulsions.
It is important to be able to distinguish between tremors and seizures. In the first case, it is rhythmic shaking, and in the second, it is paroxysmal contractions of individual muscles. If the dog does not receive medical care in time for metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalance, or infections, then the risk of death is high.
In order for the dog to tremble as little as possible, the owner must take care of prevention: dress short-haired pets in special clothing in cold weather, provide a bed, good food and water, and monitor the condition of the animal. It’s also a good idea to teach your four-legged friend not to pick up food on the street. The prevention of many diseases is vaccination on a schedule.
Trembling you can ignore
Often trembling in animals occurs for natural, non-critical reasons.
Harmless factors that cause trembling include:
- cold;
- sexual rut;
- emotional sensitivity;
- fear;
- dream;
- age.
Freezing, the dog tucks its tail, begins to tremble, and breathes intermittently. An animal can freeze not only during a walk, but also at home, after water treatments.
Sexual activity promotes unusual behavior. Seeing individuals of the opposite sex, dogs begin to shake, whine, become overexcited, attract attention in every possible way, and try to run away. Only spayed or neutered males and females are not susceptible to this. Trembling caused by a hormonal surge during the period of attraction to a partner is safe for the pet; the condition is normalized when hormones naturally stabilize.
Dogs often shake from an excess of feelings - excitement, joy. The dog usually demonstrates this behavior when the owner returns or when visiting familiar guests. In older dogs, excess emotions can cause jaw trembling.
Trembling and rapid breathing are possible with fear; the dog may be afraid of a large animal, a crowded place, a sharp sound - a clap of thunder, a volley of fireworks, sirens of special equipment, etc.
Sometimes tremors appear during sleep, but the tremor disappears while awake.
Old dogs develop tremors in their limbs. Senile trembling of the hind and apron legs has little effect on the movement of dogs and does not require treatment in the absence of other disturbing symptoms.
Which breeds are most likely to naturally tremble?
Individuals characterized by increased nervous excitability, manifested by natural trembling, include the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Toy Terrier, Pomeranian Spitz, Dachshund, and Lavretka. Small dogs do not cope well with emotional stress; this provokes muscle tension, expressed by trembling of the limbs, head, and tail. The dog begins to shake in anticipation of a treat, at the sight of the owner or familiar guests, when going outside. The physiological tremor characteristic of these breeds does not threaten the health of the pet.
Representatives of small breeds are more susceptible to hypothermia, they react to cold with trembling, blood flow accelerates, and muscle contraction prevents thorough freezing. Such dogs need to wear special dog overalls during the cold season. Chihuahuas get cold even indoors; these dogs require plenty of warm clothing accessories.
