The dog is shaking. But that doesn’t always mean he’s sick. Maybe he’s just excited, or he finds the cold uncomfortable. In this article, you will learn everything about possible reasons, serious causes, and a possible course of action if the dog is shaking.
The dog is trembling: Normal trembling/no cause for concern
A dog trembles in different situations. He hears a loud noise and is unsettled and afraid. After all, there could be a danger. Stress almost always triggers tremors because trembling allows the dog to relieve tension. If the Vieberiner has exerted itself too much on a walk or during training, its muscles will tremble. Contraction and relaxation of the muscles alternate in a rapid rhythm, since the dog cannot maintain the muscle tension for long due to a lack of energy reserves. The dog is shaking.
Dogs with short fur are hardly protected from the cold. Rain and snow soak the skin. The dog is shaking because it is cold. By trembling, the muscles generate energy, which leads to a slight increase in body heat.
The dog also trembles when excited. He doesn’t always have to be scared. Joy at the owner’s return or excitement at a game can also trigger normal tremors. Some dogs tremble in their sleep with joy or fear and move their paws.
Deliberate shaking is also possible. The dog has learned in previous situations that when it is trembling, it is given the treat to calm it down. Whenever the dog wants attention or a treat, it trembles.
If the dog trembles, especially when inhaling, there is usually excitement behind it. The situation can be positive or negative. The dog tries to relieve its inner restlessness and reduce the stress by shaking.
What breeds of dogs naturally tremble?
Dogs that are stressed and always on high tension often tremble. One of these dogs is the Jack Russel Terrier. Small dogs with thin and short fur like chihuahuas or larger whippets also tend to tremble.
Dog trembles: serious reasons and diseases
A dog can also tremble when it is seriously ill.
Neurological infectious diseases
Distemper is a disease caused by a virus. The Morbilli virus not only damages the intestines but also travels along the nerves to the brain. There it causes inflammation. If the dog survives the disease, tics and other neurological symptoms, such as tremors, may remain. Sometimes the shaking is so severe that the dog cannot keep its head still and cannot eat.
Epilepsy
In epilepsy, there is an excessive signal fire in the nerve cells. Some dogs tremble as a sign before the seizure begins. After the seizure ends, the dogs are weakened. They stand unsteadily on their feet and tremble.
Pains
Dogs hide the pain for as long as possible in order to hide an illness or weakness from others. Weak animals are easy prey for stronger hunters. However, you can tell when a dog is in pain. The dog trembles and adopts various relieving postures. Torsion of the stomach also causes severe pain and circulatory shock.
Is shaking in dogs dangerous?
Tremors do not always have to be related to a medical condition. The dog will also tremble when dreaming and when excited or scared. Cold also causes short-haired dogs to tremble.
The dog is shaking from weakness
If a dog is weakened by an illness or bad food, the muscles cannot react properly due to insufficient energy reserves. The dog is shaking.
Shaking from lack of energy occurs in very small dog breeds such as Teacup Chihuahuas or Teacup Yorkshires. As adults, the dogs weigh a maximum of two kilograms. In such small dogs, the metabolism is very fast. The dogs can hardly absorb enough energy from the food to be able to maintain all functions.
Genetic tremors
Dogs born with White Dog Shaker Syndrome shake constantly. The eyes are also affected by the shaking. They quickly move their body from left to right. The dogs are hardly able to perceive their surroundings and to orientate themselves. Dogs with a white coat are particularly affected by this genetic disease.
What to do if the dog is shaking?
If there is harmless tremors, behavioral therapy can help. So that the dog does not freeze in the cold season, there are functional dog coats that keep the cold and wind away from the skin. If the dog is shaking due to an illness, a veterinarian should always be consulted.
Addison’s disease
Addison’s disease is a hormone-related disease. Since the adrenal glands are not working properly, too little aldosterone and cortisol are produced. The dogs are shaking and suffering from stomach pains. The shaking causes muscle weakness in the legs. The four-legged friends drink a lot.
Poisoning
Some toxins also cause muscle tremors. The symptom of poisoning never occurs alone but is always associated with vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.
Important: In any case, consult a veterinarian quickly if you suspect an illness as the cause of your dog’s tremors.
How can tremors be distinguished from an epileptic seizure?
If the dog is shaking, it is conscious. He is responsive and can be distracted in scary situations. Dogs that tremble from pain also respond to the dog owner’s voice. In the event of an epileptic seizure, the four-legged friend cannot be addressed. He is lying on his side and has lost consciousness. Foamy saliva can be seen in front of the mouth because the chewing muscles are also affected by the spasms. The dog’s legs are stretched and stiff due to increased muscle tone. During the seizure, the four-legged friend unconsciously loses urine and feces because the sphincter muscles are no longer in control. After the seizure, the dog has trouble orienting itself.
What triggers epileptic seizures in dogs?
An epileptic seizure in dogs can be triggered by various optical, acoustic, or tactile stimuli. In the case of congenital epilepsy or a tumor in the brain, the seizures also occur without an external stimulus.
Dog trembles: How to deal with pathological tremors
If there is a pathological tremor, the four-legged friend must be examined by a veterinarian to clarify the cause of the tremor. Before that, the dog owner should observe when the tremors primarily occur. Are there any specific signs, triggers, or symptoms present? It is also important whether the dog is trembling all over, or whether only individual areas are affected by the trembling.
The vet examines the dog clinically and neurologically. To clarify the proper functioning of organs and the adrenal gland, blood is drawn and sent to a laboratory. An ultrasound, a CT, and an MRI may have to be made for an exact diagnosis. Only when all the results are available can treatment be individually tailored to the dog’s underlying disease.
How do I know if my dog is in pain?
The dog trembles and tries to reduce the pain by adopting a protective posture. He pulls his back up or relieves a limb.
What to do if the tremor is not pathological?
If the dog is shaking from fear, a behavioral therapist can help. The dog slowly gets used to the triggering stimulus and after a while associates the situation with positive things like a treat. Stress no longer builds up.
