Tremors in Dogs: Causes, Diagnosis and Treatments

Shaking or trembling is the recurring involuntary movements of the body that happens while your pet is awake. Shaking conditions among dogs might occur in the different parts of the body and the cause may vary respectively. However, dog shaking may not be always fatal, immediate treatment and diagnosis is necessary to cure this type of condition. 

Causes of Tremors

Tremors or trembling episodes in the head can be caused by various reasons such as the sustained head trauma, cerebellum anomalies, vestibular diseases, inflammation or genetics. When a dog is trembling in the parts of his pelvic region or rear limbs, it is usually caused by lesions in the spine, kidney failure, neuromuscular diseases or may be just an intense pain. In the cases or episodes when the entire body is shaking, that might be due to toxins or degenerative diseases.

The white shaker syndrome in dogs is a specific disorder that could be found in dogs with small breeds usually with white coats. Dogs that suffer in this kind of condition may have shaking episodes in their entire body. The common causes of this condition are seizures, abnormalities in the nervous system and weakness in the feet. 

In most cases, tremors on dogs might also be caused of excitement, fear, nervousness, anxiety or cold weather condition. 

Symptoms

• Uncontrolled shaking or trembling that are observed in many parts of the body;
  
• Tremors that shake the dog's whole body;
  
• Persistent shaking needs medical attention;
  
• Consult your veterinarian when seizures occur repeatedly or even for a few seconds, that may result to shaking and twitching of the eyes.

Diagnosis

When dog has trembling episodes that only occur infrequently or in short periods may be harmless. But if the condition occurs frequently or still persists, it is recommended to see your vet or visit ivet.co.uk/ for proper medication for the diagnosis. The good lab tests may be very helpful in trying to determine what really the problem is and its primary causes. Your veterinarian may recommend urinalysis for possible kidney disorder and other lab tests to check for other disorders and diseases. 

If the vet recommends a consultation with a neurologist, you will be needing more tests such as X-rays of the abdomen, chest or spine. Myelogram test may be needed to confirm fractures in the spine. CT scan and MRI may also be needed to confirm damages in the brain and spinal column. 

Treatment

Tremors or trembling in pets may be due primary or underlying causes and immediate treatment is needed to address the problem. Depending on the gravity of the causes, the treatment could be as simple as daily exercise while avoiding excitement if that could only worsen the situation. For cases of shaking episodes of the entire dog's body, the treatment may include corticosteroids, which has been found to be very effective. Treatments with corticosteroids may last for several months and the doses will be reduced gradually when the signs and symptoms start to diminish.

For best results, contact your veterinarian for the right veterinary products to use when the first symptom of tremors or seizures show up in the dog's body.

About the Author:

Alysia is a one of the people who dedicated herself to provide information and guide about animal care. She is a pet owner and she knows well how people like her wished to give the best for their pet, and so she is helping them through writing. She had talked about pet care, horse vaccination, and different pet medicines before, and she knows that there are more she can impart to her readers. Aside from her fascination with animals, she is enjoys traveling, photography and painting too.