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If the dog starts to shake, shiver or treble we are faced with a behavior that can be caused by several factors. Let’s find out what the reasons are…
In this article, you will find explanations and answers on why the dog shakes. There can be many reasons for that: it may be caused by certain emotions or health problems.
Recognizing these symptoms can help to treat the dog and prevent death in extreme cases.
The Dog Shakes And Shivers Very Frequently And You Don’t Understand Why
Usually feelings, such as fear, joy, or cold are associated with shaking. But if the dog has recently suffered from severe traumatic experiences, this may be causing it to shake. There are situations that usually frighten dogs, such as loud noises like thunder or fireworks that cause trauma.
To calm a frightened dog, you need to place it under a blanket so it feels safe. It is important to do this especially with puppies or newborn dogs because they could suffer trauma for life. Some dogs love to travel by car, but for others this is not a gratifying experience and they start to shiver anxiously.
If you notice that your dog in winter, at low temperatures, feels cold and shivers, cover it with a nice dog coat. In more extreme weather conditions, dog shoes are also recommended. Make sure it doesn’t sleep outside, and if you can’t avoid it, you can get a suitable kennel to protect it from the coldest nights.
The dog Shakes: Emotions
The dog trembles when it feels excited, if it feels that something causing joy is going to happen, like the arrival of a bowl with food, or if it understands that you will take it to the park, you will find it excited and happy with its paws shaking.
Another reason that can cause great excitement is when it cannot give free rein to an instinctive stimulus just like wanting to chase another dog and not being able to do it because it is locked behind the bars of a gate; or wanting to bite a piece of food that someone is eating , but it can only see it from a distance.
Some dog breeds, such as Spaniels, are prone to shivering easily with excitement. Although dogs cannot speak, they know how to communicate with their bodies. It will be up to us to understand what they want to tell us. A joyful situation is when the owner returns home after a while, our four-legged friend shakes because it is excited and happy, it jumps and celebrates because it understands that it has not been abandoned.
There are also dogs that shiver with guile, they are very intelligent and use this to get the attention of its owner. If you have rewarded the dog after it has shaken or shivered with anything it likes. Your pet may use the shaking as an excuse to get what it wants. Be careful not to reinforce your dog’s incorrect behavior with this.
There are dog breeds that shake and shiver regularly, you have to be careful because the shaking could also be a symptom of a disease in progress.
If The Dog Shivers It Could Be A Disease
Excluding the more common and less dangerous causes mentioned above, there are some diseases that can cause trembling in dogs:
- Osteoarthritis disorders;
- Lyme disease;
- Generalized tremor syndrome (GTS) or White Shaker Dog Syndrome;
- Distemper;
- Addisonian crisis;
- Kidney Failure;
- Metabolic Disorders;
- Poisoning.
Osteoarthritis and osteoarticular diseases cause tremors in the joints involved: A balanced diet and supplements for dogs can alleviate pain.
Tick disease or canine ehrlichiosis is caused by the bite of these parasites and among the various symptoms it causes in the dog, tremor is one. To prevent this disease, you should use external antiparasitics for dogs and buy a good anti-tick collar.
Small dogs seem to be predisposed to generalized tremor syndrome (white shaker syndrome), especially dog breeds such as:
- Maltese;
- Beagle;
- Poodle;
- Bichon frise;
- Yorkshire terrier;
- West Highland White Terrier and, in general,white-coated dogs.
This disease occurs more in dogs from 9 to 13 years old, the trembling invariably affects the whole body, usually due to inflammation of the central nervous system. It can be treated with corticosteroids or anti-inflammatory medicine for dogs.
The Dog Trembles: Multiple Causes
Distemper or canine distemper is contagious but not for humans, it mainly affects animals with low immune defenses, puppies or unvaccinated dogs. To prevent contracting this type of virus, it is important to vaccinate your dog.
Addison disease (hypoadrenocorticism): a deficiency in adrenocortical hormones. Iit initially starts with unclear symptoms, it is not easy to recognize, but fortunately cases are scarce. This is due to the lack of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, produced under normal conditions by the adrenal glands, it will be the veterinarian who will determine if the cause of your dog’s tremor is linked to this disease and indicate the best treatment for your friend.
Kidney failure in dogs is due to kidney dysfunction: It is caused by added chemical additives in industrial foods. The presence of toxic elements accumulates in the kidneys and prevents them from working normally.
Harmful insecticides or drug abuse can cause the same problem. To treat kidney failure in dogs it is important that they follow an appropriate diet, your vet will advise you on where to find specific foods.
The dog shakes and Shivers: Eating Disorders and Food Poisoning
One of the unfortunately frequent causes of shaking is due to ingesting dangerous food, such as chocolate, or dangerous substances that the dog swallows through poisoned food (a common way is to find meatballs or meat that contain strychnine, a very dangerous pesticide). In this case, you should go to the vet immediately because the dog could be at risk of losing its life.
When our dog is old it is also natural for it to shiver and shake, due to muscle weakness and arthritis. The dog may have difficulty walking. Shaking causes discomfort, and you should pay attention toit. It is important to be able to recognize it and take the necessary measures to prevent the dog from suffering or even in extreme cases, from dying.
If you have more questions, you can consult a professional near your home, who will give it good care and answer all your questions.
