My Dog Keeps Shaking! Why?
Bill from Carmarthen called our support team last week regarding his new rescue dog, Toad. Bill has been a long-time customer of Omni for his other dogs, but Toad displayed symptoms he hadn’t seen before, and he wanted to get our vet team’s opinion first.
Head shaking, trembling or shivering despite not being cold are confusing but common symptoms for all kinds of dogs. It is often hard for even the most experienced dog guardians to know whether the dog is uncomfortable or in pain.
In this article, our Chief Veterinarian and Omni Co-Founder, Dr Guy, will delve into the curious problem of the shivering dog.
If you’ve got a problem you’d like to be included in Omni’s Ask a Vet series online, just drop us an email to woof@omni.pet.
Our Chief Veterinarian, Dr Guy MRCVS had this to say:
Like most symptoms, constant itching and scratching can have a number of causes, including:
- Flea and mite infestations. These are the most obvious cause, but can be hard to spot and difficult to get rid of and can target the ears
- Food allergies. Your dog can develop food allergies despite never having suffered from allergies before, so don’t rule this possibility out.
- Atopy or canine eczema. This is extremely common, especially for certain breeds, and is often diagnosed when food allergies and parasites (e.g., fleas) have been ruled out.
- Impacted anal glands. When a dog’s anal glands have not been expressed properly, it can cause a whole-body reaction of irritated or itchy skin.
- Anxiety driven behaviours
- Neurological causes such as nerve issues or ageing
Why Is My Dog Itching?
Does Your Dog Have Anxiety?
Anxious or nervous dogs can portray their nerves through shaking, just like humans and other animals do. Trembling is essentially a sign of too much adrenaline (produced by fear or anxiety) rushing through the body and causing involuntary contractions, perceived as shaking.
If this shaking is constant, it may be worth taking your dog to a vet and/or a behaviourist, as there are likely underlying causes of the anxiety that can be remedied through proper supplementation and training.
If you are worried that your dog may be feeling nervous or anxious, you should also watch out for symptoms like:
- Lip smacking
- Constant yawning
- Showing more of the white of their eyes than usual, or more than most dogs do.
How to Help Your Dog Through Anxiety
If your dog matches some or all of the symptoms above, our vet team recommend:
- Never punishing your dog for feeling and acting anxious. This can only embed the anxiety further and make it harder to treat.
- Remove them from a stressful situation if you believe that a particular situation is causing their anxiety.
- Supplementation with Stress & Anxiety supplements, particularly those high in L-Tryptophan (a precursor of serotonin, the “happy chemical”), Valerian root, passionflower, and similar anti-anxiety natural compounds.
- Taking them to the vet if symptoms continue.
Shaking Heads Might Mean Ear Infections
If the shaking is localised particularly to the head or one ear, it’s likely that you’re looking at a more specific condition rather than generalised anxiety. In particular, most dogs who constantly shake their heads are in fact suffering from ear infections.
In this case, you’re going to want to look out for:
- Your dog scratching at their ears.
- Particularly smelly ears.
- Discharge from your dog’s ears.
- Red or inflamed skin around your dog’s ear canal.
How to Address Ear Infections
In this case, Omni’s vets recommend:
- Getting veterinary care. Ear infections can cause a lot of discomfort for dogs, so it’s important to make sure that the vets is your first port of call.
- Supplementation designed for irritated skin and allergies. Omni’s Irritated Skin supplements are the best on the market and cost as little as £8/month.
- A hypoallergenic diet. You should remove as many allergens from your dog’s diet as soon as possible in case the cause of the ear infection is allergies. The commonest allergens for dogs are animal proteins, which is why we recommend a novel protein diet, containing protein from plants, algae, and yeast instead, such as Omni Sensitivity.
Arthritis Can Cause Dogs to Shake, Too
Especially if you have an older dog or a breed prone to arthritis, it might be this debilitating yet manageable condition that underlies your dog’s shakiness, odd though that may seem. Put simply, disuse of a muscle or a limb due to arthritis can cause the muscles and nerves that control that part of the body to break down.
When these neurological connections decay, they can cause a pathological shaking or trembling behaviour that your dog cannot control. Arthritis of this form can also be seen by:
- Your dog is stiff and slow when getting up, often combined with extensive or excessive stretching of limbs.
- Your dog is reluctant to exercise and go for walks when they were once excited to do so.
- When on walks, your dog walks slowly and unwillingly.
- Your dog is licking their joints constantly. This is a sign of pain in the joints that your dog doesn’t know how to solve.
How to Support Your Dog With Arthritis
In the case of a dog suffering arthritis, Omni’s vets recommend:
- Veterinary assessment, including a musculoskeletal exam. Your vet should be able to prescribe anti-inflammatories or pain relief medication to help your dog through their arthritis. This may not reduce their shaking, but it will make them more comfortable.
- Multiple shorter walks rather than one long walk. Try and keep these walks on softer ground rather than concrete or tarmac in order to reduce impact through your dog’s joints. More rest is better, too.
- A Joints & Mobility supplement to help your dog feel more themselves, rich in anti-inflammatory and joint-strengthening compounds. For best results, keep your dog on daily supplements for at least 2-4 months.
If you are unsure, you can always speak with us first by booking in a free vet consultation online.
Speak with a vet if…
If your dog’s shaking has persisted for more than 3-5 days, it is highly recommended that you speak to a vet.
Take your dog to your vets if…
Your dog is shaking as well as being generally unwell, lethargic, or else vomiting or displaying other symptoms of illness.
Thoughts from Dr Guy MRCVS
As dog lovers and guardians, it’s natural to worry about our furry friends, especially when they display abnormal symptoms that can’t be easily explained. That’s why, when I founded Omni, I knew that I wanted to keep vet consultation free and accessible at the heart of the business.
If you’re understandably worried about your dog, but you don’t think you need to take them to the vets urgently, I highly recommend getting some friendly, professional advice from one of our team. Book your appointment here.
Explore some of the frequently asked questions in our Ask A Vet series.
Got a question for the Ask a Vet team?
Submit your question via email to woof@omni.pet with the subject line "ASK A VET". We’ll get back to you as soon as we can, and, if suitable, post the response here to help others, too!
Disclaimer: Whilst the advice given here is based on medical experience from our experts, and scenarios we do encounter during our career - we do not give tailored or specific advice for individual pets - please seek assistance from your in person vet as a first point of call with any issues your pet is having which are a cause for concern as soon as possible.
