- Tremors are involuntary, rhythmic muscle movements
that look like shaking, shivering, or trembling.
Today, I will cover possible causes of tremors in dogs
and what they mean.
Sometimes it's hard to differentiate
tremors from seizures,
as both of them will involve
abnormal muscle contractions.
However, unlike seizures,
tremors are not due to abnormal firing
of neurons in the brain.
Furthermore,
tremors do not put dogs into an unconscious state.
During tremors, dogs are generally fully conscious,
alert, mobile, responsive,
and aware of their surroundings.
No involuntary signs such as salivation,
urination, defecation, or vomiting,
are present during those episodes.
And when an episode is over,
the dog generally remains unaffected.
Tremors in dogs can be caused by a strong emotion
like joy, excitement, stress, or fear,
or by physical discomfort
like cold, pain, nausea, or fever,
or by illnesses and disease
including toxicity and metabolic disorders,
infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases.
In some cases,
history and context can help determine
what tremors mean in your dog,
but it becomes more complicated
when an illness is the cause.
A veterinary neurologist can provide you with
an accurate diagnosis following
a full physical and a neurological exam,
lab work including a complete blood count
and chemistry panel,
a urinalysis, chest x-rays,
looking at the heart and lungs,
sometimes abdominal ultrasound, MRI,
spinal fluid tap, and infectious disease testing.
However, if all of these tests are negative,
the tremors in your dogs are idiopathic,
meaning the cause is unknown.
Also, known as little white shaker syndrome,
generalized tremor syndrome,
or steroid responsive tremor syndrome,
idiopathic tremor syndrome is an autoimmune condition,
meaning the body is attacking itself
causing full body tremors in dogs.
Immune mediated disease,
or disease that doesn't have an infectious cause,
are the most common forms of inflammation
in the central nervous system
we see in cats and dogs.
The condition is often noted in small, white dogs
such as the Maltese,
West Highland Terrier,
and Poodle,
but can occur in any dog
and usually begins before two years of age.
These tremors tend to improve or resolve
when the dog is resting
and worsen when the dog is active or stressed.
Most dogs are otherwise normal,
but the tremors worsen over time
until the dog receives treatment.
Although the cause is unknown,
idiopathic tremor syndrome
can be treated by suppressing
the immune system with steroids
and the prognosis is generally excellent.
Most dogs' tremors fully resolve
and can be controlled
with longterm usage of a low dose of prednisone.
Idiopathic head tremors are a series of
horizontal, no gestures,
vertical, yes gestures,
or more rarely, rotational, bobble-head motions.
They are mostly seen in young dogs
and certain breeds like Dobermans,
bulldogs, French bulldogs,
Boxers, and Labradors,
but they are possible in any breed.
Like idiopathic tremor syndrome,
the cause of idiopathic head tremors is unknown.
Unlike idiopathic tremor syndrome,
idiopathic head tremors only occur in the head,
happen while a dog is at rest,
and do not respond to steroids.
Instead, the condition usually resolves
as the dog grows older.
Perhaps the most unique characteristic
of idiopathic head tremors,
is that they can be stopped by distracting the dog.
Tremors in dogs can be difficult to diagnose
because they are relatively common
in many diseases affecting the central nervous system.
Determining the cause requires a thorough history,
complete physical and neurological exams,
and a series of diagnostics.
If your pet is experiencing tremors,
we strongly recommend visiting
your local veterinary neurologist
to get your pet on the right treatment plan.