Dog Shaking: Some Common Causes
There is no single reason dogs might shake, tremble or twitch, according to Dr. Jami-Lyn Derse, veterinarian and founder of Veterinary Housecall Care. Commonly, dog shaking is related to:
“You can’t just look at a dog shaking and know the reason,” Derse says. “You have to look at the whole clinical picture.”
Derse advises pet parents to play detective. Does your dog only shake in his sleep? Is he shaking his leg or does his whole body tremble? What situations seem to trigger shaking or make it worse? Paying attention to the specifics allows you to provide valuable information to your vet that can help with a diagnosis.
Dogs pant because of car sickness
Like people, dogs can experience car sickness when going for drives. Excessive panting from your dog could be due to car sickness. This is more often the case for puppies, which usually grow out of it.
Car sickness is typically the result of motion sickness, which is caused by the brain receiving conflicting signals from different sensory systems within the body, including the eyes, inner ears, muscles, and joints.
To prevent your dog getting carsick, avoid feeding them for at least one hour before the car ride. Also, like humans, dogs will be more likely to experience car sickness if they can’t see out of the window. A way to remedy this is to get an elevated car seat.
It’s also helpful to crack a window to let in some fresh air. Additionally, there are medications available that can alleviate car sickness. For more information, speak to your veterinarian.
Dog panting in car | Erik Mclean via Unsplash
Panting can also result from travel anxiety for your dog, which is usually caused by the association of car sickness during rides. Panting, drooling, shaking, restlessness, and pacing are all signs that your dog is experiencing anxiety. Later, we give some tips for reducing anxiety during car rides.
If your dog was ever in a car accident, this could also be another source of travel anxiety. Also, if your dog is underexposed or was never properly introduced to a car ride, they can experience travel anxiety. This is especially the case if you only take your dog for rides when going to the veterinarian. As a result, they will associate the ride with this possibly uncomfortable visit. To counteract this, try taking your dogs to more enjoyable locations, such as a park.
A car ride can be an overstimulating experience for dogs, resulting in panting. Dogs have stronger senses compared to humans, especially for smell and hearing. During a ride, a dog experiences many new smells, which can overwhelm them. The sounds during a ride can also be intense, particularly the roar of the engine. Riding on bumpy roads and taking sharp turns adds to the overstimulation as well.
Another cause of panting could be dehydration. This is more common on hot days or after a dog exercises heavily, such as a long walk or playing a game of fetch. To avoid dehydration, make sure that your dog has enough water to drink. For car rides, bring along a portable water dispenser.
Excessive panting, drooling, and shaking could also be a sign of an underlying medical issue. If these excessive behaviors occur outside of the car and persist for a long time, then take your dog to the veterinarian to address the issues.
Less Severe Situations Indicated by Shaking
Not all reasons behind a dog’s trembling are an emergency. Some you can handle without the help of a vet. Your dog may be trembling out of excitement, anxiety, or simply because they are cold.
Not all the reasons behind your dog’s shaking are negative. When dogs get excited, like when they’re playing with you or you’ve just gotten home after work, dogs will often shake. This is actually a natural reaction in their body to exert excess energy and calm them down.
Other times when your pup may shiver out of excitement or anticipation is when you’re preparing their dinner or when they’ve spotted something outside they want to chase.
If your dog is afraid of loud noises, like thunder or fireworks, they may react by shivering and shaking. It’s not uncommon for dogs to have anxiety, especially when major environmental changes happen in ‘their space’.
If your dog’s anxiety is severe enough then you may want to contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians can prescribe an anti-anxiety medication for your dog to be used in anticipation of or during stressful events.
If your dog is displaying no other concerning symptoms and there are no new stressors in their environment, then they are most likely just shivering from being cold.
Dogs shiver when cold just like people do. If you live in a particularly cold climate or have a small or thin coated pup, it’s worth it to invest in a coat or potentially even a pair of booties. You’ll want to ensure they aren’t outside for too long as well.
In severe cases, a dog can have hypothermia from long periods of exposure to the extreme cold. In this situation, you will need to take them to a vet for treatment.
How to Calm a Nervous dog in the Car?
Some dogs have heightened sensitivity and as such the motion from car rides can affect them more than others. This is due to the fact that physical stimuli such as sight and smell are more potent for these hypersensitive dogs. The resulting shaking can be an effect of the increased awareness of the world around them.