Part of their morning routine
When you greet your pup good morning, I bet you they have a little stretch and probably a morning shake. It’s quite simply to get ready for the day ahead – wouldn’t be a bad idea to try that one myself.
So this is a different kind of shake. It’s more of a tremble than the full body shake you see to get dry. They look like they’re vibrating actually. Puppies get cold quite easily so it’s really common to see them shiver if the cold isn’t feeling very forgiving.
Again, this is more of a tremble like when they are cold but it happens after something explosive like fireworks…or a trip to the vets. A ride in the car can all set off the shakes too. Comforting your puppy should do the trick to help it pass fairly quickly.
Puppies literally tremble with excitement. Time to go for a walk? Just picking up the lead can set the trembles off. Kinda cute.
Your puppy will shake if they feel itchy – that might be a good sign to check if that flea treatment is up to date.
Does your puppy’s shaking start when they’re asleep? If so they could just be enjoying an exciting dream, chasing squirrels.
So, what is defined as ‘shaking’
Involuntary, usually gentle, muscular contractions that can cause the puppy’s body to move a little if the shaking is present in several body parts. Often it’s a whole-body thing and you’ll notice the puppy gently trembling. They should be completely aware and responsive, and still able to walk, change position, eat and pass motions unhindered.
Shaking, shivering, trembling – they can all appear similar but occur for a variety of different reasons. It’s important to look at the whole context to determine why your puppy is shaking. Once you know why your puppy is shaking, you’ll be able to take steps to help them feel better.
When you bring home a new puppy, there is often a large adjustment period as you and your new puppy get used to your new life together. And it can be worrisome if your puppy appears to be doing something out of the ordinary, such as shaking, shivering, or trembling.
Moving their crate or pen to a warmer part of the house, wrapping your puppy in plenty of blankets, snuggling your puppy close for body heat, and placing a puppy-safe and warm stuffed animal with them are all ways you can try and warm your puppy up so they are comfortable.
In this article, we will look at a few of the reasons why your new puppy may be shaking and trembling, and give you some ideas on how to fix the problem.
You should also contact your puppy’s veterinarian if you notice them having a problem with low blood sugar. They’ll be able to best advise you on a feeding plan that keeps your puppy from suffering from low blood sugar attacks, as well as rule out a more serious cause, such as diabetes.
6 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Shaking or Shivering
Many things can cause your puppy to shiver or tremble. It could be excitement that you’re home, or it could be from ingesting a toxin. But what if it is due to something that your puppy was born with? Is treatment possible, and will he recover?
Shaking puppy syndrome, or hypomyelination, affects a young dog’s central or peripheral nervous system and involves the entire body. Myelin is the fatty protective sheath that covers every nerve in the body. When this protective sheath is too thin, as in hypomyelination, the electrical impulses can get lost between nerves and cause the nerves and corresponding muscles to malfunction.
In shaking puppy syndrome, tremors begin shortly after birth, with symptoms beginning as early as 2 weeks of age. Besides shaking, the puppy may have difficulty walking, issues with balance and coordination, and their legs may appear more wide-based than normal in an attempt to stabilize themselves. Excitement can make the tremoring more violent, and puppies tend to shake more while eating, with tremors subsiding while resting. Mentally, the puppies seem to appear fine.
Golden Retrievers inherit a form of shaking puppy syndrome that involves the peripheral nervous system, rather than the central nervous system, causing them to develop all other symptoms of hypomyelination minus the shaking. The disorder appears later in Goldens, usually between the ages of 5-7 weeks old.
Male Springer Spaniel puppies suffer most from hypomyelination because the form of genetic transmission is different in this breed. Female Springers eventually will recover from this disease, but males most often do not. They typically die by the age of 6 months old, whether due to the severity of the disease or because the owner may choose to euthanize them if the tremoring is especially severe.
Diagnosis of hypomyelination is generally by ruling out all other potential problems. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam, and collect an extensive history, including any knowledge of familial history of your pup. A thorough neurologic exam will also be conducted to rule out damage to the spinal cord or cranial nerves.
Tests will be recommended to analyze blood chemistry and check for any imbalances in organ function or evidence of toxicities. Radiographs of the chest and back will be analyzed to screen for tumors or other damage to the skeletal system, and a sample of the fluid surrounding the spinal cord may be collected for analysis. Tests may be run to detect the genetic mutation responsible for hypomyelination, though some dogs can be asymptomatic carriers of the genetic defect.
Other procedures may be recommended to rule out other conditions, like CT (computed tomography), electromyography, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), or myelography (a nerve conduction study).
Diagnosis is considered a diagnosis of exclusion, as truly the only way to definitively diagnose this disorder is to microscopically examine the spinal cord of the affected animal after death.
There is no actual treatment for hypomyelination. Fortunately, most puppies affected by this disorder eventually recover, and are fairly normal by the age of 1 to 1.5 years old. Less severely affected pups may be back to normal by the age of 3-4 months, although most dogs who survive shaking puppy syndrome will have mild hind limb tremors lifelong.
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