Why is my dog ​​shaking and what do I have to do to help him?

There are several reasons that can cause dogs to tremble, affecting in the same way the mobility they may have. In the following article we will show you the most common reasons that can give you a response to the tremors of your dog and the reasons why it cannot walk.

Why is my dog ​​shaking?

There are many reasons why a dog can shake. Some are more obvious than others, so we are going to talk about them so that you have no doubts:

As a physical response

• Cold: Being a warm-blooded animal, if it is exposed to a temperature lower than its body can bear, it will tremble to consume more energy and thus produce heat.
• Pain: if, for example, you have suffered an accident, or someone has stepped on you and caused you a lot of damage, you will react by shaking.
• Disease: there are certain diseases, such as arthritis, distemper and epilepsy, which have tremor among other symptoms.
• Sugar drop: If your dog suffers from hypoglycemia, it could be that he is trembling.
• Side effect of a medicationIf you suspect that he is trembling from having been given a medication, consult your vet as soon as possible.
• Veneno: if the dog has ingested a toxic product, or a food that is dangerous for him, he may tremble. Take him to the vet urgently.
• Aging: It is normal that as the dog ages, the dog shakes sometimes.

As an emotional response

• Anxiety: it is common in dogs that spend the whole day (or almost) without doing anything. They get bored, they get frustrated, and as soon as there is something that encourages them they can react by shaking a little. If your dog has anxiety, try to get him out to do some physical activity every day and keep him company.
• Joy: When you give him a treat for example, or take his harness to take him for a walk, he is likely to be so happy that he trembles.
• Fear: fear is a very unpleasant feeling for anyone. A storm, fireworks, ... any external stimulus of this type can cause the dog to panic. But, even if it costs you, you better ignore him, because otherwise you are telling him that it is okay to feel this way, and next time he could react more intensely.
• Insecurity: or when he feels that "I want to but I don't know if I should." For example, it is easy to see this behavior in puppies, when they want to play with an adult dog (or with a human) which more than once has made it clear that they do not feel like it much. In the end, apart from shaking a bit, they may even bark. It will be a high-pitched bark, of play, to try to convince them.

Causes of generalized tremors in dogs and incoordination

When making a diagnosis, it is extremely important to consider whether the tremors occur when the dog is moving or at rest. In the former it may be intentional, as from some disorder in your brain, generalized, such as those caused when poisoned, localized, such as those that occur on the back legs as a result of aging.

Tremors occur involuntarily and can be caused by diseases, occurring throughout your body or in a certain area of ​​it. In dogs we get to see them tremble because of other factors, such as the weather, when it is cold for example or out of fear, however in this article we will dedicate ourselves to explaining the moments when dogs tremble and this prevents them from walking normally.

This usually occurs, apart from tremors, when there is weakness in your muscles or sometimes due to paralysis, which hinders a correct movement of our pet. We will start with generalized tremors, those that affect the entire body of the animal.

Most common reasons that can cause tremors and trouble walking

Encephalitis or brain inflammation

This disease affects the brain and can be caused by different reasons, the most common being the distemper. The animal convulsesHe walks without coordination, his behavior varies constantly, becoming more graceful, he suffers from a fever and may even fall into a coma.

Dogs that recover can suffer from neurological sequelae, permanently or episodes where they will convulse. You can find more information on this topic on the internet or from your trusted pediatrician.

Poison

There are a large number of toxins that can cause tremors and complications in the movement of your pet. The clinical picture will be subject to the type of substance that the dog consumed. In general, the symptoms that present in these cases are weakness, spasms, vomiting, diarrhea, uncoordinated walking, you will be nervous, will spit a lot, will stagger, will breathe with agitation, will hurt the abdominal area, will have paralysis or fall into eat.

Multiple congenital, metabolic, and nervous system diseases

The disorders that you may suffer will be oriented to weakness and poor stability, which will cause problems when walking, these moments being without much coordination. In addition, tremors are shown, so a diagnosis and treatment by a professional is required, depending on this, the future of the animal will be known.

If your pet trembles and falls, it is most likely that it could happen due to the problems mentioned above, so it will be important to go to the vet immediately to know the specific cause and start treatment. In numerous times, an early diagnosis can save your dog's life.

Causes of localized tremors in dogs

The tremors occur in a specific area of ​​the body, being the case of this article the one that occurs in the back legs, which it causes complications in your mobility and would explain the reasons why you tremble and fall, can not hold and even the pet trembles and does not want to move, given this tremor can cause pain. In very old dogs we can see this picture more frequently.

For example, there is the cognitive dysfunction syndrome, which usually affects dogs that are older than ten years and ends up causing deterioration in their mental capacities. Therefore, dogs that suffer from this are often disoriented, they do not recognize their owners and relatives, their sleep period extends for several days and they are active in the night hours, they reduce their activity, they may begin to spin in circles, they suffer from tremors, they stiffen, they become weak and some begin to lack control over their sphincters.

The professional will be the one who makes the diagnosis after having ruled out other diseases. When dogs are still young, those that do not want to move or have problems with their back legs, it can be caused by other reasons. Of course all these cases have tremors as a symptom.

On the other hand, and with the passage of time, many dogs will suffer from osteoarthritis, a disorder that can explain the reasons why our dog trembles and cannot move, all caused by the pain it may feel. The muscle that was exhausted begins to shake.

There are medicines that can alleviate this pain, since it cannot be cured or even prevented. What's more it is advisable for your dog to exercise every so often, also controlling his weight so that he does not become obese, preventing him from getting cold and giving him areas to rest that are adequate, soft and warm.

Finally, a trauma caused by a blow or accident can cause the dog to suffer from tremors and not want to move in the area of ​​its body that was affected. As in the cases we mentioned before, the pain is the cause that the dog does not want to move about anything in the world, so it will be important to try to find which areas are damaged and go to the vet.

What steps to take if my dog ​​trembles?

If it's like a physical response, for example to thunder or fireworks, the best we can do is ... do nothing. Be careful, it is not about punishing him for it, but about making him see that nothing really happens. You have to think that if we give him affection now, what we will achieve is that he thinks that it is okay for him to be afraid. So the next time you might feel even worse and react in an unexpected way, perhaps barking or chewing on furniture.

In the event that he is sick, has pain or you think he has been poisoned, he should be taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible so that he can be treated quickly.

What to do if the dog is shaking a lot and cannot walk?

Given that the reasons that justify these tremors and the complications in dogs are diverse and, in most of these cases, harmful to their health, it is best to go to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

It is also advisable to try to examine the pet to see if the tremors are generalized or localized. and if they occur in a certain area, carry out a check to see if there is a wound, inflammation or other type of affectation that we must indicate to the professional that could affect the health of our pet.

The following is only informative, so we recommend that in the event of tremors and lack of mobility, go immediately to a specialist, who will be in charge of making the diagnosis for your dog and it will recommend what treatments to follow so that you can cure it completely.

You must be very attentive to the health of your dog, since he will always depend on you at all times, so you must dedicate the time necessary to take him to the vet to prevent any disease or condition that could seriously affect his health. To do so, you will have the health of your furry in good condition, unless it is a disease caused to a old dog, which will also help your dog to have a better quality of life.