score:
0

Why is my dog shivering?

Is this an emergency or something I should be worried about? My dog has been shivering/shaking uncontrollably and I don't think the temperature is the problem. What could be the reason? Help!

1 Answer

Sort by ยป oldest newest most voted
score:
0

The first thing to know is-is this a new thing? There's a lot that could be causing shivering/shaking. Sometimes it's just a breed thing-little dogs like chihuahuas tend to be "shiverers." Sometimes it's excess energy escaping the only way it can-same way people tap their fingers/pen on the desk in school because they can't run. If that's the case, all you have to do is give him a little extra exercise throughout the day-if you don't have time for extra walks or fetch, try brain games. Puzzle toys where they have to work to get the treats out. Also a 15 minute training session with them is equivalent to a 2 mile walk, so depending on the breed that might be just about all they need during the day on top of their normal routine. If they're trained on all the basics this is a great chance to teach them new tricks (and yes, old dogs can do this too).

It could be something a little more serious though. If it's just random bouts of shaking that last a couple minutes at most, it could be seizures. The dog tends to sort of freeze in place, and lose the ability to walk, sometimes they'll fall over. There's usually quite a bit of drool, and occasionally they'll get aggressive afterwards. If that sounds like what's happening I'd definitely recommend a vet visit.

When in doubt, a vet visit isn't going to hurt anything except maybe your wallet. You can tell them, maybe even show them, exactly what's going on and they can provide better recommendations for you.