Head Shakes/Tremors

[AmyBobs]

Hi there
I've had a look thru the most recent threads and can't find anything about this, so thought I'd start a new one.

Amy had a spell of head shakes today, its the second time its happened so I'm worried now.

Her head seems to move involuntarily side to side, she becomes very quiet and timid when it happens, as though it is disturbing to her too.

I've trawled google and found bits on epilepsy, but it doesnt seem like a fit

Do the good people of BW have any ideas/advice?

xx

 

[Draymia]

It sounds like "Idiopathic Head Tremors". If that is what it is, and it only involves the head, I would not put it on the huge worry list. I had a girl with this years ago. Spent lots of money without ever getting a diagnosis. My girl's problems would only last a few minutes. She did it probably no more than a half a dozen times in her life. Giving a bite to eat helped a lot.

Do a search on YouTube to see if it looks the same as your Amy.

 

[AmyBobs]

Thank you for that, Amy's does look the same as the ones on youtube (i didnt realise youtube had things like that on there!) but hers are much slower.

She suffers with a lot of allergies, but I haven't changed anything in her diet recently, so I guess its a mystery why its happened, but its reassuring to know its not a major concern.

thank you

 

[Tuff Love]

my boy had these as well starting around age 2. i did a ton of research and asked my vet about them and came up pretty much empty handed for a solid answer. many times they have no known cause and in other instances there are so MANY possible causes that it's difficult to narrow down. head tremors are a symptom of something, but finding out what that something is could be very difficult. the tremors themselves don't appear to cause any serious damage, but if the episodes occur frequently you may want to seek the advice of a neurologist. even with the help of a neuro, you may not be able to narrow down the cause of the tremors, and could very well end up shelling out a lot of $$$ for blood work, CT scans, MRI's, etc... i know that's not very comforting. many of us on here have also exhausted ourselves looking for answers on this very subject. if you do a search on here for "head tremors" you'll come up with a bunch of topics on it.

we lost our boy last year to GME. in hindsight, i think it's a very good possibility that the head tremors could have had some direct correlation to the GME. that's an extreme example of course, and i could be wrong. i've also read theories of causes as simple as low blood sugar, food allergies, etc.

as the other poster mentioned, i also used treats to help coax our boy out of the tremor and that usually did the trick

 

[hurleygirl]

That's the first time I've ever heard of another dog do what my LuLu does. The first time it happened it was lasting a long time so I took her to the vet. He thought she might have gotten into something and kept her for 24 hours hydrating her with IV fluids. That was when she was about 2. She's almost 6 now and I would say she does it about twice a year now. LuLu really zones out while she's does the shaking. Almost like a Parkinsons movement. Doc says can't find anything wrong with her and we'll just have to monitor her if they increase or get worse. They've stayed the same--twice a year for about an hour or so. Keep me informed if your vet fines a cause--thanks.

 

[Caney Creek]

She suffers with a lot of allergies, but I haven't changed anything in her diet recently, so I guess its a mystery why its happened, but its reassuring to know its not a major concern.

Don't mean to scare you but you really should get it checked out before assuming it's not a major concern. "Idiopathic" means "no known cause" but only a vet can diagnose your dog as having "idiopathic head tremors", and that will be the diagnosis only if no other cause can be found. There are plenty of things that could cause head tremors, some of them serious. So definitely get it checked out and rule out the serious stuff before assuming your girl's head tremors are "idiopathic."

 

[SherylM]

My oldest Boston terrier had the same thing happen a few years ago. It seemed to happen only once or twice a month and then stop. It went on for 4 months before we (my vet and I) realized that each time he would have and "episode" is was right after he had an application of Advantage. We stopped the treatments and it has never happened again.

 

[carole]

She suffers with a lot of allergies, but I haven't changed anything in her diet recently, so I guess its a mystery why its happened, but its reassuring to know its not a major concern.

thank you

Finn had/has them occasionally during the time of year his allergies are bad although its been a few years since I have noticed them. His head would go from side to side and if I got his attention it stopped immediately.

 

[Gatorblu]

Have a complete thyroid panel run. Thor was having about 1-2 head tremeors a month before he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Since he has been on his meds (2 yrs now) he has maybe two. Adjusted his meds and haven't had a problem since. A weaken thyroid can effect the immune system as well, which can lead to the allergy issue.

Another thing about allergies. My first boxer had allergies and this time of year would always be worse for her. After the leaves fell and would get damp was just a nightmare. I believe there must be some kind of mold spores floating around from them. I would bath her in medicated shampoo every other week. Housework was stepped up too. Vacuuming 2x/week, shampooing carpet weekly, and keeping everything dusted. And always make sure you change your air filters on your heating at least every 30 days. She and the other dogs would have to be wiped down before coming in. Her allergies were severe enough that she actually collapsed from respiratory distress.

Good luck on finding out what is causing your baby's tremors. Sending lots of positive, healthy (((vibes)))!

 

[lmorey]

June started having head shakes about a year ago after we switched up her food schedule (more food in the morning, less in the evening). Turns out her blood sugar was low. We put her back on her old schedule, and she's been fine ever since!