Debbie2166 said:
My female Sasha also experiences head tremors, I have had her tested for almost everything from tick diseases to thyroid. My vet then suggested that I have her see a nuerologist (at $200 for 15 Mins) (nothing too good for my little girl) she told me that there has been studies done on many breeds that they find that have had this problem. She told me it is also common in English Bulldogs. She said that these tremors are nothing more than behavioral ticks. Like a dog that would chase its tail. She asked me how do I react when this tremor happens. I told her what do you think, I pick her up like a little baby and try to destract her. She suggested to not do any thing but ignore them.
As hard as it was I tried to ignore them (and some of them are bad, as long as 3 minutes) It doesnt seem to effect them. Sasha doesnt have a prblem with eating as some of you have suggested. Her treat is often a spoonful of peanut butter (she loves it). It doesnt stop them. I cant believe that this tremor problem is a behavioral tick. But in Sasha case doesnt seem to be related to food either????
HELP!
I have never heard something like that.
When Avra started the epicode we threw her tennis ball she was runing to cach it and at the same time,was shaking her head.Also when we ignore her she was still shaking.
"Head Tremors: The condition is usually called "Benign Head Tremors of Dobermans," but can also affect other breeds (especially English Bull Dogs). It is characterized by a rhythmic, side-to-side, up and down, or rolling motion to the head. One interesting thing is that this tremor does NOT appear to be neurologic* in origin, and during an episode, the dog can be distracted out of it (unlike a seizure). The tremors usually occur when the dog is at rest. Tests such as MRIs, CT scans, CSF taps, x-rays, blood work...are normal. The condition does not respond to the common anti-seizure medicines. The current thinking is that these head tremors are a movement disorder, and may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder in humans. (As a side note, humans are also known to have a type of benign head tremor--cause unknown, treatment unknown.) It is theorized that serotonin uptake inhibitors like "Clomicalm" may help with this condition, but the general consensus is that it is usually not serious enough to warrant placing the dog on long-term meds. Some dogs "outgrow" the problem, some have it their whole lives. The good news is that it does not usually get worse, or progress to more serious problems. It is not known if this is genetic or familial.
The above information is here courtesy of Judi Vogt—a member of the Doberworld-L mailing list. She further wrote that information on this is very difficult to come by and that apparently there are no studies. Since it is benign in nature, this is not surprising. My thanks to Judi for allowing me to include the results of her personal research on this page. *It has not been established for certain what causes this, so neurologic dysfunction cannot be ruled out without proper testing.
Possible causes that should be looked for are epilepsy, trauma, toxins, inflammation, congenital defects, immune mediated problems, degenerative disease and drug reactions. In a puppy the vet should consider congenital abnormality and in a young adult, toxin exposure"
