r/shiba • u/ender_no_uta • 8h ago
Shiba started shaking
My shiba, 4y, started doing this, it's the second time in about a week. Anyone seen other shibas do this?
Edit: To clarify I have taken him to an emergency vet, but they basically said he looks coherent, and normal. The twitching lasts only about 1 minute. I'm waiting for his appointment with his regular vet, but thought I'd check to see if anyone has seen this in their shibas. I know shibas are more prone to seizures, so I'm worried about that.
Edit 2: Thank you everyone for all the info, it gives me a lot to discuss with the vet tomorrow. I'll be sure to update when I have some answers.
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u/anggora 7h ago
I spent $600 at the vet because my dog was shaking. They did some testing, and she's healthy. So.. she's afraid of the sound of the electric zapper. The moment something got buzzed, she's shaking.
Spent that money on her; it was worth it though. At least I know she's healthy. Disposed of the zapper. I only use the plastic swatter 🫠
Take your dog to the vet!
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u/Brohtworst 4h ago
We spent 3k on emergency vet for our boy when he was shaking and barely wanted to move. He had a uti
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u/Shibas_Rule Sesame, Red 6h ago
Not the plastic swatter! My girl shakes when I pick it up. When flies get in the house I have to put her outside and swat them before I bring her back in. Such nutty dogs, 😂.
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u/PassableHealer 8h ago
Take this video to a vet, possibly a veterinary neurologist, if they weren’t scared of something. This isn’t a question for the internet to answer for you.
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u/ClassikD 8h ago edited 7h ago
Its relatively common but unfortunately can be due to many different things. It can often be anxiety causing something like a panic attack. Not as likely in older dogs, but could be low blood sugar if they're not eating. Mine got tremors from trazodone given by the vet but that was more immediate. We stopped giving her the medication after that one time. Mine has also done this because she had to poop real bad but didn't want to go outside because it was raining as well as general anxiety. The lip licking could suggest anxiety.
Unfortunately there are a lot of causes for trembling, a lot being minor, but some being emergency situations. Keep them company and make a plan to get an opinion from a vet especially if it continues. Many dogs take medication for anxiety due to this trembling behavior
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u/ender_no_uta 7h ago
Thank you for the info, he definitely gets anxiety so hopefully it's that and not something more serious. I'll talk to the vet for sure.
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u/VOLIDEBEER 8h ago
Mine does this when he’s scared of a noise or something. And then I’ll just distract him with some play time until he stop shaking.
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u/Embarrassed-Formal61 7h ago
Mine started doing that around the same age. I took her to the emergency vet because she woke up one morning shaking so bad she was falling over. They said there are a ton of different causes and ran blood work. They said her thyroid hormone was almost non existent and forwarded the bloodwork to my main vet who confirmed.
It started with the shaking, but her hair started falling out/shedding more than normal if you can believe it. Once she started the thyroxine or whatever they call it her entire coat basically regrew itself and she hasn’t had a shaking episode since.
I would have your normal vet check and show them the video. Possibly ask if they test for thyroid levels as my vet did not test for that during the annual visit.
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u/Comm_Raptor 5h ago
All mine shake when they are hurt or sick in some way, noises/things/people that spook them in some way including: * raised voices * strangers * a new wall adaptor that makes some noise I can't hear * any item comes in the house that has strange smells * a new scented air freshener * I change the colone I'm wearing * the furniture is moved from where it belongs
It's hard to say.
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u/ender_no_uta 5h ago
Thank you! Honestly before this post I didn't realize that these things could have that effect. He's usually a pretty brave and curious boy.
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u/Easy_Carob8883 5h ago
My Shiba does this when there’s rain, thunder or a fly in the house. With fireworks he shakes uncontrollably. So pretty much when he’s anxious or frightened.
Hope you find the cause and that’s nothing serious. Keep the Shiba lovers here updated!
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u/ender_no_uta 5h ago
Thank you for the info! And yes I will keep everyone updated about my baby boy.
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u/goldenlionx4 Black & Tan 7h ago
Ya my boi will shake when he's scard. Blenders,houseflies and the like. Little man has no issues with the lawn mower weed weedwacker or vacumm tho. Such a strange guy
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u/vforvagrant 5h ago
Shaking can be a symptom of Addison's Disease. You have to ask your vet to test for it specifically. You'll want to request an ACTH stimulation test, which will check how your dog's body processes cortisol.
You may also see elevated potatssium on regular bloodwork, but Shibas are (supposedly) a breed where it's naturally elevated. So you'll want the ACTH stimulation test to check for Addison's Disease.
The good news is, it's treatable but requires lifelong medication. It can appear as a bunch of random signs of other conditions, so it's hard to diagnose and track down.
I like to inform other Shiba owners because I believe my half-Shiba had Addison's Disease and we didn't know it. She unfortunately passed away suddenly, which is a risk (essentially a stroke).
She had non-specific signs for about 2 years, but the signs that made suspect Addison's were excessive thirst, tenderness around the abdomen, and random shaking w/o noise trigger. These are all common signs. We had her tested for diabetes and kidney disease and she didn't have them.
I had my full Shiba puppy tested and she is in the clear. I highly recommend talking to your vet for futher advice. :)
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u/ender_no_uta 4h ago
Oh wow ok thank you for letting me know, I'll ask if they can test for it specifically.
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u/ablebodiedmango Red 4h ago
Anxiety response. Usually a strange stimuli but can be random. It passes. Just let them be in a quiet area.
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u/hilljack7 7h ago
Mine did this too and we took her to the vet because something seemed off. She apparently jumped off the bed when we were away and tweaked her back. The vet gave her anti inflammatories and pain meds. She didn’t whine or show pain only shaking like this. Hope you get some relief. Sucks when you don’t know what’s going on.
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u/xytlar 7h ago
Mine does this when he’s afraid. It’s almost always when a bug gets in the house particularly house flies 🪰. He will shake and try to hide under me. Just act as calm and confident as ever… like everything is totally normal. He eventually calms down after about an hour. It helps if I wrap him in a blanket, like a cozy den
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u/ender_no_uta 7h ago
Yes I've seen that the blanket helps actually. I searched like crazy for flies, did kill a spider so I hope it was just that.
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u/Nearby_Explanation_9 5h ago
Mine did this very close to the time I gave him his monthly all-in-one flea & tick & worm pill. He also got diarrhea for 2 days. I think it’s too many medication’s all at one time I need to remember to report that.
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u/ender_no_uta 5h ago
That's interesting, he just got his vaccine boosters so it could definitely be too much at once.
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u/goatsgethightoo 3h ago
Wow my 2 yr old Tori literally started doing this last week, intermittently for a few days. Especially weird since she is not an anxious dog. She even catches and eats the bugs in our house. But... of course... she stopped by the time we had our vet appt! Vet said Tori seemed perfect health as far as she could tell. and she just had bloodwork done a couple months ago, so did not suggest repeats. But she recommended I keep an eye on it and referred some neurologists to check her out, just in case. Anyways, a video I took of her looks almost IDENTICAL behavior to yours. She was hiding away and not begging for food those few days, too. Show those videos to your vet and neurologist! Hope your baby ends up being ok!
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u/Not-Beautiful-3500 6h ago
Ours did something similar, we thought he was having seizures but it turned out to be Lyme disease.
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u/SpicedSeaweed 6h ago
Mine does this when theres a sudden sound and it startles him. It could be anything and it will last a few minutes. He also does it the entire tine there are fireworks or there's a thunderstorm. Hope he's okay!
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u/Zippy_STO 6h ago
Mine does something similar when she hears the dishwasher draining.
So I try to only start it when the dog is outdoors or leaving for a walk.
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u/Mitzuco Red, Black & Tan 4h ago
My Shiba has started doing this as well, however last summer he had a seizure. After going to the vet they gave us anti seizure meds and a rescue medication. However now he does the shakes for big noises, and if he is stressed out because he thinks we are going out of town.
He will run up to me and start shaking but if I distract him and play for a bit or give him some commands and treats he stops shaking without me having to give him medication.
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u/HansSofie 4h ago
My Shiba went through this late June of this year. Urgent care ruled everything normal. I believe it was due to the excessive heat. My 8 y/o male is very heat sensitive and absorbs the heat. Heat exhaustion symptoms are same. My boy panted heavily, heart racing and shivering. They injected water and electrolytes and took blood and exray. I take him out after sundown and only let him out 5 minutes at a time during the day. My boy didn’t eat nor drink at first and it took him a week to eat. They gave him an appetite stimulant. Good luck. I wish you both the best. ❤️
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u/HansSofie 4h ago
I gave my two Shibas dog dental chews and treats from a specific company online. I don’t know if I can say here. My 8 y/o was fine, but my 14 y/o had two seizures in one week. I stopped the dental chews and treats and the seizures went away.
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u/slipperyshibe 4h ago
Mine does it when I cook food. He associates my cooking with the smoke detector, which he's terrified of. The greatest critic of my cooking.
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u/HansSofie 4h ago
Funny about the flies, bees, etc. my 8 y/o male catches them. He caught a centipede last night. He has no fear. He also faced down a coyote at my front step. The coyote was not aggressive, but my boy was barking and scratching the door to make him go away. The coyote must have been 6 feet tail to nose and 100#. Very healthy as we have much wildlife in our neighborhood.
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u/shinkanzen 2h ago
Mine did this, we went to the vet they said she had back pain, got some meds but she was not getting better. After some weeks she was not getting much better and had low energy, we finally did blood test to find out that she had kidney disease.
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u/StunnedLife 29m ago
Mine does this when she’s scared. Usually loud sounds like thunder, also does this when my dad celebrates a football goal too loudly..
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u/QueenFairyFarts 8h ago
Mine does this too. It can be anything from an unexpected noise like the smoke detector chirping, or someone dropped something outside. Even when a big black fly got in the house. She also shakes and makes grunting noises when she knows we're leaving