We have two rescued ex racers, both just over five years old and in general good health. Recently the bitch - Anna - has been having occasional bouts of what I can only describe as head shaking - looking almost as though she was indicating a very firm "NO" to some question or command. It can happen whilst she is lying down, sitting or standing, and can continue for a few minutes. She does not appear to be distressed when this happens. Her eyes look normal, her tongue doesn't loll and she appears to be in control of her faculties throughout - other than the headshaking. If I hold her head reasonably firmly it will stop, until I let go again and the shaking continues. On one occasion I have gently raised her head upwards - looking to the sky - and the shaking lessened then stopped. Whether this was merely co-incidence or not I can't yet be sure. We have spoken with a vet who so far can offer little other than theory and advise continued observation to see if any pattern emerges.

Has anyone out there ever seen or heard of anything similar, whether in Greyhounds or any other breed. Any suggestions or information welcome.

Thanks in advance

BenAnna

BenAnna,

As you have already seen the vet and it appears that the dog is not distressed when it is happening (I assume they are observant and look toward you if you said their name), then it sounds very similar to something one of my bitches does.  Her head and shoulders shake and she appears to not be able to stop it on her own.  We now give her a small amount of chocolate, when I say small I mean 3 or 4 maltesers or a couple of cubes of choc, or a small bite of mars, and it seems to cure the problem very quickly.  In this case we assume it is down to low blood sugar although the vet could see nothing wrong, but he has never seen her having the 'shakes'. 

It's worth a try if you are happy to give your dog chocolate ( I suppose something like honey or jam would do the same but she was more keen to eat choc!)

HTH

It sounds as though it is something known in my breed as "Dobermann Head Nodding (Bobbing)" disease. 

There have been all sorts of neurological tests but nothing has ever shown up.  Most dogs can be distracted with food or a toy and come out of it.  It seems to happen most when dogs are very tired, adolescence, around seasons or during times of stress.  Some people think it is due to excessive ear wax and others swear by vit. B.  With some dogs it happens a lot and others do it once or twice in their lifetimes

Hi this might sound really stupid, especially if your vet has seen your dog and he hasn't checked, but could be as simple as ear mights? You haven't mentioned that you or the vet has checked for them.

Put these words into your search engine, "chocolate can kill a dog"...you'll think twice about giving your dog chocolate when you read the results. Chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities.

Stakemaster, I am not trying to start a fight here but I do feel I need to answer you post.:-)

'It's worth a try if you are happy to give your dog chocolate' is what I said.  I'm not a fountain of all knowledge but I do know that some dogs have died from theobromine poisoning, some get upset tummies, some have no effects at all.  Milk choc carries less riskthan dark chocolate which, in turn, carries less risk than the darker, bitter cooking chocolate.:-)

I made an assumption that the bitch in question was a greyhound, my bitch is about the same weight as a fully mature greyhound bitch (about 27-28 kg) and I only gave my bitch 3 or 4 maltesers.;-)  This is nowhere near the amount of choclate that the websites state causes toxicity poisoning.

I have read the websites and I will continue to give my dog the very small amount needed that cures her head shaking.  I don't let my dogs 'binge eat' their way through bars and bars of Bourneville.:-)

Steph

p.s These are the only smilies I know how to do otherwise I would have added more so that you can see the tone of voice I am using when I write this.

I see what your saying, Steph, and didn't mean to offend...You're right, as long as people are aware of the risks and are in control of the chocolate then no problem, but you also have to remember that dogs can't read and quite easily get hooked on the smell of chocolate...given their basic scavenger instincts, it would be a highly trained dog indeed that would leave an unguarded bar of chocolate alone...it was worth the mention anyway for those that may not know...

Regards

I know what your saying, which I why I also didn't want you to take offence lol.  What a caring pair we are! ;-)

I think I would be in a complete panic if I thought my dogs had eaten lots of choc and would be extremely worried.  Luckily for me my dog (Bulldog) doesn't get the chance to steal food - must be the short legs.:-)  However my new pup, a whippet, will be lots more agile and able to reach higher surfaces - so I will just have to make sure I eat all of the chocolate as soon as I buy it.

Take care

Steph

Too true stakemaster!  We had a Beardie who was a confirmed chocaholic.  When my children were living at home we were in the habit of hiding chocolate presents for xmas, easter etc.  She once got onto a wardrobe (must have used the bed as a trampoline:-) to steal and eat two large easter eggs.  Another time she opened a large jar of nutella, without breaking jar or lid, that my daughter had hidden under her bed (from me:-) and ate the lot!

Fortunately, she seemed not to have a sensitivity to theobromine and lived to 15 yrs.

Julie

It sounds almost certainly that its  a condition known as 'Idiopathic Head Tremor'. It is known in English Bulldogs, Dobermanns and more recently it has been recorded in Cavalier King Charles, that does not exclude other breeds no one really knows when a dog is taken to vet with it so there are no serious records.

It has been extensively studied by neurologists in the US and the cause remains unknown, although a hereditory cause is suspected.

There is rarely a pattern but generally the bouts are much more frequent in young dogs, it can start at around  5 months and bouts can be several times per day or even per hour or you can get one bout a month. The bouts can last for a few seconds or many mins.

The condition might start to decrease at any age from about 2 onwards and bouts usually  become occasional occurrences as the dog gets older. There are no known adverse effects but it can be extremely distressing for an owner untill they know what it is.

steph 2

>We now give her a small amount of chocolate, when I say small I mean 3 or 4 maltesers or a couple of cubes of choc, or a small bite of mars,<

I don't now who told you to try food but very often giving a bit of kibble will stop it with a lot of dogs, some neurologists suggest it could be a muscular problem but its only guesswork, they do not know. But yes small bits of food seem to be the commonest way of stopping it in many dogs which are affected.

BUT-You should NEVER give a dog human chocolate of ANY kind, it can cause problems, is life threatening and can kill, I think its something in the cocoa.

I have posted this subject separately as plenty people know more about the dangers of chocolate then me.