It doesn’t bother you so much to see your pet dog shaking after a bath. You know it’s his way of cooling himself. But hours later, when he’s still at it, you begin to wonder why. When dog shaking is accompanied by whining and restlessness, it can only mean your dog is in trouble.
When your dog shivers you should take it as a sign of illness. You can easily observe this when your dog is wounded. But sometimes you can’t see any outward signs at all. Chances are, there’s something wrong inside.
Common reasons why dogs shiver
External and internal stimuli can make your dog shiver. Some of these are:
1. Hypoglycemia. According to dog experts, many pet owners may not be aware that their pet dog is suffering from hypoglycemia. While you may have been feeding your dog regularly, you may not have been aware that its blood sugar level has dropped. You observe your dog eating well, but there might be a form of metabolism abnormality inside that’s too subtle to be noticed. This lowers your dog’s blood sugar to a fault. When your dog vomits frequently, it can’t eat well either, so it results in loss of blood sugar.
You can remedy this situation by feeding your dog honey or syrup, or anything sweet.
2. Fever. When your pet dog is running high fever, he naturally shivers. On the average your pet dog’s body temperature should be between 100.5-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. But when your dog catches a viral infection, it may break out in chills. You are no stranger to this as humans go through the same experience.
3. Fear and anxiety. Your pet dog shivers from fear and too much emotional stress. It’s his body’s response to those stimuli. You don’t underestimate your dog by thinking he doesn’t understand what’s going on around, especially if it involves you. They are very sensitive to mood changes and they easily absorb your feelings, so they feel the same way as you. Many things can trigger fear in dogs: unusual sounds, noise, other dogs, strangers, and creepy animals.
Other than trembling, your dog might stiffen and whine for a time. This is usually accompanied by howling, yelping, and fits of fearful barking.
4. Seizures. When your dog is let loose often you wouldn’t know what happened to it outside your house. Sometimes he comes back with a swollen head—anything that can cause damage to its nervous system makes your dog shiver. Shivering from a swollen head is accompanied by high fever. When your dog eats toxic substances, it can bring him into seizure. Lyme Disease also causes dogs to shiver.
5. Shock. Don’t get this wrong, but not only children go through shock. Dogs are shocked by life-altering incidents. Sometimes dogs are traumatized by fights with other dogs, or a car accident that nearly killed them. You can observe your dog’s paws and ears getting cold. It stares blankly at the wall and can barely move. Its heartbeat is racing. Shivering is another manifestation, and in some serious cases, death.
If you care about your pet dog, you don’t do anything than stresses him. When you can’t do anything about it, take it to the vet.
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