Last updated July 10, 2003

Q of the week:

SHIVERING DOG

"My dog has been shivering/shaking and panting in abnormal ammounts for a couple weeks. My vet thought it was hormones and suggested spaying. I did that 5 days ago and she she is still sick. She is drinking more and hardly eating, which only started after the spay. The vet did some blood work and a physical and says she is healthy. But she clearly is not. Any suggestions? I am clueless and I am afraid she may die. I just want help as to what it COULD be so I can have her tested for the right stuff. Thx."

Where are you located? Breed, age of dog, when it started and is she sleeping? What was her personality like before this started? Has anything changed in her daily routine? How long ago did she have her last round of vaccinations/rabies shot? Any health problems/illness/injuries?

I am in Ontario She is going to be 8 years old in August. She is a black lab/springer spanial. It started a couple weeks ago. She does sleep, in bits here and there, and she shivers while sleeping. She had her shots a little over a month ago. She hasnt had injuries, just the spaying. The doctor thought this was hormonal so he spayed her but now she isnt eating and she's drinking more on top of the shaking and panting. And she pants a lot. And she shakes so hard its like she is vibrating. But she wags her tail when I talk to her, doesnt wimper, is a little sucky but she DID just have sugery... SO I am stumped... Thx for ur help, if u have any clues... let me know plz -Aschley

First in - Lisa:
It SO sounds physical. The dog had her "shots" a couple of weeks before this started, so might consider exploring the vaccination angle. Also, Thyroid isn't always included in the basic blood work and once again, MSU is the gold standard in doggy thyroid testing. Beyond that, you didn't get an answer to whether or not anything in her life has changed...divorce, somebody going off to college, somebody ill, change in work schedule, etc. What about massage and acupuncture? Lisa

And Cathy:
Obviously I am not medically trained as hormonal doesn't come to mind at all. Since my knowledge here is so incredibly limited, I would tell this woman to drop everything and take her dog to as many vets as it takes A.S.A.P. until she gets some answers. I say this because although I think my own dog, Aggie would still have died from the pulmonary condition she had, I still blame myself daily for not getting her into the doctor a day or 2 sooner. It may, or may not have made a difference, but who knows now? Would thyroid problems enter into this at all? Kim? What would your take on this be? Also, this girl is not a youngster. Spaying and neutering generally lessen the chances of cancers and other diseases occurring . With this dog being 8 years old and just spayed...... I don't know. Maybe this would be a good time for us to get together and have a mini seminar amongst ourselves and talk about some of the symptoms of different ailments that our students tell us about in their dogs.................... again, Kim???

AND thank heavens for Kim!
Okay, sorry but I am in my medical mind right now........ Have they taken her back for a follow up exam? When was the dogs last heat cycle? Is the dog on any antibiotics or pain meds? What did the blood test include? Any other physical symptoms (change in hair coat, distended belly)? Did she have any vaginal discharge or was she licking her vulva "excessively" prior to surgery?

If the owner is concerned the pet might die, why is she contacting a trainer? If she is not getting answers from this vet, have them refer her to an internal medicine specialist/vet school or seek a second opinion.

Honestly, if the dog and decreased appetite and increased water drinking prior to the OHE at the age of 8 I would worry about pyometra (uterine infection commonly seen in bitches about 8 years of age). I am concerned that it may have been starting, and/or was an "open pyo" (meaning the infection could drain out). Usually happens about 3 weeks after heat cycle has completed.

Will have to think about this on a behavior basis, but am really not comfortable that the dog seems to be exhibiting worse physical signs (inappitence and increased H2O consumption). She needs to follow up medically.

"I just want help as to what it COULD be so I can have her tested for the right stuff" ...
We as dog trainers are not qualified to answer this questions beyond suggesting she ask for a referral to a "specialist". Kim

Kim is so right - WHY is she emailing a trainer ... across the continent ... ??
I'm guessing because "the vet says she is healthy, but she clearly is not."
She hit a dead end, and went elsewhere for answers.

We are trainers, we may not dispense veterinary advice - we don't have a veterinary degree.

My reply :
Hi Aschley - Your poor dog. Clearly there is something going on with her.

Since I am not a veterinarian, I can only advise you as one dog owner to another. You said your veterinarian did full blood workup, urinalysis and that her tests came back clear? I wonder if her hormone levels were off and that's what led to the spay recommendation? Chronic pain could cause shivering and panting. Have they done x-rays to see if there is anything going on structurally that could be painful or if she swallowed something she shouldn't have that might be irritating her stomach? A friend of mine's dog swallowed a rubber ball - which didn't show up on x-rays and caused him all kinds of recurring pain and stomach upset for several months before they did emergency exploratory surgery (he crashed-the ball blocked the exit from the stomach to the intestines) and found it.

If it were my dog, I would get a second/third veterinary opinion NOW. I might also contact a good homeopathic vet to explore the possibility that this could be rabies miasm, vaccinosis, http://www.homeovet.net/content/articles_1.html or something that homeopathy could put back in balance. Visit www.petsynergy.com and contact drscholey@petsynergy.com for more information or perhaps a contact in your area. Tufts University in Boston has behavioral experts who do long distance consults and can prescribe medications for behavioral/mental/emotional issues. Here are the numbers I have to reach them: (508) 839-7960 or (508)839-5395 x 4665, email: ndodman@infonet.tufts.edu, website: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/faculty/facpages/dodman_n.html, http://www.tufts.edu/vet/petfax/index.html

Behaviorally, shivering, lack of sleep and rapid respiration could be stress/fear or pain related. If she was a happy go lucky, settled, calm dog prior to a couple of weeks ago, you have to objectively look at what is different now compared to the first 8 years of her life. New noises, construction near your house (big machinery vibrating, hammering, etc) screaming neighbors fighting, things like that. Any emotional/physical trauma?

Also remember that any behavior that you pay attention to could be being rewarded by your attention. Dogs often reflect your emotional state, so if you are babying and stroking and asking her what's wrong, you could be compounding the underlying cause - she could be stressing over your stressing. Act normal, talk to her like nothing's wrong and go do anything she really enjoys together and see how she acts.

I will be very interested to hear what you find out - please let me know!

I hope she replies ...

AND she did (with a little prompting) *S*

"I meant to write you a couple days ago but kept forgetting. Im a scatterbrain. Since I had been over babying her lately I tried your suggestion of treating her normally. I realized whenever I looked at her she started shaking, so I told her "No!" firmly and my mum did the same. She stopped within a day. The next day she was back to eating without me hand feeding her, and now she is back to being totally like her old self. You are so awesome, thx for the suggestion. I would have NEVER thought she was acting mental cuz I was lol. If you wanna see pics of Carly check out my little page for my pets =) For fun, if u have the time *hehe* http://mysweeties.tripod.com Thx again *huggz* Love Aschley"

Obviously the part I left out was simply to ignore the shivering. *S*

Wow. I am surprised and SO grateful for the learning opportunity! -Lisa