Help my shivery Puggle!

June 26, 2014 4:26 PM

I have a 7 year old puggle. He has had no health issues to speak of. Within the last week I've started noticing him shivering. It lasts for up to 20 minutes at a time and doesn't seem to have any pattern. We're in Arizona so it's definitely not cold that's causing it. We keep the house air conditioned to around 78 degrees and always make sure he has water. Any thoughts on what could be causing this?
posted by mattholomew to Pets & Animals (13 answers total)

Any change in your dog's behaviour without an obvious cause should be taken up with your vet, just to rule out any medical problems.

Another cause might be any changes in your environment that are causing your dog to be stressed, or that the A/C actually is a bit chilly for him- make sure he has snuggly places to sleep and see if a tshirt helps him any.
posted by mymbleth at 4:32 PM on June 26, 2014

Shivering can be a sign of a back injury.
posted by HotToddy at 4:32 PM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

It can also indicate a urinary tract infection/kidney issues.
posted by Hermione Granger at 4:41 PM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Seconding sign of back injury. Or just pain/nasuea in general.
posted by wwax at 4:42 PM on June 26, 2014

My dog shivers when he's got joint/muscle pain. Best to go see the vet.
posted by quince at 4:42 PM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Shivering like shaking slightly like a tremor? Our 5-year-old puggle does that occasionally, although not prolonged periods of time and not because of any stimulus. She anxious/nervous so we generally chalk it up to that. We mentioned it to the vet and he said not to worry about it unless it becomes frequent or sustained, so take your puggle to the vet.
posted by griphus at 5:05 PM on June 26, 2014

Could be hypoglycemia, exacerbated by dehydration (ask me how I know..hint..it happens to humans.)

But go to the vet. I'd rather know and have options, than just randomly guess.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:21 PM on June 26, 2014

Could it be a seizure? Some can be long.
posted by Riverine at 5:34 PM on June 26, 2014

In my sweet old Maltese years ago (rip, Mickey), it was the pain from arthritis.
posted by kimberussell at 7:19 PM on June 26, 2014

Seconding back or kidney issues.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:07 AM on June 27, 2014

Oh, wow! Lots of dire suggestions in this thread. It's a sudden change, and I don't know much about puggles, but every single perfectly healthy chihuahua I know does this sometimes, and as far as I can tell it has nothing to do with the temperature or nervousness. It's just a Weird Dog Thing.

Hope your pupperoni is ok.
posted by Juliet Banana at 8:28 AM on June 27, 2014 [2 favorites]

My mini schnauzer did that and we went through about ten possible things until our vet had a hunch and tested him for Cushing's Disease. That was it. Meds fixed him right up. $90/month meds.
posted by PSB at 1:45 PM on June 27, 2014

This happens to my dog every now and then. Sometimes it seems to be brought on by high pitched noises, like a neighbor's chirping smoke detector, other times it just happens and we don't know why. He's always fine immediately after. Our vet didn't seem concerned.
posted by buzzkillington at 12:13 AM on June 29, 2014