Chloe And Her Head Tremors

[RobinM]

As some of you know, Chloe has had head tremors since we adopted her at the age of 2 years 4 months. They were very infrequent. Maybe 2 x a year. In the last 3 days, she has had 4 head tremors. We give her something to eat like a cookie and it stops immediately.

 

Something is going on that it's happenening more frequently. When I showed the vet this video, she said, this too, we will keep an eye on.

 

I'm scared.

 

Chloe just turned 5.

 

 

 

[Guest jurishound]

Our Cuffy had these and the neurologist at our local teaching hospital said they were nothing to worry about. He is a very well regarded neurologist, but I was never 100% convinced. At any rate, they didn't seem to bother Cuff, but I found them very disconcerting. DD discovered that they stopped when she covered him with her baby blanket and gave him a yoghund or frosty paws.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

That would scare me too. I hope it is nothing to worry about.

[MP_the4pack]

My Pearl also has them. Scares the bejesus outa me, she also has heart disease, hypertension and glomerulo nephritis. (and add a limp to this mess).

 

They lasted only seconds and she's had them infrequently. She's 11 and I noticed the first one about 5 yrs ago.

 

[Guest Energy11]

Hummmm ... If the sugary things help her/then, I am wondering if it might be low blood sugar? That could definitely cause tremors. Might want to ask the vet about this/ Good Luck!

[RobinM]

I wasn't overly concerned in the past as it was infrequent enough. it usually happened under highly stressful periods or change of season to spring.

 

She has had so many in the last 4 days. I just can't figure out if there is a trigger or not. No new cleaning solvants, we keep her off lawns that are treated. Our lawn is not treated.

 

No more stress here than usual. I think she has been just a tiny bit more subdued in the evenings than normal and possibly looks a little bit thinner. I think a vet check is in order. I know they can't do much but at least we can check her thyroid (She is hypothyroid) and is on .5 mg of soloxine a day.

 

It's a start.

[Guest Taras]

My Beebe has the exact same tremors. They started after she was treated for babesia(sp?) it is one of the side effects to the meds . Beebe also has nerve damage in her lower spine and rear leg from a race injury. I notice the tremors more when her leg acts up from to much activity . We have been to the vet and there is nothing there at all . they don't scare me nearly as much as the did the 1st time it happen. We had been tremor free for about 4 months but they started again on tuesday .

thanks for shareing It makes my glad we are not alone in this

 

Tara

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Few questions, by chance has she recently had her heart worm meds?

Also wasn't there a change in the food?

 

Reason I ask about the heart worm. Sometimes when we worm the kennel we will have hounds that get that head tremor. We do like you do and give a bit more food and it seems to clear right up.

 

GOOD thoughts coming your way

[RobinM]

Few questions, by chance has she recently had her heart worm meds?

Also wasn't there a change in the food?

 

Reason I ask about the heart worm. Sometimes when we worm the kennel we will have hounds that get that head tremor. We do like you do and give a bit more food and it seems to clear right up.

 

GOOD thoughts coming your way

 

No change in her foods. She's been on pro plan for years.

 

I gave heartworm one week ago today. The head tremors started 4 days ago. Whatcha thinking?

Edited July 2, 2009 by RobinM

[moosesmom]

Our Moose had these tremors. When we first brought him home, we used Revolution and I did notice that he would have head tremors the day after treatment. He started to have them a couple of times a week and was also acting a bit off. Our vet ran a full tick panel and thyroid test. He had Babesia and was hypothyroid. After treatment for Babesia and daily thyroid meds, we have not seen any more tremors. We also switched to Heartgard Plus and Frontline Plus.

 

More good thoughts coming your way.

[Guest Taras]

Are tremors a symptom of a thyroid issue? We have not had that tested . I guess if you think about it she recently is showing other signs of a thyroid issue.

 

Tara

 

 

[Guest GentleHugs]

My LuLu just started having these, too, after I adopted her. She had a terrible year just before I adopted her. (She was found loose 4 months after the hauler she was on had an accident. When they found her, her left hip was broken (possibly hbc), her right leg had rusty barbed wire wrapped around it, was emaciated, dehydrated and weighed 46 lbs. She had a severe staph infection and her digestive system shut down. The vet said she was dying when they brought her in.)

 

I started keeping a journal about them to see if I could see any pattern as to why she would have these. After a few months, I discovered that every time she ate or drank something that had sugar in it, a few minutes later, her head would begin to tremor like Chloe's. LuLu had a habit of drinking my coffee or tea if she could get to it. Both contained sugar but never connected it to her head tremors. Until one day, a few months ago, she got a marshmallow peep to celebrate Easter just like all my Greys got in the past. It wasn't but 10 minutes later and her head was tremoring like everything. I called my vet, told him what I had discovered and he said it was most likely blood sugar related and to keep an eye on her. Her longest one lasted about 3 minutes. I just stay with her when these happen. When it's over, she seems tired but will move afterward albeit slower than normal. I let her rest and a few hours later, she's back to her normal silly self.

 

She's got pannus, too, in both eyes and permanent nerve damage done to her bladder/kidney area from the broken hip but the head tremors really scared me at first. Although my vet does not call them seizures per say, I'm wondering if they really are a type of seizure??? With LuLu, the only common factor with her tremors is sugar so I'm real careful about her not getting anything that contains sugar. Her blood work comes back normal.

 

Robin - if you find out what's causing Chloe's tremors - would you please let me know, too? I'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks.

 

[RobinM]

Of course I will let you know. Lulu's story is heartbreaking, thank GOD she has you.

 

Chloe has never had anything with sugar or any people food, so it's not that. I am very careful with chemicals in the house etc.

 

She is due for a thyroid check and she has never been tested for TBD. I am wondering if it's time to check her out for that.

 

Are tremors a symptom of a thyroid issue? We have not had that tested . I guess if you think about it she recently is showing other signs of a thyroid issue.

 

Tara

 

No, there are many dogs who are hypothroid who do not have tremors and there are dog who have tremors who are not hypothyroid.

[kamsmom]

Hmm, interesting... My new girl Madi does this same thing at times. I have noticed it but it seems to just stop as soon as I can redirect her. I just thought it was a "tick" of some sort. I'll be interested in what you find.

[seeh2o]

Carl has these sometimes. I've seen several things that "seem" to correlate with the onset of a round of them...applying Frontline Plus will bring them on and there will be several rounds of them for a month or so and then none for months. I switched to Frontline TopSpot, that also brings them on, but not as many and he doesn't have several of them in a month's time. I keep a journal with dates, times it happens and try to timeline anything that has gone on just before it begins. That's why I was searching for a flea prevention alternative, I decided to try him on Springtime's Bug Off garlic granules (for which I was flamed here on GT , but that's another story). My neighbor who Carl sits from time to time had noticed him head bobbing while at her house, she cleaned his ears and it really seemed to stop the bobbing all together. His ears weren't particularly dirty, but maybe even a little crud in the wrong place could trigger it.

 

I don't know if this is the same thing your sweet Chloe has, it sure looks like it from the video you posted. After Carl started doing this (soon after I brought him home) I read up on it on the internet, other's have experienced the same thing...head bobbing increases with application of topical flea prevention also with ear mites (Carl didn't have ear mites, just dusty ears). It's so infrequent that my vet has never seen him do it, I've described it to her, she doesn't seem to be too concerned about it at this point. Boxers, dobermans and bulldogs seem to be more prone to it and some vets call it idiopathic head tremor or idiopathic head bobbing. This is an interesting website with some input from vets about it.

 

I found this little blurb in a veterinary book as well.

 

I forgot to add that Carl was diagnosed as hypothyroid as a racer. When I got him I was not told about the condition and, until his eyes developed lipid deposits, his only symptom was baldness. He went untreated for about 2 years or so, assuming the group I got him from didn't treat him for it. He has been treated for it since November of last year. He has had one episode of head bobbing since then, it was about 6 weeks ago.

Edited July 2, 2009 by ckruzan

[Guest Annie]

Robin, River has had these tremors since I brought him home almost 6 years ago. He is hypothyroid, coincidently.

 

They still worry me a bit, but don't seem to bother him in the slightest. They will stop if I redirect his attention.

[Guest GentleHugs]

Of course I will let you know. Lulu's story is heartbreaking, thank GOD she has you.

 

Chloe has never had anything with sugar or any people food, so it's not that. I am very careful with chemicals in the house etc.

 

She is due for a thyroid check and she has never been tested for TBD. I am wondering if it's time to check her out for that.

 

 

LuLu's story was heartbreaking but after she came to me - her personality just opened up to where well..... let's just say she drives me NUTS! She is the most active and energetic Grey I've ever had (acts like she's still a pup under a year old) and she will be 7 in October.

 

Anyway, when I watched the short video's of Chloe - I noticed she can turn her head while the tremors are happening and also lays down. LuLu doesn't do that. She stays calm and still lying on a dog bed. It only affects her head - not any other part of her body and I can't bring her out of it either. I just have to let it run it's course. It's not associated with the times she gets her monthly meds or flea/tick treatment - only when she gets sugar.

 

I'm thinking I'm going to have another full panel run on her, another thyroid panel done and another TBD titer done, too. It wouldn't hurt (except my finances a little) and maybe something might pop up - who knows. I'm really thinking this might be associated with a TBD since she was on the run for so long in a rural part of Alabama.

 

Chloe is a very pretty girl... how old is she?

[Guest lmackenzie]

Boxers, dobermans and bulldogs seem to be more prone to it and some vets call it idiopathic head tremor or idiopathic head bobbing. This is an interesting website with some input from vets about it.

 

This is an interesting article. I like the response by Dr. Glass I believe it was. Izzi occasionally odd head movements but not enough that anyone but i would notice - it is just a little blip in the smooth movement when she is turning her head. This is different from the video of chloe but not that far off. I have been thinking of getting her a harness instead of the martingale because there are times when i notice the area above her shoulders at the bottom of her neck are tight and a bit bunched.

 

On another note - when i read the article - the first paragraph talks about it being a "gray" area in veterinarian medicine. and my first thought was - they spelled 'grey' wrong...

[Bevd]

Maddison had them (diagnosed as idiopathic epilepsy), Darcy had them as a youngster but seems to have grown out of them and Striker has them - although he has not had any for a few months.

 

With Striker, he has had two clear bouts of tremors and both times was when he was running an infection somewhere. Once was his teeth and once was an upset tummy. Strangely though, when he had a urine infection recently, it didn't trigger any tremors.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

No change in her foods. She's been on pro plan for years.

 

I gave heartworm one week ago today. The head tremors started 4 days ago. Whatcha thinking?

 

My thoughts on the wormer is some dogs in the kennels will have slight head tremors after worming. But it's normally within the hour so we just go ahead and snack them a bit more.

 

Doesn't seem like it's the case with Chloe.

 

 

[Guest SusanP]

My vet told me low thyroid can often cause head tremors. I don't know if you've had that checked? Ooops, just looked back and see this is being checked. I hope it's something as simple as thyrod med levels being due for a change.

Edited July 3, 2009 by SusanP

[Batmom]

Did she have a full thyroid panel with TSH before starting on supplementation? Tremors are more often a symptom of hypERthyroidism.

 

I notice that about a year ago you wrote:

 

Chloe had her 1st head tremor (that we know of) prior to us owning her. She had just been put on Soloxine for her low thyroid (0.2).

When we had her, and we needed to increase her dosage a little bit, once again she had an episode of head tremors.

 

If she has never had a full panel with TSH, I urge you to take her off meds, wait the 6 weeks, and get the MSU panel. Thyroid medication is often thought of as being benign. It isn't.

 

Hugs and best luck.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Batmom

[RobinM]

Jey- we did exactly that immediately after we adopted her. We adopted her in Nov of 06 and in Nov we decreased her thyroid meds to wean her off. Within a week of having her off the meds, we had to peel her off the back of her crate. It was hard but we waited 6 weeks and had a FULL panel done. Everything was off the charts low. Back on she went and all the symptoms disappearted. She is still a tad bit on the low end side but within range on the meds. She symtoms are gone.

 

She's had head tremors, I was just concerned that there were several in just a short span of days rather than over the course of the year. I am going to bring her in on Monday for a thyroid check anyway. Elsie goes in for pre-op.

 

Always something, that's for sure.

Edited July 3, 2009 by RobinM

[Batmom]

If you can't find anything else, see if you can arrange with the vet to run her in for a blood draw next time she is having tremors and get her blood sugar checked.

 

Would be so nice to have an easy answer, wouldn't it? That's a rhetorical question. :lol

[Guest Energy11]

If you can't find anything else, see if you can arrange with the vet to run her in for a blood draw next time she is having tremors and get her blood sugar checked.

 

Would be so nice to have an easy answer, wouldn't it? That's a rhetorical question. :lol

I second getting her blood sugar checked. Yes, an easy answer would be nice!