Basset hound is shivering

[paulpaul]

Has anyone seen anything like this? My basset hound girl has been shivering for a little over a month now. She nearly two years old. She's a had a few days here and there when this doesn't happen, but for the most part it's been daily. All of her blood work has come back fine.

She doesn't appear to be in any pain, but just about everything I read about shivering leads to some kind of pain response. She'll go from laying down like you see in the clips to running around playing just minutes later. We just saw a neurologist the other day and the doctor agreed that all of her signs are kind of nebulous. Going to treat her as if she has early stages of disc disease and give her plenty of rest.

Shaking usually happens when she first lays down. If she's distracted, or plays with her toys it seems to go away until she lays down again (it may or may not return once she lays down). For the most part it goes away, or lessens while she's sleeping. Also want to add that she's coherent when it happens so it's not like a full-on seizure or anything like that.

Xrays didn't show anything irregular except for some gas in her intestines so she's been on probiotics for a couple of weeks now. Also on Novox and gabapentin. The plan from the neurologist is to slowly ween her off the meds to see if there is a change in behavior and rule out/confirm that they may be focal seizures or something else.

Edit: I realize that people may not be able to offer medical advice, just posting to see if anyone has seen anything like this and may be able to offer some suggestions on what it could be.

 

[jyne]

@paulpaul Maybe try r/AskVet?

One of the rare questions I've seen on Reddit that they wouldn't just yell at the person to go see a vet.

 

[paulpaul]

@jyne I've already seen a vet...and a neurologist. They were both unsure initially so we're trying some different meds. I was just posting in the hopes that someone may have seen something similar so I can present that to my vet.

I tried r/AskVet and haven't gotten a response, so I thought I'd try here too. I just want my pup to feel better.

Thanks

 

[jyne]

@paulpaul

I've already seen a vet...and a neurologist. They were both unsure initially so we're trying some different meds. I was just posting in the hopes that someone may have seen something similar so I can present that to my vet.

Oh I agree that's what I meant, you are taking the proper steps and using this as a secondary source as appropriate, unlike many posters.

I tried r/AskVet and haven't gotten a response, so I thought I'd try here too.

Ah gotcha.

I just want my pup to feel better.

I hope that happens!

I am by no means qualified to give any advice, but perhaps research CBD for pets and see if there is any potential relief to be found there? I know in humans it's been show to help with similar things (muscle spasms, seizures, etc). Or if it is painful to reduce that component at least.

Best of luck!

 

[paulpaul]

@jyne Thanks! I hope she feels better soon too. I lost my last one unexpectedly when he was just 6. I got her to help me move on and she's been great, but seeing her sick now is killing me.

I've thought about CBD, but haven't asked the vet about that yet. I think they're trying to determine what it is still. It's not like a full-on seizure because she's still coherent.

Still trying to determine if it's some kind of pain, but I haven't found anything to trigger a pain response yet. She'll go from shivering to playing the next minute so it's been hard to diagnose.

Right now the vet just wants to dial back the meds over the course of the next few weeks and keep her inactive (minimize playing, no jumping on couch or bed) in case it's some kind of early disc disease or something like that.

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it

 

[jep4christ]

@paulpaul When you do get a diagnosis, can you please write up an update? Things like this are weird and rare and if this ever happens to an animal in my life, I'd love to know where to start looking.

 

[paulpaul]

@jep4christ I definitely will. I don’t want anyone to have to go through this.

 

[jwb725]

@paulpaul You are obviously a very caring owner. Your pup is lucky to have you.

 

[paulpaul]

@jwb725 Thanks. She means the world to me and I hate that she’s not feeling well. Hope we get it figured out soon

 

[streetpreachergirl]

@paulpaul Have no advice to add but wanted to wish you and your girl best of luck.

 

[paulpaul]

@streetpreachergirl Thanks so much!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@paulpaul My boy does this exam same thing, and the vet said it’s just arthritis and it’s not real. But he’s 16 so,..

 

[coillteglas]

@paulpaul We have a similar issue. Has your dog recently been on antibiotics, and do you give the dog Plaqueoff in its food for healthy teeth?

 

[paulpaul]

@coillteglas Sorry you're going through this too. She has not been on any antibiotics recently. I've never heard of Plaqueoff either.

I've been meaning to post an update, but I wanted to wait a little longer to see how things were going before I did. I believe things are a little better now than they were.

Here are some things that I've tried along the way in case it helps at all. I had her on Advantage Multi when all of this started - I'm not saying it was the problem, but she's not on it anymore and I don't plan on putting her back on it. I've switched her to Heartgard for heartworms and I don't plan on giving her anything for fleas/ticks until I have a problem. From what I've been reading, flea/tick meds can be pretty toxic and I just don't want that in her system if it doesn't have to be.

I came across the following in an article on a veterinarian page: Dogs with impacted anal sacs usually scoot their rear on the ground in an attempt to empty the glands. Some dogs will lick their anal area and other dogs will chase their tails. Cats often lick the fur off just under their tails. Some animals are simply vaguely uncomfortable, holding their tails down, shivering, showing reluctance to walk or hiding. Strangely, some animals seem to refer their discomfort to their ears and scratch and shake their ears as if an ear infection were present.

Because of that I think it has to do with her anal glands. I took her to the vet and had them checked and they were full. A month later they were full again and had them expressed. I may be wrong, and the shaking hasn't totally gone away, but I believe it's gotten better. I've taken her off of Purina Pro Plan and am now feeding her Annamaet Ultra. I found something called Glandex and give her a little of that with her food. I give her some baby carrots for treats.

Those are the main changes I've made along the way. During all of this, my vet has suggested an MRI and spinal tap. She was on Novox and Gabapentin in the beginning as we were trying to rule out some kind of pain. She's been off of Novox and I'm still weaning her off of the Gabapentin. I don't believe the meds did anything except make her a little more tired.

I think the improvements that we've had has come from the dietary changes. Not sure if any of that helps, but I hope your pup gets to feeling better. If you have any other questions, let me know. I've also kept a journal to try to find any patterns in her behavior. It hasn't really revealed anything, but it's easier to keep one as you go instead of trying to remember things here and there. Good luck