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My dog has head tremors while sleeping. Should I take her to the vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | English Bulldog | Female | spayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 38 lbs

I have a 2 year old English bulldog that has been shaking her head up and down in an uncontrollable way. It occurs in episodes when she is sleeping. Also, she does not have fleas or an ear infection. Her face folds and ears are perfectly clean and look normal. My mom thinks she is having idiopathic head tremors, but my mom isn't qualified to say so. Should I take her to the vet asap? Or should I not be concerned? Only her head shakes, not her body.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on June 10th, 2018

If the episodes occur when Dawn is awake, then I would recommend having a veterinarian evaluate her. If she is having head tremors, it is important to determine if they are benign or seizure based (which can occur even if the rest of her body is not involved). I would also recommend taking a video of them for your veterinarian to be able to evaluate in case she does not have an episode during her appointment.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
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