My Jack Russell is shaking his head and trembling. What's wrong?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Head tremors can be observed with neurologic conditions or even electrolyte imbalances. I recommend that you have Buddy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They are likely going to perform and examination to be followed by bloodwork which should help start sorting this out. A referral to a veterinary neurologist may be recommended. Good luck!

Hi there and than you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. The head tremors could be a form of seizures, pain, muscle related or idiopathic. Idiopathic head tremors is a condition that has been noted in several breeds but can occur in any breed. There is no known cause for the tremors and the disease is called idiopathic for this reason. I would monitor for now and if these tremors increase in frequency or intensity, I would recommend having Lacey examined by a veterinarian for further testing and to discuss the potential causes based on the physical examination. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

If you can call Piper's name and she stops, and if she seems to be her normal self otherwise it's possible that she is having an idiopathic head tremor. The cause of the tremors is unknown but they occur in many breeds and usually are not harmful. If she has had any seizures, if she seems disoriented, or if she seems painful I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian.

At 10 years old I would be very concerned that this tremor represents a possible lesion inside the skull, such as a tumor or infection, or perhaps an inflammatory process. A full exam, to include a neurologic exam, will provide a lot of information that can help to zero in on the problem and localize the lesion. Other possible causes could be exposure to a toxin, but an exam is needed and possibly labwork to really figure out what is going on.

If the tremors are constant, T should be examined by your veterinarian. There could be a neurological cause. If it happens only when he eats, there could be periodontal disease or infection that is causing pain when he chews. A discussion regarding the dietary issues can be had once the tremors have been diagnosed. For now, consider feeding as bland a diet as possible. The vet may provide i/d which is a Hill's prescription diet that is highly digestible and easy on the GI tract.

Please get Spike assessed by a vet as soon as possibelt o investigate and treat the source of the pain. Spinal/disk disease, injury and infections such as tooth abscesses would all be frequent causes of extreme pain in older dogs and the sooner treated the best chance of them making a full recovery

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.