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Why is my dog staring at walls, shivering, and refusing to eat?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4 years and 1 month old | 10 lbs

My mom's chiwieene is acting weird. He will just stare at the wall and bark. Yesterday he was taking steps very cautiously and slowly and standing in place and his tail was moving as if he was shivering. Other times he acted as if nothing was wrong. Today he has stayed on the patio all day and has not eat anything at all. Do you have any suggestions on what might be going on or what I need to do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jessica Keay, DVM

Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 19th, 2018

I am sorry to hear about Baby. I would be concerned about things like a seizure disorder (they can sometimes act "out of it" prior to and after a seizure, and seizures can sometimes be mild and you may not notice them falling over and thrashing as you see in severe seizures), I would also worry about things like a liver shunt which can cause neurological signs. I would recommend bringing Baby in for an exam at the vet. They can do a neurological exam on him and may recommend bloodwork to check for underlying causes for his behavior.
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