Why does my old Yorkie's head shake when he's falling asleep?

Oh my. Poor guy. This sounds like muscle tremors and is a sign of a severe neurological abnormality that can be caused by a toxin ingestion, underlying brain/spinal cord tumor, or even an underlying metabolic imbalance (not as common). I would highly recommend taking KyCzar in to your vet to have him evaluated. Baseline bloodwork will likely be recommended and perhaps even a referral to a neurologist, if you wish to pursue further treatment and work-up. Unfortuantely there is not a good way to share videos using the free posting to the forum service. You will likely need to open up a private chat with an expert in order to share a video of your pet. But from the description, this sounds like potential muscle tremors or a neurological disorder for sure. I do hope that your fur baby is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The falling/lethargy episode you described may have been a seizure. This may be due to toxin ingestion or epilepsy, which does occur occasionally in older dogs. Head shaking may be related or unrelated as an ear infection. I recommend having Sami seen by her vet who can perform bloodwork and x-rays and prescribe anticonvulsant medications if the seizures continue. I recommend bringing a video of the episode if you are able to, as his will be really helpful in determining if the episode was truly a seizure. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

I reviewed the labs and I don’t see a cause for the symptoms you describe. ALP is a liver enzyme but it is also made in growing bones and an elevation can be normal in a puppy. Calcium and phosphorous can also be increased in young growing dogs. Albumin is a little low and so is total protein (albumin is one of the proteins) and this can be seen with parasites or inflammatory diseases. It can also be seen with portosystemic shunt if there are other symptoms. I did not see blood glucose and would be concerned about that possibility.

Oh my. Poor guy. His symptoms unfortunately aren’t specific for one disease process to speak ok. Lethargy, shivering and weakness can be caused by just about any disease process including: toxin ingestion, underlying heart disease, or even anaphylactic shock is a possibility. But one thing is sure, Snoopy is in need of medical care if this has been going on for more than 6 hrs or so. He will need some diagnostic testing (bloodwork analysis to start) to determine what the underlying problem is so that we know how best to help Snoopy get better. I would recommend getting him seen as soon as you can. I hope that he is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best of luck to you and take care.

That is very odd. Certainly pets can have a seizure in response to a stimulus but it would be unusual for it to be something more subtle like paper crinkling. If he has a bad back or a neuropathy and he is trying to move too quickly, it could mimic a seizure type activity. If you can capture it on video to show the veterinarian, that may help a lot. If the doctor has not checked his proprioception and his back, have this done. If seizures are still suspicious, you may try the new Purina diet for seizures called NeuroCare. Omega 3 fatty acids for dogs can help with inflammation as well and this may be beneficial. Lastly, there are medications for seizures as well. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

These are certainly scary and concerning symptoms. I'm sure you are very worried about Bella as am I. I would recommend that Bella be seen by a veterinarian right away as the symptoms you report could be signs of something serious like low blood sugar. She is a tiny little dog and a Yorkie as well so there are some breed related issues that can cause similar signs. Seeing a veterinarian right away will help to rule out many things and hopefully get her feeling better as soon as possible. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!