# my dog won't stop trembling



## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

well, for the past 4 weeks on monday night, django has gotten up in the middle of the night at 1:00 a.m. to go out and poop. as soon as we walk back in the house, he starts shaking and can't stop. the first 2x times i picked him up and tried to rub his belly. he could not get comfortable and wouldn't stop shaking for 5 hours. i rubbed his belly, gave pepcid, nothing would bring him comfort. he wanted to lay on the floor all night, i guess the hard surface helped.

we had another episode last night. this time, i took him upstairs back to bed and did not pick him up, i grabbed my pillow and blanket and laid on the floor next to him and we both went to sleep, he trembled for about 1/2 hour and then seemed to settle in. around 3:00 i picked him up and stuck him in bed. he trembled a bit but then settled in. it appears as though picking him up and holding him was causing more discomfort then good.

i took him to the vet last week for this issue. the vet took xtrays, blood work, etc. etc. saw a few stones in his bladder. don't know what's causing this. what i do know is that it hurts him cuz he's always making a sad whimpy sound telling me he's in pain. what i can't figure out is why does this happen 1x a week and why at 1:00 in the morning. this would occur every blue moon but now it's become a weekly occurance. we've had no issues with his pooping during the day, he eats plays and all is good except this weird issue which no one can put their finger on. i hate seeing him in pain. any tips or suggestions?


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## lanabanana (Jul 2, 2011)

Oh, the poor baby!! I've never heard of anything like that, so don't have any brilliant ideas, but just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'd be all worried, too!

Alanna


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I wonder if he hears something that worries him, that you don't hear.


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

I would be getting a second opinion from another vet if it persists....(but maybe thats just me being overly cautious)


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Is he having a stool prior to trembling?


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

his system is regular, he plays, is as happy go lucky as usual. then, in the middle of the night he goes out to poop and 2x it's been to pee, comes in and shakes. it happened again last night. i have to take him to the vet next week for his shot. the vet told me to log everything because there might be something that's triggering this. i don't know if it's the stones in his bladder and the pressure of eliminating causes them to move...no clue all i know is that last night he was in discomfort. i gave him a little mylican, laid down with him on the carpet and about an hour later he settled in for the night. as soon as i picked him up and put him in the bed, he starte shaking and then settled in for the night. i had 3 vets and a radiologist review his films last week when i took him in.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

I know trembling is a sign of pain, but am sure there can be other causes also. Stomach problems would have been my guess, but it seems you have been told he is okay. Please keep us posted on what you are doing.. Do you live in Florida? 
I think a second opinion is necessary also...or another opinion..Hugs and prayers. Keep us posted, please?


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Well, I don't know about dog bladder stones but if its anything like human stones it is really painful. I just had lithrotripsy to break up a stone the size of a peanut m& m that was blocking my ureter and it wasn't fun...it was hellish. I feel so bad for your little guy and hope you can find an answer to his pain. The only thing I can think of would be something with the spine if it is hurting him when being picked up and getting into a position to poop...but why only at night would be the question. please keep us posted.


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## jillnors2 (Apr 12, 2007)

Did the vet xray his back? My older girl is prone to back problems and she shakes and can't get comfortable if she strains her back.


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

I am so sorry, I hope that you find something out. Is he crying out in pain at all?


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I am sad to hear this. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon. It does sound like something is causing him pain....

Please keep us posted. And I would also get another opinion.

Kisses and belly rubs from his furpals.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Do you actually go out with your pup to potty at night? There may be something outside that frightens him. Dexter trembles when there is thunder, storm coming, and now when it is raining (because he knows thunder may be coming).


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Hopefully, the vets were be able to figure it out. It sounds as if he is scared or in pain. Probably this is unrelated but my little niece has a condition which a nerve or blood vessel is too close to her rectum. If her stools are too hard or she strains, it applies pressure and she gets hit with a wave of pain and passes out. Scariest thing ever but it always seems to happen when she is in a hurry and under stress.

Perhaps your furbaby is straining more at night because he is hurrying to get back inside? Stones are awfully painful and scary. Dogs doesn't drink as much at night. There would be less fluid to cushion the stones.

I know, I know... I am throwing out wild ideas. I hope that whatever it is, they figure it out soon.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

What does the vet say about the stones. Are these meds that you are giving ,prescribed by the vet?


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I don't know about the trembling, but in the '70s we had a female Sheltie that peed too much. I took her to the vet, I'd brought a urine sample. He was a young vet filling in for a year while my vet was out of town for a year studying for a new procedure. The vet noticed something out of whack in the sample but wasn't positive what it was. He referred me to the local vet school that hadn't been open that often. Fortunately, I was seen ( I mean the dog) and he diagnosed bladder stones. The dog was only about a year old. The operation to remove them was the next day and two were removed. They were about 1/2 the size of a golf ball. The dog had no problem after that and neither her litter sister, mother or any relative after that had a problem.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Do we have an update?


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

thanks to everyone for responding. i didn't have access to email down in florida. we have had his back checked, nothing outside to scare him. this was interesting. i spoke with the breeder, she recommended picking up his water a couple of hours before going to bed. this would allow him to empty his bladder at the end of the night. the dog sitter did this and she said the first night he was up all night looking for water, very sad. the second night, he slept like a baby. 

i spoke with the behaviorist/vet who has helped us with D and his SA issues and she reviewed his chart over the past 6 months. she said he has distrofic mineralization, a common issue with addisonian dogs. the mineralization can lay down in their skin or organs and can be very painful, this happens because of changes in his steroid level and causes body to do funny thing with extra minerals. no stones. she read the radiologist report and noted that most vets would see this as stones but in fact they are not.

she recommended pain med. only as needed and i agree. the pain meds can cause GI issues which Django already has enough GI issues so we have to be very careful how we handle this. i am going to the vet tomorrow to talk further and come up with a plan. i guess it's all part of having a dog with addisons. going to try to pick up the water but no too soon, the addisons makes him very thirsty so there's a fine line with that as well. thanks to everyone who chimmed in. these babies sure do keep us on our toes! LOL


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

So glad you are getting answers..poor little guy..I feel so bad for him. Please keep us posted.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

oh poor Django. And poor you. you both have been through a lot together. I hope this is just a blip and everything is back to normal soon.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Thank you so much for the update. Maybe you are getting close to an answer to the trembling.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

I hope so. we were up again all night last night. what's odd to me is why does this happen at does this not happen any other time during the day except for 1:00 a.m. and he goes out to pee and poop, comes in and all breaks down.

the behaviorist/vet was concerned about the pain med. Tremadol which she thinks the vet will prescribe, doesn't work well with Chlomicalm and causes GI upset. we shall see what happens today at the vet.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

I have been watching your post and I am so happy you updated. My Lhasa who has Addison's also will do the trembling, I was also told it was the Prednisone but no detail as to why. We have tremadol, I have only used it once as he does not do so well on it. My dog is so much older then your baby and mine has so many other issues, disc, heart, allergys and PRA, I thought that maybe these other things might have contributed. Boo Boo's trembling waxes and wanes, for him it happens if his routine is upset for a few days, and sometimes for a few days after a thunder storm esp if he was alone at the time of the storm (always at the same time of day or night as the orginal storm). Sometimes it helps if we put a shirt on him with some weight to it.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

You know, i just had a thought since it only happens late at night...could Django possibly have low blood sugar at that late hour? his meds may be messing with his metabolism and he may need a bedtime snack or a small meal? I know my boys used to vomit in the am from hunger, and now they get a biscuit at bed time. 

just a thought. I have a soft spot in my heart for Django and all he (and you with him) has been through... and I still think his picture is the best Havanese picture I have ever seen.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

i love the suggestion for a p.m. snack. who doesn't love a before bedtime snack! I will start that tonight. 

Well, the saga continues. I went to the vet today. It's not stones, he thinks it might be acute or chronic (I can't remember which one) pancreatitis. he had a bout of pancreatitis 2x in the past 4 years and sometimes the organs don't heal completely. so, we did blood work to determine that, his amalayse (in his blood) was very high. Depending what shows up in thie specific bloodwork, he's going in next week for his monthly shot and the vet thinks it could also be his gaulbladder. we will do an ultrasound if need be next week. 

The Tremedol works great however it has negative effects if your dog is on antianxiety meds which Django is on so, the vet gave me a different pain med to give him over the next 3 nights before bedtime. the plan is that the meds will mask the pain and he will sleep thru the night. we both agree that pain meds on a regularl basis are not the route to go but this will help things in the interim until we figure out what's going on. all i pray for tonight is a good night sleep for the both of us!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Are the antianxiety meds to treat the same symptoms? If so, hopefully you can find the right balance.

Wishing you well,


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

The antianxiety meds are to treat his SA. Last year we had terrible SA and thanks to the behaviorist, we found the perfect balance of meds. Took about 2 months to find the right cocktail and get his appetite back on track but Django is in an amazing place and we don't want to rock that boat.

Missy, I took your advice last night. Django in general doesn't eat like a normal dog, we are lucky if he eats 1/2 his food and with what's been going on, his appetite has been all over the place. He hadn't eaten all day so I did my usual and put a little canned in his kibble and he ate everything around 6:00. He had a full belly before bedtime and slept thru the night! No episodes!!! I on the other hand was up all night in anticipation of him waking up. LOL. I wonder if low blood sugar could be another piece to the puzzle.

I did some research on the internet on the pain med. the vet gave me yesterday and it says to avoid this medicine if your dog has Addisons! I wasn't sure if the dose he gave me was low enough and safe enough but regardless, I didn't give it to him and I put a call into the vet and told him I needed to talk to him about the pain meds. In the vets defense, we were so focused on finding the right pain med. that would not have a negative effect on his SA meds so...The Best part, no pain meds needed and he slept thru the night! The saga continues!


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## windfallhavs (Oct 19, 2006)

Ok...I know this is going to sound silly, but I do think your vet should check his gallbladder. I had gallstones and the only way I knew that something was wrong (ie not food poisoning, etc) was that every time I had an attack it happened at the exact same time of night...always at 3am. I know that dogs are different from humans, but when you said that it happens at the same time every night, it reminded me of my gallstones. 

Hoping the vet gets to the bottom of this soon!


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

I agree 100% I actually asked him if he thought it could be the GB so depending what happens friday with the blood work, if it comes back clean we will do the ultrasound next thursday when i take him in for his monthly shot. i have had several friends who have had their GB removed and they had similar symptoms as well.


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