Shaking and shivering

Behavioral Issues
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  • AlexA

    I've noticed a strange behavior in the past couple of month, where when I come home from work or guests comes over to the house Chance starts shivering. I can link this to excitement, anxiety and sometimes cold weather. Anyone has experienced same with their older basenji and got any tips to stop the behavior other than sitting with him and petting him or distracting with a treat or a game? Chance is 8 now.

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Alex, the first thing I would do immediately-- if you haven't done one recently-- is get a full thyroid panel. At 8, he's not that old I don't think for fat loss/cold to be the issue. But thyroid can mess with everything from behaviors to handling heat or cold. Obviously he isn't anxious about you, but new shivering sounds strange. For guests... have you tried a thundershirt? It's one way to comfort without you actively assuring him -- which can in turn assure him he is RIGHT to be concerned. There is a lot of research behind them, btw. Really interesting starting with a scientist who has autism and developed the squeeze shoots for cattle to calm them because squeezing calmed HER. And she was right, it works very often.

    Debra

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  • AlexA

    @DebraDownSouth Chance just had a full panel done a week ago, everything is good. Thudershirt is what we use and it does work. Having said that, he has been on seizure medication (zonisomide and keppra) for over a year now, so that is maybe having a side effect.

    Alex

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Oh gosh, Alex, yeah could be the meds. :( Do you belong to any of the canine seizure groups? They might be much more helpful.

    Debra

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    Shivering in a young dog vs older where it may be pain is 'fear' As the thread started out with a young dog, I was wondering if you can recall the circumstances before the actual shivering. Also remember that dogs' noses can be 10,000 times stronger than ours, hearing 'way better', and recall the animals that could tell when a tsunami hit, or bad storm, (barometric pressure for example or thunder way, way out there) the vibrations: of a train, a gun shot, a backfire of an engine, the list can go on. The fear is just something they are not understanding as it is not a (sound) that they are sensitized to, esp young dogs in a new home (up to a year….) Hope this helps (here is a link http://dogs.about.com/od/dogbehaviorproblems/a/signs-of-fear-in-dogs.htm )