Surely you know a chihuahua, or have recently added one to your family, and keep asking yourself why he trembles so much At first he may It may seem funny to us, but sometimes the tremors are seen daily, they do not completely disappear, or they are accompanied by many other symptoms, and they begin to be worrying.
If you don't see an apparent reason, and the doubt assails you why your chihuahua shakes a lot, our site offers you a series of possible causes to try to clear it.
Puppy chihuahua tremor
When a chihuahua puppy comes home, we tend to indulge in cuddles and caresses, so perhaps this tremor or fear goes unnoticed. In addition, its duration is very short in time, only until its neurological system fully matures.
All puppies have a trembling period, which we could better define as "time of unpolished movements, somewhat clumsy and trembling". Thus, it is not difficult to see them enter the bowl of food fully when approaching to eat, since it is a bit difficult for them to measure distances, accompanying this initial movement with tremors.
In general, at two months of age, although it may vary, their neurological system has fully matured (the cerebellum already orders refine each movement with precision), and we stop observing that tremor so continuous. In addition, until they are three or four weeks old they are not able to regulate their own temperature, so they can be constantly shivering if they have been deprived of contact with their mother or siblings, the main source of warmth at an early age. For this, and for many other reasons, the ideal would be for the puppies to remain with their mothers until at least 8 weeks of age.
What if after two months my chihuhua is still shaking and incoordinated?
In this case, it is likely that there was an injury of some kind to the brain during its development, either due to trauma, viral infections (very unlikely lately thanks to a correct vaccination plan), or a bacterial encephalitis. Surely it is accompanied by some other symptom, and our veterinarian will need to perform multiple tests to rule them out, such as cerebrospinal fluid punctures, or even magnetic resonance imaging.
Sometimes there is an abnormal development of the cerebellum, which does not prevent the dog from leading a totally normal life, since this part of the The nervous system has functions of refining movements, but its alteration does not influence learning or relating normally with the environment, humans, and other dogs.
Tremor to regulate body temperature
Mini or toy breeds like the Chihuahua have a high metabolic rate, which means that their temperature is always above that of a large or giant breed dog. It is difficult for them to maintain that temperature, since animals with such a small body surface are very sensitive to heat loss. Immediately, before the drop in temperature they react with tremors (literally, they shiver), a physiological way of producing heat.
Hence, protecting them from the cold is required in unfavorable climates to maintain a suitable temperature. A simple coat, although we are not very supportive, prevents heat loss by convection, which occurs when cold air "steals" the temperature during a walk with cold wind, for example.
Heat loss by conduction occurs when contacting very cold surfaces for a period of time, such as, for example, walking on a tile while it is freezing. In this sense, fat is, without a doubt, a good insulator against the cold, but it is not an excuse for our chihuahua to be more than plump, as some may think.
Hypoglycemic tremor
Although the first prize in terms of hypoglycemia is concerned, the Yorkshire may have it in its first months of life, the chihuahua is not far behind. In both cases we are dealing with very small dogs, with a high metabolic rate, and that sometimes show a selective appetite. Their regulation of blood glucose levels is quite poor, and when the sugar levels begin to drop, we may notice that the chihuahua shakes a lot. Extrapolating to humans to better understand ourselves, one only has to think of "weak legs" when fasting for several hours, or lack of pulse in the same case.
And can it be prevented?
Generally affects puppy Chihuahuas, adults are more resistant, have already developed glucose homeostasis, more experience, and free access to food to "self-regulate". In puppies we can have the wrong idea of feeding them three or four times a day, as we did with another dog that we had during the first year of life.
But Chihuahuas under 8 months should eat small amounts of food every hour and a half to two hours to keep us he althy and prevent glucose drops. It does not accompany the fact that they can be quite gourmets, and go to their feeder only when they have no choice but to eat the feed. Wet food can get us out of that trouble, offering fresh cheese with a drop of honey or a piece of turkey breast can help us maintain normal blood glucose levels. When he reaches adulthood, we can maintain his three or four meals a day with no problem.
What if I don't arrive on time and he goes into hypoglycemia?
In that case the tremors could turn into convulsions, loss of consciousness, and death if we don't act quickly. Rubbing the gums with honey and going immediately to the vet will be the only thing we can do in that case.
It is advisable to read the article on hypoglycemia in dogs that our site offers you to collect some tricks on how to avoid low blood glucose and how to manage it until you go to the vet.
Excitement tremor
No one is unaware that Chihuahuas are a temperamental, expressive and lively breed. It is not easy to find a spaniel with that joy, genetic selection influences both character and many other things.
Thus, it is not difficult for our chihuahua to tremble with emotion when receiving caresses, or attention, after spending some time without seeing us (even loss of sphincter control for a few seconds), or when he senses that we are going to provide him with his favorite food. Sometimes certain rituals make him anticipate that emotion, and he begins to tremble just by seeing us pick up the spoon, if he is highly motivated by food.
At other times, the excitement is negative, and we notice tremors if our chihuahua suffers separation anxiety, when he is afraid of other dogs in the park, when we go to the vet's office, a clear case of anticipatory tremor: literally, he knows what is there and does not like it, or the excitement precedes the aggressiveness and the tremor precedes an attack or brawl, a rush of adrenaline that turns them into trembling little beasts. Quite a frequent thing in this breed with a somewhat peculiar character, do not miss the article on chihuahuas to learn more about them.
Other causes of tremors in chihuahuas
In this section we will briefly mention causes that are not exclusive to this dog breed, but that can also affect it as a dog, something particular, but a dog after all, and explain why your chihuahua shakes a lot:
- Pharmaceutical poisoning, poisons used in gardening, plants…
- Fever.
- Bacterial or viral infections of the central nervous system.
- Neurological injuries at birth or subsequent trauma.
- Visceral or musculoskeletal pain.
- Stress.
- Elder tremor. Frequent in old puppies when they are standing or sitting, it appears intermittently.
