Why Is My Dog Shaking? 7 Causes (And When It's an Emergency)
Shaking is a symptom with a very wide range — from being cold, excited or wet through to poisoning, low blood sugar or a neurological condition. Most cases are not emergencies, but the emergency causes are specific and worth knowing exactly.
Why Is My Dog Shaking? 7 Causes (And When It's an Emergency) — editorial image.
Information sources
This article is built from published veterinary and animal-behaviour sources — the professional references named in the article itself — and every figure it cites appears in those sources. It is general information, not veterinary advice: if your pet is unwell or the behaviour changes suddenly, please consult your veterinarian.
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The Short Answer
Dogs shake for ordinary reasons — cold, excitement, stress, drying off — and for medical ones: pain, low blood sugar, poisoning, seizures, shaker syndrome, distemper or Addison's disease. The way to tell them apart is not the shaking itself but what comes with it: shaking that settles with warmth or calm is unremarkable, while shaking with collapse, disorientation, bluish gums, vomiting or a suspected toxin is an emergency. AKC's veterinary guidance is that when shaking starts with no obvious cause, contact the vet.
Why It Happens
- Cold and thermoregulation. AKC notes senior dogs may shake for a while after cold exposure because their bodies no longer regulate temperature effectively, and that toy and small terrier breeds shiver more readily. Warming with blankets stops it.
- Excitement and stress. Happy-excitement trembling resolves once the dog reaches the object of excitement; whole-body shaking is also a classic stress sign that releases tension, for instance after a vet exam.
- Drying off. A wet dog can shake off about 70% of the water on its fur in four seconds — ordinary mechanics, not illness.
- Pain and nausea. Shivering or trembling can be a sign of pain; nausea can also cause shaking. Other pain signs include vocalising, limping, restlessness and licking a particular site.
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). AKC Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Jerry Klein identifies toy and small-breed dogs and young puppies as most susceptible; VCA lists the signs as weakness, collapse, disorientation, tremors and sometimes seizures.
- Shaker syndrome. VCA describes generalised head and body tremors — steroid-responsive tremor syndrome, most common in dogs under 30 lb with onset around 1–2 years, worsening with excitement and resolving at rest, treated with prednisone with an excellent prognosis.
- Seizures and distemper. Seizures appear as uncontrollable shaking or convulsions with collapse and brief loss of consciousness, most often idiopathic epilepsy; distemper is a highly contagious, often fatal viral disease in unvaccinated dogs that can leave persistent twitching and recurrent seizures.
- Addison's disease. VCA describes vague signs — lethargy, diarrhoea, vomiting, increased thirst and weight loss — with intermittent shaking episodes sometimes seen. It is a diagnosis of vague signs, so phrase it as "shaking can be one sign of", never a prediction.
What the Sources Actually Say
The causes above are paraphrased from two verified sources. VCA Animal Hospitals' DVM-authored pages cover shaker syndrome, Addison's disease, canine distemper and low blood sugar in clinical detail, each as its own verified page. The American Kennel Club's "Why Is My Dog Shaking?" article, quoting AKC Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Jerry Klein, covers the common benign causes and the emergency red flags. Every medical cause in this article is confirmed independently by a VCA page, so nothing here rests on a single source.
What You Can Do
- Start with the obvious explanationsIs the dog cold, wet, excited or stressed? Warm them with blankets, dry them, let the excitement pass. If the shaking stops, that was the answer.
- Look for other signs before decidingCheck for vomiting, diarrhoea, limbing, vocalising, restlessness, licking a site, weakness, disorientation or gum colour change. Shaking alone is weak evidence; shaking plus another sign is strong evidence.
- Do not wait if poisoning is possibleIf the dog may have eaten chocolate, xylitol, cigarette butts or anything else toxic, call a vet or a pet poison helpline immediately — do not wait to see if the shaking stops.
- Feed a small meal for the empty-stomach patternFor small breeds and puppies prone to hypoglycaemia, a balanced diet and a routine feeding schedule help; talk to a vet if collapses or disorientation occur.
- Get new tremors in a young dog checkedVCA notes shaker syndrome is diagnosed by excluding other causes, so new-onset tremors in a dog under 1–2 years old warrant a workup rather than observation.
When It's an Emergency
When to See a Vet Immediately
- Suspected poisoning or toxin ingestion — chocolate, xylitol, cigarette butts — call a vet or pet poison helpline straight away
- Seizure-like violent shaking with collapse or loss of consciousness
- Hypoglycaemia signs: weakness, collapse, disorientation, tremors or seizures
- Shaking with breathing difficulty, bluish gums, or collapse
- Sudden or ongoing shaking with lethargy, vomiting or diarrhoea, or a dog that cannot settle
Non-urgent but worth a vet visit: shaking that starts with no obvious cause, senior leg tremors from muscle loss, or new tremors in a dog under two years old. Distemper is largely preventable by vaccination — VCA notes unvaccinated dogs and puppies are most at risk.
Related Reading
- Why is my dog panting so much? — panting and shaking share several urgent causes, including pain and heat stroke
- Best GPS trackers for dogs — relevant if a medical issue is making your dog harder to find on walks
- Best pet cameras — a camera lets you see whether the shaking happens when you are out of the room
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my dog shaking?
Shaking has many causes and most are not emergencies. Common ones include cold, excitement, stress, drying off, pain and low blood sugar; medical causes include poisoning, shaker syndrome, seizures, distemper and Addison's disease. What separates them is what accompanies the shaking, not the shaking itself. Source: this article, Why Is My Dog Shaking? 7 Causes (And When It's an Emergency)
When is dog shaking an emergency?
When it comes with suspected toxin ingestion, collapse, loss of consciousness, weakness, disorientation, breathing difficulty or bluish gums. AKC's guidance is to call the vet or a pet poison helpline immediately for suspected poisoning, and always to notify the vet after a seizure. Source: this article, Why Is My Dog Shaking? 7 Causes (And When It's an Emergency)
What is shaker syndrome in dogs?
VCA describes generalised head and body tremors — also called steroid-responsive tremor syndrome — most common in dogs under 30 lb with onset around 1–2 years, worsening with excitement and resolving at rest. It is treated with prednisone and the prognosis is excellent, but it is diagnosed by excluding other causes, so it needs a veterinary workup. Source: this article, Why Is My Dog Shaking? 7 Causes (And When It's an Emergency)
Why is my small dog shaking more than my large dog?
Toy and small-breed dogs shiver more readily from cold (AKC) and are more susceptible to low blood sugar (VCA), and shaker syndrome is most common in dogs under 30 lb. Small dogs are also more affected by stress trembling. Persistent shaking in a small dog is a reasonable reason for a vet check. Source: this article, Why Is My Dog Shaking? 7 Causes (And When It's an Emergency)
- 2026-11-07 — First published: causes, red flags and when-to-see-vet guidance paraphrased from VCA Animal Hospitals (shaker syndrome, Addison's, distemper, hypoglycaemia) and the AKC (Dr. Jerry Klein interview). Health note: this article is general information, not veterinary advice.
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