Possible seizure in toy poodle.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Curly is having problems with shaking. There are a few things that can cause the symptoms you mentioned.

It is possible that he is having a seizure. You can find more information here on seizures in dogs.

Sometimes seizures are caused by ingestion of something toxic, but in many dogs we never find the cause of seizures and call it epilepsy. It's a good idea to write down whenever Curly has these episodes. If they are happening several times per month then your vet may consider putting him on medicine for epilepsy.

It's also possible that he has a condition called a portosystemic shunt (liver shunt.) This can cause episodes of wobbliness and uncoordination. However, this is usually something that we see in really young puppies, so if you haven't seen this for all of his life then this is not likely.

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can cause similar symptoms as well. It is not common for dogs to have issues with low blood sugar, but some little dogs can have hypoglycemic episodes.

If he does this again, see if you can videotape the episode. This will make it a little easier for your vet to help you figure out what is going on.

I hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.