# Trembling of legs



## vicki dickey (Jul 5, 2011)

One of my dogs will on occasion have a trembling of his front leg or legs. It can be when he is sitting next to me at a quiet time or like today on the way to the park -he was riding shotgun-that i noticed it. It can last a few minutes and is gone. It does not seem to bother him. And it is not an everyday or even a weekly occurence. Does anyone know what causes this and is it a casue to be concerned? He is a young male. healthy, up to date on vacs and heartworm prevention.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

vicki dickey said:


> One of my dogs will on occasion have a trembling of his front leg or legs. It can be when he is sitting next to me at a quiet time or like today on the way to the park -he was riding shotgun-that i noticed it. It can last a few minutes and is gone. It does not seem to bother him. And it is not an everyday or even a weekly occurence. Does anyone know what causes this and is it a casue to be concerned? He is a young male. healthy, up to date on vacs and heartworm prevention.



Front or back or all four?

What breed?

Is it a recent development?


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## vicki dickey (Jul 5, 2011)

One or both front legs, Aiustralian Shepherd, 18 months old, he did this as a young pup and I have only seen it sporatically and it does not last long. If you look at his face he does not seem aware of anything wrong or unusual happening-he looks normal.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

vicki dickey said:


> One or both front legs, Aiustralian Shepherd, 18 months old, he did this as a young pup and I have only seen it sporatically and it does not last long. If you look at his face he does not seem aware of anything wrong or unusual happening-he looks normal.


I'm not a health professional.

Here are a few things I've read:

I've read that somewhat faulty (not complete, or incomplete in patches) myelin coating of nerves, something that appears to be more common in terriers, does happen in all breeds.

My understanding is that myelin is a kind of fat-and-protein insulating coating.

If the adult was experiencing this for the first time, maybe the vet might look for an autoimmune disorder that was damaging the myelin. 

A younger dog experiencing this trembling in the _hind _legs might be checked out for MS (and of course HD).

There is also polyneuropathy, which I have read generally shows signs between about a year and a year and a half of age. 

And there is genetic myelin deficiency, and also Vitamin B12 shortage causing myelin deficiency.

So ..... those are some terms I've read.

I've also read about puppies outgrowing patchy incomplete myelination, which might cause muscle fiber bundles to fire at random times, causing mild tremors. 


ETA
Again,* I'm not a health professional* of any kind, and all this is nothing more authoritative than just scattershot mention of stuff I have read with regard to trembly legs in dogs.

I'd probably mention it to the vet next visit.


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## vicki dickey (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks Connie. A friend also has a 7 month old female aussie that will tremble but does it more frequent, longer periods of time and all over. It started just recently. A trip to her vet uncovered nothing. The vet put her on Omega 3 capsules. My dog has been on omega 3 supplements from a puppy so no help there for me. I am not sure what the omega is suppose to do. 

I have been trying to research this to see if there is going to be a problem later in his life from it. He is the picture of health and has energy that is nonstop now.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

vicki dickey said:


> Thanks Connie. A friend also has a 7 month old female aussie that will tremble but does it more frequent, longer periods of time and all over. It started just recently. A trip to her vet uncovered nothing. The vet put her on Omega 3 capsules. My dog has been on omega 3 supplements from a puppy so no help there for me. I am not sure what the omega is suppose to do.
> 
> I have been trying to research this to see if there is going to be a problem later in his life from it. He is the picture of health and has energy that is nonstop now.


Does your friend's vet mention the possibility of a seizure disorder?





vicki dickey said:


> .... The vet put her on Omega 3 capsules. My dog has been on omega 3 supplements from a puppy so no help there for me. I am not sure what the omega is suppose to do.


From an old thread:


Connie Sutherland said:


> Long-chain [Omega] 3s are the balancer for Omega 6s. One promotes inflammation and one checks inflammation from running amok.
> 
> The Reader's Digest version:
> 
> ...






vicki dickey said:


> .... My dog has been on omega 3 supplements from a puppy


How much per day, and what is the dog's weight? Are you giving Vitamin E with the fish oil?


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## vicki dickey (Jul 5, 2011)

Connie I have all my dog on Lipiderm. The dosage goes by weight. It has vits .A, E and zinc and Omega 3 from fish oil. The breeder I got Zak from recommended it. I have to say people always ask what I feed my dogs because their coats are shiny, great color and a lot of it.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

vicki dickey said:


> Connie I have all my dog on Lipiderm. The dosage goes by weight. It has vits .A, E and zinc and Omega 3 from fish oil. The breeder I got Zak from recommended it. I have to say people always ask what I feed my dogs because their coats are shiny, great color and a lot of it.


Lipiderm doesn't contain nearly as high a percentage of long-chain Omega 3s as fish oil alone. That's why I give the supplement: for long-chain 3s (EPA and DHA).

I'm not trying to attack it. It's just not what I give fish oil for.




ETA
But a tad off topic. 

Back to "Trembling of Legs."


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## kenneth roth (Jul 29, 2010)

connie could this "Trembling of Legs." be nerve problems? like the dog doesnt have solid nerves for working? or regual nerve problem? its scared?



i am having the same problem with my sisters chiwahuawa she sakes ie front legs back legs, body. she doesnt like me like a friade of me or something her right rear leg been acting up and when my sister frist got her she had a leg problem


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I wouldn't worry about it Vickey, My dogs have done it for years....terriers. Never saw one ill effect from it. I assume it it is from the excitable nature of the beast. Stock dogs would fit into exciteable.


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## vicki dickey (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks Don. This dog for an aussie is very strong and muscular and it just looked odd to see him sitting there with his leg trembling. I have often thought he looked part pitbull but I did buy him from a very reputable breeder .


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Don Turnipseed said:


> I wouldn't worry about it Vickey, My dogs have done it for years....terriers. Never saw one ill effect from it. I assume it it is from the excitable nature of the beast. Stock dogs would fit into exciteable.



I did read that _"somewhat faulty (not complete, or incomplete in patches) myelin coating of nerves, something that appears to be more common in terriers, does happen in all breeds."_ (from above)

And that many outgrow patchy incomplete myelination, and that those who do not still suffer no apparent ill effects.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

vicki dickey said:


> Thanks Don. This dog for an aussie is very strong and muscular and it just looked odd to see him sitting there with his leg trembling. I have often thought he looked part pitbull but I did buy him from a very reputable breeder .



It never lasts long, right? And there are no accompanying events (dazed look, apparent inability to walk)? And always forelegs?


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

My first airedale did it as did many in the subsequent generations. Hadn't really thought about it lately, but, haven't noticed it in a few years. Just, one of those things that isn't worth worryng about unless you want to really.


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## vicki dickey (Jul 5, 2011)

It lasts seconds maybe up to a minute at the very most, has always been front legs,-one or both and he is bright eyed and alert and can jump up and take off at a run. I have a dog that has seizures and this is not a seizure. This is not an everyday event. I saw him do it right before bed so a quiet calm time and at the other end of the scale in the car on the way to the park although he is not the type to get all excited in the car as that is a daily thing for him. From research I have done online it would take a lot of tests to rule out one thing or another and still you might not find the answer. I thought that someone on here might have had a dog do the same and could tell me what they learned if anything and if it caused any problems in the dog's life. My thoughts are that it wont and I am not the kind of person that will put a dog thru a lot of tests unless it is necessary.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

I would talk to my vet, but I did not see anything serious that fit what you describe, with no other events, all front legs, very limited duration, etc., etc.

JMO, though!


I did read last night that each source I went to (Mayo, U of Georgia Vet, PubMed papers) mentioned long-chain 3s to support repair of patchy incomplete nerve myelination, even though, since since DHA is not a component of myelin, the mechanism isn't completely clear. If you Google myelination and DHA, you'll find a lot.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Don Turnipseed said:


> My first airedale did it as did many in the subsequent generations. Hadn't really thought about it lately, but, haven't noticed it in a few years. Just, one of those things that isn't worth worryng about unless you want to really.



The patches of incomplete nerve myelination that's common in terriers isn't the only cause for this kind of trembling.

If it was one of the_ other_ causes, many of which I listed on page one, then IMO it wouldn't fall into the "one of those things that isn't worth worryng about unless you want to really" category.


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

My female Mal does this.... usually in her back legs, but I can directly correlate it with working or when I tell her we're going out for a walk or something... for her it's just anticipation. It's almost like she's a loaded spring wound tight and ready to go off.

Any chance they could have just seen something as you were driving along that peaked his drives?

Here's hoping its a non-issue


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## brad robert (Nov 26, 2008)

I too have seen this in numerous dogs, terriers and other working dogs and i dont think i would be to worried about it.Connie could be onto something though with the thin coverings of nerves it sounds very interesting.


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