Dog Jaw Tremor

Question
My 2 pound Yorkie has jaw tremors when fed taable scraps, like white bread and Special K Cereal for example. They are short 3-5 seconds and seem to be specific to each feeding. So each time I give her a treat she has an episode. It does not happen at any other time or with dog food.

I would appreciate any help.

Barbie

Answer

Hi Barbara,

Trembling and tremoring occur in small breed dogs with reasonable frequency. Several reasons, such as fear, sensitivity to cold, nervous energy, anticipation of an desired activity, as well as many of the same things that can cause people to be restless or anxious.

Dogs can have this kind of jaw tremor for a number of reasons ranging from excitement from tasting something they like or that's new, to anticipating something they like, to even a symptom of a type of epilepsy. Dogs can also do this in reaction to a painful stimuli or a constant ache that they may be having. It's possible your dog is having a tooth or gum problem.

If the tremors continue, it may be a good idea to have your vet examine your dog to rule out a medical problem. Canine distemper, liver disease, kidney disease, some hormonal diseases and other systemic or organ system problems can lead to tremoring. If you opt for having your dog examined, try to notice how alert your dog is while the tremor is happening, and how long and how often the tremors occur, so you can report back to your  vet.

Best of luck,
Patti