Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Idiopathic head tremor in English bulldogs and what to expect
By Guevar, Julien et al.·Published in Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society·2014·School of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Idiopathic head tremor in English bulldogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of English bulldogs was observed for idiopathic head tremors, which are involuntary shaking movements of the head that can happen in different directions. Many of these dogs showed symptoms early in life, with episodes occurring mostly when they were resting and often without any change in their behavior. In about half of the cases, the tremors went away over time, and stress might trigger these episodes. If your bulldog is experiencing similar head shaking, it’s worth discussing with your vet, as they can help determine if it’s related to this condition.
People also search for: English bulldog head tremors · dog shaking head treatment · why is my bulldog shaking · idiopathic head tremors in dogs · bulldog movement disorder
Abstract
Idiopathic head tremor (IHT) syndrome is a recognized but poorly characterized movement disorder in English bulldogs (EBs). The data analyzed were collected via a detailed online questionnaire and video recordings. Thirty-eight percent of the population demonstrated IHT. The first presentation was early in life. There was no sex or neutered status predisposition. The condition disappeared with time in 50% of the cases. The direction of the head movement was vertical or horizontal. The number of episodes per day and the duration of the episodes were greatly variable. The majority of episodes occurred at rest. Most of the episodes were unpredictable. And there was no alteration of the mental status for most dogs during the episodes. Stress has been reported as a suspected trigger factor. IHT in EBs can be considered an idiopathic paroxysmal movement disorder.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24375621/