The most common physical and psychological reasons
If you have a dog, one of the funniest of its behaviors are the shivers and related tremors. Actually, it is a quite frequent behavior that can have many possible causes, from fear to tension till becoming a symptom for health problems. Tremors can show more frequently in puppies or in small-size dogs, but they may appear at every age, dividing up in physical and psychological reasons. But what does it mean when dogs shiver?
Dogs that shiver, physical causes
If you notice that your dog shivers you should try to understand the causes. There may be some physical causes behind it. The most common ones are hypoglycemia or a side effect of some medications, that it has been poisoned or simply due to cold. Hypoglycemia indicates a low level of sugar in blood and it is more frequent in small-sized dogs. Tremors may be due to the side effect of a medication and if so you should take your dog to the veterinarian stopping that very medication.
Among the most common symptoms of poisoning from toxic substances there is the tremor with shivers: if so you should promptly take the dog to the veterinarian. Generally, shivers are suffered from small-sized and short fur dogs, while for the older ones it may be due to muscle hypotrophy, arthritis and arthrosis that cause pain: we can intervene by contacting the veterinarian who will prescribe some vitamins and medication.
Dogs that shiver, the psychological causes
There are many psychological causes that led the dog to shiver. Here they are some.
The dog shivers when it is showing excitement, maybe when it understands we have to go out or come back home. Generally, it is a behavior to control in small-sized dogs, but shivers can incur when a dog is anticipating something that it likes such as the retrieving game. Some dogs even bark when they see other animals and want to play.
Fear and stress may cause shivers in the dog that reacts facing stressing or ferful situations. You can see this behavior during a storm or when they hear strong noises. Shivers in dogs may also be the results of more serious conditions, so if these issues occur when they eat toxins, have convulsions, stomachaches, nervous system issues or they often occur it is recommended to contact a veterinarian.