FAQ: Has your bulldog ever had Idiopathic Head Tremors?

[bullmama]

FAQ: Has your bulldog ever had Idiopathic Head Tremors?

Did they stop happening or do they continue to have them? Was there any triggers to cause them? How do you resolve them?

Please give as many details as possible to help bulldog owners that are experiencing these. Tell us your story and include videos if you have them.


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[Libra926]

Maggie:

Idiopathic Head Tremor video

 

[agentbunny]

My pup was diagnosed with idiopathic seizures in the form of fly biting and star gazing. Not head tremors. But I think people should know about these types of idiopathic conditions as well.
Here is an example of fly biting:

Here is an example of star gazing:

Both are mild forms of idiopathic epilepsy with petit seizures and do not require treatment unless they become more frequent than once a month.

Here is the video that was used to diagnose her by a vet at Davis along with an EEG. As you can see, she is non responsive when her name is called during the seizure:

 

[2BullyMama]

Yes.... I give a treat as soon as they start and they stop. i found that stress and allergies have been triggers.

my story is here with Nitschke..... http://www.englishbulldognews.com/content.php?514-Head-Tremors-in-English-Bulldogs

 

[JennieS]

Ruthie gets head tremors and I associate them with stress. She only gets them at night never during the day. I went through a whole series of testing with her, i tried yogurt, honey,Ice cream, caryo syrup, apples, cheese, treats...the list is endless. What i found that worked the best was carrots. I will get her attention, make her sit and give her several carrots. It seems to help her having something hard to bite down on. Usually they go right away but there are times where it flares right back up, we end up going through about 10 carrots before they finally subside.
Ruthie is also epileptic so we have to watch that the stress from the tremors doesn't turn into seizures.
Her head tremors is how i ended up on EBN, i found information here and stalked for a while then became a member.

 

[bullmama]

I've only seen it happen once, it was certainly stress related. We were heading home after surgery. Luckily I had a cup of water with ice in it so I gave her a couple ice cubes and it stopped. Luckily I had read enough on EBN about them to know I needed to get her attention or distract her in some way!


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[Avito]

In my case with Lola she likely have 1 maybe 2 per month like the ones with maggie video,I talked to 2 vets they tested her and nothing, 1 say stress the other i didnt even bother to ask, they happend over night and i call her and give her a little nutri-cal gel and thats it, neva tried yogurt nor ice cream tho.. for what i can see its kinda happend very offen with bulls huh???

 

[JennyBean]

Yes, Farley had one today. That is only the second time in the year that I have owned him. I found that if I give him a spoonful of honey it stops in 5 minutes or less. My vet said not to worry about it since they aren't frequent. She said it comes with the breed and they are normally idiopathic.
Needless to say I still don't like seeing it happen and feel bad for him. He is fine and responds to me even with the tremors.

 

[Goob14]

Yes, I believe Goob had one in the past. He was playing fetch outside and came inside the house with a large stick in his mouth. All of a sudden, his head began shaking (I dont remember if it was vertically or horizontally). I took the stick out of his mouth and told my husband we needed to keep him calm until it passed. My husband got him a few treats and Goob ate them and even wanted more. He was completely responsive. No drooling. No other movement in his body. He was almost acting like, "Why are you guys staring at me? Let's go play!" It FELT like it lasted hours but in reality, it only lasted maybe 15 seconds.

It hasn't happened since. I don't know what triggered it but the treats and calling his name snapped him out of it. Yes, when it was over I started to cry, hug him, kiss him, my whole body was shaking. I was scared but thanks to EBN i knew what it was the moment it happened.

 

[Roxy sweetie]

My Roxy started after TPLO surgery, the third day because the medications anesthesia, azeprox and tramadol, but now she is doing better, I received a message here that low sugar and calcium will trigger this partial head movement. So I starts given her kefir cheese and cottage cheese low sodium, fat and organic.

 

[MLCox]

My pup is recently suffering from idiopathic head tremors, possibly seizures. He is 9 months old today and we were getting ready to neuter him and look into stenotic nares and esp surgery. A few days ago he had his first episode at 2 Amin his sleep. He sleeps with us so initially I thought he was scratching himself. I reached to stop him and realized he was shaking. I was able to get video of the incident. His head was shaking back and forth in a "no" motion. This happened again in the morning around 7 am. It was a restless night and a sad sight to see. He was very coherent while it happened. I took him to the vet that morning and he had some bloodwork done and we were referred to the neurologist. His bloodwork came back normal. So today we visited the neurologist. We did additional bloodwork there and the next step is an MRI. This is quite an expense, but that is not the issue. I am heartbroken over this. He is a baby and I never expected any of this to happen to him. My concern at this moment is the MRI and the findings. Has anyone else had an MRI on their pup's head done? Also what is the procedure like. I know he will have to be put under for it and is expected to be there for 8 hours afterward to make sure he is ok after he wakes. I am scared for him and would just like to hear from someone who has been through this before. There are horror stories out there and I've read them and I'm not looking to read further more of those. So please be kind on here and keep my baby in your thoughts and prayers

 

[bullmama]

[MENTION=13474]MLCox[/MENTION] so sorry to hear you are going through this. Can you share your video with us? As far as I know, if it's idiopathic head tremors then an MRI would not give any answers since the exact medical cause is unknown. Many times they stop happening altogether. Many believe it's a blood sugar issue , and others seem to be triggered by stress. But knowing if it's a seizure or a head tremor is very important, as there is a big difference between the two.

 

[2BullyMama]

My pup is recently suffering from idiopathic head tremors, possibly seizures. He is 9 months old today and we were getting ready to neuter him and look into stenotic nares and esp surgery. A few days ago he had his first episode at 2 Amin his sleep. He sleeps with us so initially I thought he was scratching himself. I reached to stop him and realized he was shaking. I was able to get video of the incident. His head was shaking back and forth in a "no" motion. This happened again in the morning around 7 am. It was a restless night and a sad sight to see. He was very coherent while it happened. I took him to the vet that morning and he had some bloodwork done and we were referred to the neurologist. His bloodwork came back normal. So today we visited the neurologist. We did additional bloodwork there and the next step is an MRI. This is quite an expense, but that is not the issue. I am heartbroken over this. He is a baby and I never expected any of this to happen to him. My concern at this moment is the MRI and the findings. Has anyone else had an MRI on their pup's head done? Also what is the procedure like. I know he will have to be put under for it and is expected to be there for 8 hours afterward to make sure he is ok after he wakes. I am scared for him and would just like to hear from someone who has been through this before. There are horror stories out there and I've read them and I'm not looking to read further more of those. So please be kind on here and keep my baby in your thoughts and prayers

Can you post the video... try giving him a treat when it is happening. Is he responsive to you calling his name?

 

[MLCox]

[MENTION=2]bullmama[/MENTION] our vet called them idiopathic tremors but strongly urged us to visit the neurologist because they are happening in his sleep, which is when most seizures occur. Also he tends to stumble often over his own feet. The neurologist viewed the video and said they look like seizures. He's been a little disoriented since and very clingy. Although he is himself at times and wants to run like a maniac or mount somebody, haha. The reason we are doing the MRI is because we need to rule out a few things and make sure that if these are seizures that there hasn't been any damage done to his brain. So with all of that said, I would like to know of anyone with a pup who has had an MRI done so I know what to expect. The neurologist was very helpful and explained it to me. But it's very different when it is your baby and you are going through this for the first time.

 

[2BullyMama]

@bullmama our vet called them idiopathic tremors but strongly urged us to visit the neurologist because they are happening in his sleep, which is when most seizures occur. Also he tends to stumble often over his own feet. The neurologist viewed the video and said they look like seizures. He's been a little disoriented since and very clingy. Although he is himself at times and wants to run like a maniac or mount somebody, haha. The reason we are doing the MRI is because we need to rule out a few things and make sure that if these are seizures that there hasn't been any damage done to his brain. So with all of that said, I would like to know of anyone with a pup who has had an MRI done so I know what to expect. The neurologist was very helpful and explained it to me. But it's very different when it is your baby and you are going through this for the first time.

I know her baby Vegas has epilepsy, but not sure he has ever had an MRI -- [MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION]