When your dog starts to shake and/or shiver, it can be a frightening experience—especially if you don’t know what’s causing it. If your Beagle is shaky, trembly, or shivery, the potential causes range from the innocent, like being too excited, to the more severe, like a serious health condition.
In this post, we’ll explore possible reasons why your Beagle might be shaking and shivering.
The 9 Possible Reasons Your Beagle Shakes and Shivers
1. Excitement
It’s true—some dogs get so excited to see their owners when they return home after being out for a while that they tremble and even pee themselves in some cases—hey, at least you can take this one as a compliment of sorts!
Your Beagle might also shiver with excitement when it’s time to go for a walk or when they meet new people or canine friends. They’re generally super friendly, extroverted dogs, so this doesn’t come as a surprise.
2. Nausea
In many ways, dogs aren’t so different from us. If they’re feeling a bit nauseous, they might go all shivery for a while. Nausea can be caused by a variety of things, like medication, illness, or eating something toxic.
If your Beagle is nauseous, they may also drool, smack their lips, vomit, swallow more, yawn more, and/or withdraw. Please contact your vet if you suspect that your Beagle is unwell or has eaten something they shouldn’t.
3. Toxicity
Leading on from our previous point, eating something toxic can cause your dog to become sick, including possible signs like shivering and uncontrollable shaking, also called tremors, depending on the toxin. Other signs of poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, lethargy, collapse, blood in the stool or vomit, difficulty breathing, seizures, unsteadiness, drinking and peeing excessively, bruising on the gums or elsewhere on the skin, and many more.
- Chocolate
- Insecticides
- Antifreeze
- Garlic
- Macadamia nuts
- Onions
- Cigarettes
- Xylitol
- Grapes and raisins
4. Anxiety
If your Beagle suffers from canine anxiety, they may shake and shiver when feeling nervous or afraid. Even if they don’t typically suffer from anxiety, they might display signs of it during certain events, like when fireworks are going off nearby or there’s thunder.
If your Beagle is especially anxious when loud noises go off, you might want to try desensitizing them by playing the sound effect at home—very quietly at first and gradually increasing the volume over the coming days and weeks until it no longer bothers your dog, while reinforcing their calm behavior with treats and praise or using distractions. Other ways may include white background noise, a thunder shirt, calming supplements or medication from your vet for extreme cases.
5. Cold Weather
If it’s a particularly frosty day, your Beagle might shiver from the cold. Consider fitting them with a doggy sweater or coat for especially cold days.
6. Distemper
Canine distemper is a very serious and contagious viral disease that occurs when dogs haven’t received their full set of vaccinations. In addition to shaking and shivering, your Beagle may show signs like fever, difficulty breathing, discharge from the eyes and nose, salivating, diarrhea, vomiting, appetite loss, and even muscle twitching and seizures, among other signs.
Canine distemper can be fatal, particularly in young or unvaccinated dogs, making timely vaccination and prompt veterinary care essential. Luckily, today, with the advances of vaccinations, this condition is not as common in developed countries of the world, but its presence reminds us not to overlook regular vaccinations for our dogs.
7. Generalized Tremor Syndrome
Also known as shaker syndrome, generalized tremor syndrome causes dogs to experience frequent tremors. It’s especially common in small, white dogs but is not limited to them—any breed can have the condition. The cause is unclear, but is believed to be autoimmune in nature as it responds well to steroid treatment. Luckily, it’s treatable, and the prognosis is excellent following treatment.
8. Pain and Aging
Dogs may shiver due to being in pain. Senior dogs in particular may develop shaking of their legs due to conditions like arthritis and hip dysplasia. If your Beagle has trembling legs, it’s best to contact a vet, as this could signal that they’re not feeling comfortable.
9. Seizure Disorders
Seizure disorders like epilepsy can cause a dog to shiver and shake. In addition, dogs with seizure disorders might fall on their side, jerk, paddle with their legs, become stiff, chew and drool, twitch, urinate, or defecate. Any suspected seizure activity or abnormal behaviors should be checked out by a veterinarian.
Other Conditions That May Cause Dogs to Shake
- Vestibular Syndrome
- Inflammatory brain disease
- Addison’s Disease
- Degenerative Myelopathy
Should I Take My Beagle to a Vet?
It depends on the situation. If your Beagle only shakes and shivers briefly when you come home or when something interesting is going on, and they are otherwise healthy and behaving normally, they’re likely just excited and haven’t calmed down yet.
On the other hand, if your Beagle shakes and shivers a lot or displays other signs like diarrhea, vomiting, loss of coordination, seizures, and collapsing, or just seems generally unwell in any way, contact your vet, as there may be an underlying health condition at play. If your Beagle frequently shakes due to anxiety, consult your vet or a dog behaviorist to find out how to treat it.
Final Thoughts
The potential causes of a Beagle shaking, shivering, or trembling are extensive. It can be caused by illness, poisoning, or something harmless like overexcitement. Hopefully, your Beagle is just trembling with excitement at the sight of you, but if they tremble regularly or show other signs of being unwell, please contact your vet for advice.
See also:
- Do Beagles Have Separation Anxiety? Is it Common?
- Do Beagles Have Webbed Feet? The Interesting Answer!
Featured Image Credit: Suptar, Shutterstock
The 9 Possible Reasons Your Beagle Shakes and Shivers
