Differential Diagnosis for Tremors in Dogs

Following are differential diagnoses* for dogs presented with tremors (ie, repetitive myoclonus).

• Primary neurologic disease

  • Steroid-responsive tremor syndrome (ie, little white shaker syndrome)

  • Cerebellar disorders

    • Congenital action-related tremors (eg, hypomyelination/dysmyelination)

    • Cerebellitis (infectious, immune-mediated)

    • Neoplasia

  • Idiopathic episodic tremors (eg, idiopathic head tremors, benign postural tremors [geriatric dogs])

• Toxin exposure

  • Tremorgenic mycotoxins (penitrem A and roquefortine)

  • Metronidazole intoxication (more commonly causes central vestibular dysfunction rather than tremors)

  • Other less common toxins

    • Amphetamines/pseudoephedrine

    • Bromethalin

    • Carbamates

    • Cocaine

    • Ethylene glycol

    • Heavy metals (eg, lead, aluminum)

    • Ivermectin

    • Macadamia nuts

    • Marijuana

    • Metaldehyde

    • Methylxanthines (eg, caffeine, theobromine, theophylline)

    • Organophosphates

    • Paintballs

    • Strychnine

• Endocrine/metabolic disease

  • Hepatic encephalopathy

  • Hypocalcemia/eclampsia

  • Hypoglycemia

• Infectious disease

  • Canine distemper virus

  • Rabies

• Iatrogenic disease

  • Blood transfusion reactions

*These differential diagnoses are listed in no particular order, as there is no published literature to accurately describe frequency/incidence to the author’s knowledge.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in December 2019 as “Tremors.”