# 4 Month old shaking, bobbing, uncoordinated



## RubysRents (2 mo ago)

Good Morning, 

I am writing out of concern for Ruby, our ~4 month old V pup. 
This morning she was doing some side-to-side head bobbing which caught our attention. It almost looked like she was fighting sleep but nodding off except continuous and more exaggerated. We picked her up and offered her treats to try and get her to follow us and look at her gait - she was lethargic, uncoordinated, and almost drunk appearing. When standing her movements were more like gyrations, wobbles, as if she was trying to keep her balance in a high wind vs shakes as if cold. She is now lying in bed, still but when she rouses, she has almost an essential tremor, more significant than the bobbing we first noted. The new symptoms have been around for several hours now and we are both concerned as they seem to be getting worse
No new foods today, no issues with bowel movements, no previous similar events. 
Of note, she did have her first play date with another (vaccinated) dog yesterday and they spent the afternoon pretty much nonstop playing. Definitely the most exercise she has had so far and by a decent margin. However she was tired but otherwise normal afterwards, she got a good night's sleep, she ate her dinner and then breakfast. We play with her at home every day and she doesn't spend more than 2 hours in her crate except overnight so she is reasonably well exercised at baseline. I am hopeful this is just our error for letting her play for several hours and she is exhausted but the progression and severity have us concerned. It is also Thanksgiving so finding local care has been challenging. 
Please let me know if anyone else has seen this in an over-exercised pup or if this could be the first signs or a neuro issue.

Summary: 4 month old V uncoordinated, lethargic, with new tremors almost 1 day after big play session. 

Thank you, 
A


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Of course see a vet as soon as you can, but it very well could be Idiopathic Head Tremor Syndrome although episodes are typically not hours long. I would ensure she has access to plenty of water and food in case it is some kind of dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. I doubt it is some kind of pathogen caught by the other dog as anything that could present symptoms after the play date would take days to manifest. I'd say if it does not subside and seems to be getting worse I would consider taking her to a vet emergency center.


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## BellaVT (12 mo ago)

This comes close to matching the symptoms of how dogs react to marijuana ingestion. Another common symptom would be lack of bladder control. If this is the case, the good news is that it generally resolves within a day or two.

We encountered this problem unexpectedly when our pup was a similar age. We don't use marijuana, but had spent the day at a public swimming hole. Presumably the dog found a remnant of something and scarfed it down when we weren't looking.

The symptoms were scary, but a call to the emergency vet convinced us that this was the most likely explanation. We didn't bring her in, kept her calm and dark, and she was much better the next morning and fully recovered within 36 hours.

Good luck, and hope it turns out to be something easy like this.


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## RubysRents (2 mo ago)

Dan_A said:


> Of course see a vet as soon as you can, but it very well could be Idiopathic Head Tremor Syndrome although episodes are typically not hours long. I would ensure she has access to plenty of water and food in case it is some kind of dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. I doubt it is some kind of pathogen caught by the other dog as anything that could present symptoms after the play date would take days to manifest. I'd say if it does not subside and seems to be getting worse I would consider taking her to a vet emergency center.


Thanks Dan_A
We ended up taking her in and after some clever questioning by the vet we think we found the issue.... Marijuana consumption. It's Thanksgiving and one member of the extended family noted that they did have some that was out and unattended. We gave everyone a warning about food but I guess this slipped through. 
The vet is inclined to keep her for a day or two but doesnt suspect it is too serious. Overall very relieved 
Hopefully this can help others who see these symptoms


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## RubysRents (2 mo ago)

BellaVT said:


> This comes close to matching the symptoms of how dogs react to marijuana ingestion. Another common symptom would be lack of bladder control. If this is the case, the good news is that it generally resolves within a day or two.
> 
> We encountered this problem unexpectedly when our pup was a similar age. We don't use marijuana, but had spent the day at a public swimming hole. Presumably the dog found a remnant of something and scarfed it down when we weren't looking.
> 
> ...


You nailed it, thanks for the input. The vet is giving us the choice to take her home or not after they do some more observation. It's a tough call for us to make but it makes me more confident that you were able to manage this at home. I am surprised the symptoms last so long. 
Definitely happy it is something that, with any luck, will pass in a day or so. 
Should have known better than to think she was tired, she's a Vizsla after all 
Thanks!


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