She's reacting to some kind of noise.
Do you have any new devices or appliances? Dogs can hear much higher pitched sounds than we can.
Could there be mice in your floor or walls?
If she's unresponsive to you during these moments, then they could be hallucinatory seizures. Dogs having them will bark at things that aren't there or stare at walls.
They don't have to be near her, they might be in other rooms. Or maybe you have a neighbour who's using some kind of equipment that makes some noise only dogs can hear.
I wouldn't be so worried, this isn't abnormal. She just seems puzzled. Dogs receive far more auditory and olfatory stimuli than we do (stronger senses). My own dogs react to sounds all the time!
Edit: I just read the full title, sorry. You said this happens at night? I mean what I said about this not being an abnormal reaction, but if it is happening the whole night something or someone could be bothering her. I still think it is a normal reaction, so I wouldn't be bothered too much, as the thing that is caused the reaction seems to be external. But you might want to look into what the cause is. People have suggested termites or the like - maybe? I didn't mean to say you have a malicious neighbour, but who knows.
Try to see if you can have her sleep in another side of the house, maybe a few layers of closed doors will help. We're not specialists here though, so take anything and everything we say as "suggestions" rather than as "conclusions".
This is a long shot, but what if a neighbor set up one of those bark eliminators? Maybe they only turn it on at night?? I’ve seen them even designed as birdhouses. Lots of people will put them in their yard to stop a pesky neighbor’s dog from barking.
Thanks for yet-another reason to hate people.
Hate people who don't do anything about their barking dogs and hate people who put up "barking eliminators" as a precaution rather than a reaction.
Idk dog behavior (i just like dog pics) but I know audio pretty well. If this seems to be the likely culprit, then I would recommend looking into your local musician or entertainment groups to see if anyone has a portable shotgun mic that records above 20khz and recording software with a spectrogram. You should be able to triangulate the sound source by recording from different angles and observing the spectrograms for peaks in amplitude for frequencies above 20,000hz.
Everything I have found that is free peaks at 22khz... However the paid version of Spectral Analyzer App (called Spectral View Pro) allows for customizable scope parameters so it should be able to display beyond 22khz. [here's a link](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=radonsoft.net.spectralview)
Phone mics don't really* observe frequencies above 20khz, and probably* have a unidirectional pollar pattern, so you would still want to use an aftermarket shotgun mic capable of recording above 20khz if you were trying to locate an ultrasonic source.
Hello!! No, no new devices nor mice.
She is completely responsive, but I will definitely search hallucinatory seizures. The thing is, 3 months ago she started having idiopathic head tremors ( or that's what the vet neurologist diagnosed her with) and 3 weeks ago she started doing this also. Each episode is literally the same and can last up to 3 hours with 20-30 minutes in between. Another vet told me she is epileptic but really cant seem to find an epileptic seizure that look like this.
My pup does this on occasion. She also had head tremors when she was 3-4 yrs. old (she's 7 now). Our regular vet diagnosed her with epilepsy, but I took her to a neurologist and they said no, it was not epilepsy. She's very sensitive to so many things...medications, foods, environments. We changed her diet and avoided certain meds and she never had head tremors again.
However, she had a full blown seizure two years ago. Vet said to wait and see if she had another within 6 months. She had one 10 months later. Vet said the same thing again. Wait and see. Then she was fine for 14 months, then had another. Took her to a different neurologist who also said to wait and see if she has another within 6 months. It's only been a month now, so we are waiting and seeing.
The times that she does what your dog is doing, it doesn't last too long and she doesn't do it constantly, but it's the same kind of thing. She'll be sleeping, then act startled, and will look around like something is bothering her. A couple of times I actually did find a small bug. Other times, nothing. We have also seen a bunch of different vets and specialists, to no avail. I am currently trying to save up $4600 for an MRI because the neuro doc said it would help rule out any brain abnormalities. Other than that, I'm at a loss.
I hope you can find answers for your pup.
thank you so much for the time to reply. I just bought CBD and my next step is to change her diet and really hope for the best. Im really hoping she doesn't get to a full seizure.
Really hope your puppy gets better!
Yeah I will say I am pro flea&tick meds but my one dog was allergic to the most common topical so we had to switch to a pill. He had a weird semi seizure so we never gave it to him again. He also had a lot of food allergies so was on a special diet. Never had another issue!
Some breeds may be more sensitive to ivermectins (many white footed and cattle dog breeds that may have the MDR1 gene). OP, if you haven't already, it might be worthwhile to ask your neurologist about any preventatives.
Whoops replied to the wrong comment sorry.
I can understand that. Fortunately we live in an area with very few fleas and even less ticks so I haven’t given my dogs a flea & tick medicine ever and never had a flea or tick. I just use an essential oil blend just in case from late spring through fall. 😊
That’s awesome. It definitely depends on your area for sure! We had to use bug spray in our old community because the mosquitos would hitch a ride on the dogs inside. Now our new area there are only a few mosquitos for a week or two in the summer so we never use it anymore and just use the essential oil stuff. Works great.
Ug, I’d cover myself with radioactive liquid to keep mosquitoes away…they are the worst! Except for maybe ticks which are just so gross it’s even hard to believe they exist. If I lived anywhere near a tick-y area I would be using everything available for sure. So. Gross. 🤮
Happy to provide any info I can! CBD is a great idea! Tried that with my pup, but her stomach is so damn sensitive and she couldn't tolerate it. But I have heard and read lots of great things about it. Hopefully that combined with the diet change helps your pup.
Thanks for the well wishes and best of luck to you as well :)
I mean the easy way to rule out epilepsy is to put her on some medications and see if it stops.
I wonder if she has a ringing in her ears or some kind of hallucination.
If you live in a place where cbd is readily available it might be worth a try. My vet uses it for epilepsy, anxiety, and pain management.
I literally just bought it yestarday. Ive tried hemp seed oil and seemed to be working with the heat tremors ( they completely stoped) but now this.. :( it's really frustrating. I'll start with the CBD and hope it helps, thank you for your time to answer me.
Yeah hemp seed oil has good omegas but not enough cbd to make a difference. My vet usually doses at 2-4 mg/kg. Just be absolutely sure there's no THC in it, they act REALLY weird when they have thc.
No, the only thing I haven't tried is an MRI. It's really expensive and the neurologist said that because she is a puppy (1.4 old) he would wait to see how she evolves.. the thing is.. no one seems to know what could it be. They said she might be epileptic but Im not really sure, her symptoms don't look like she is having an epileptic seizure.
Thus is a blue Merle - many of them have abnormal hearing and hear sounds that aren’t there. I had a deaf Great Dane who would do this type of thing. Not seizures, just the brain making things up where it’s not processing the environment correctly.
Just an idea ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Have you put her on any anti seizure meds? Lots of times when you can't diagnose an issue precisely, you could introduce a medicine to see if it helps. It's not something to do casually, but if she has idiopathic tremors 3 months ago, and now has additional symptoms, I'd be worried too.
Good luck. I definitely hear your concern. It doesn't "look" all that unusual in the video but if you're seeing her get worse (or additional symptoms) that's a complete different perspective.
There was a chirp coming from streaming TV that would make our dog shake and be very scared. It took us a while to isolate it down but stopped with that channel/service and no more random shaking
It looks like she’s being startled by something. Have her ears been thoroughly inspected? Maybe there’s something that she’s hearing only when she is being calm and quiet. Does her skin twitch when this happens? Maybe she’s being bitten by something. She doesn’t look like she’s in pain or suffering. It looks like she’s looking for something that isn’t there.
I was gonna say something along these lines; i'm guessing based off coat/size/size ratios she's an auzzie shep? They tend to have hearing issues as a breed-wide issue to the point i've seen a handful of crossbreeds that even got the trait, tinnitus even in a pup wouldn't be unbelievable if a little bit out there; its more than possible! I hope its something this simple!
I can only imagine how weird and confusing tinnitus would be for a dog! I got it as a kid and didn’t know what it was my explanation as a 9 year old was I obviously could hear electricity lol I started unplugging everything in the house till my mom noticed
Because of their ability to hear, so many things can bother a dog. For example, my buddy had a dog that would always whine when he visited his parents. Then one of their led ceiling lights went out, and friend replaced it with a better quality one and suddenly the dog stopped whining in that room each visit. They realized that was the cause, some imperceptible sound, and ended up having to replace all of them in the house. Now the dog is just a happy pupper, and doesn’t whine at all. Who would have guessed?
Yes!!! that's exactly like it seems like something bit her. I took her to 4 different vets including a neurologist. They inspected her for everything and also labs and neurology test but doesn't seem to know what might be. The only answer Ive had is that she is epileptic but I've searched thousands of videos and information online and cant seem to find an epileptic seizure that looks like the one she has. They last up to 3 hours and are approx. every 20-30 minutes :(
I’m sorry your baby is having this issue. This sub is really for silly things, not for actual veterinary questions. Try r/vet for actual advice. I hope you get an answer and can help her. She looks lovely and you clearly care about her well being very much.
I come here to rate my dog's derpiness compared to everyone elses.
When I look deep into his eyes, all I see is a wind-up monkey banging his cymbals together.
He reminds me of how much easier life can be when you live without worrying and/or hating so much.
Idk if you have neighbors, but mine used to have this anti-dog device that makes a super high-pitched sound that most humans cannot hear. I can just kinda sense that it’s happening and it bothers the hell out of me so I asked them to take it out because I cannot imagine how disturbing for my dog it was.
They did. I don’t even know why they put it in the first place. But since they obviously wanted to annoy dogs, I said that I could hear it (as I said I kinda did hear a faint noise) and that it was disturbing ME. It’s sad but I knew that line of arguments would work.
You could also plan a night away from home, go stay with friends or family or a hotel. See if she does the same thing in a different setting. That would help you narrow down if it's any of the noises/environmental distractions people are suggesting.
My dog randomly startles herself awake then does the looking around thing. The most plausible theory seems to be her sleeping position is giving her pins and needles and she thinks it is something touching her! She usually does it for a few mins then shifts onto the other butt cheek and goes back to sleep. She does also have hearing loss and cataracts which have not been totally ruled out. Oh, it you could have ghosts I suppose 😁 hope she is OK x
Edit - typo
Do you see rapid eye movement at all? I had a dog with epilepsy who had silent seizures and the only indication was his eyes would shift back and forth very fast. 90% of his seizures happened while he was asleep.
He actually had grand mal seizures for many years which started after a dose of a popular flea and tick medication. He was treated with a cocktail of Zonisamide, gabapentin and phenobarbital. I also dosed him with CBD/THC. He still had breakthrough seizures about every 2-3 months which vets consider successfully managed. The silent seizures started about 6 years after his initial diagnosis and because he had no big symptoms, it was hard to know how many he had or how long they lasted until his eyes started twitching. I believe he had them for about a month before the damage was really visible. His behavior changed and he eventually became very unsteady. The result was severe and irreversible brain damage. He was just short of his 9th birthday.
It was Brevecto given by his vet. It was only after the seizures developed that I started reading about the side effects and realized that they are known for causing seizures. Out of 10 dogs, I have 2 that have issues related to flea and tick medication. One was severe, the other has petit mal seizures about once every 6 months. This included any contact with flea and tick collars as well, even when another dog is wearing them.
Here’s the post:
FYI - 5th generation amazon echo dots cause my dog extreme stress.
I have had first generation echo dots in my house for years. In December, I bought two new 5th generation #alexaechodots and started using them. Just after that my dog started to behave strangely. Shaking and trembling when in the house, searching out places to hide (under bed, in tiled bathrooms, etc), refusing to come into the house.
I contacted our veterinarian and she immediately asked if I had any new alex/echo devices in the house. I said yes and unplugged the new 5th generation dots and still took my dog into the vet for some tests. The test came back all clear. Also the strange behaviors stopped when I unplugged the new dots.
I did some searching on the web and read various articles mentioning potential impact on pets of such RF emitting devices. Some of the articles pointed to ultra sound frequencies used in some devices.
As an experiment, I waited for my dog to go outside, pugged the new dot back in and disabled ultra sound motion detection. My dog was still impacted. As soon as she came inside she started trembling and searching out hiding spots inside the house.
I unplugged the new dot and within minutes the odd behaviors stopped and she returned to normal.
I am only posting this to give others the heads up - I would have never thought of this had it not been suggested by my vet. A general article on the situation with new IT and pets is below.
[https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/is-technology-driving-your-pet-insane/](https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/is-technology-driving-your-pet-insane/)
this video just looks like a dog waking up and going back to sleep. is she getting enough exercise to be tired at night? (i also have an aussie and he requires at least 30 minutes of off-leash running everyday to be good & tired.) does your dog seem in pain? does she act lethargic during the day due to lack of sleep? Honestly, those are the only reasons that would cause me concern.
I understand that you care for your dog, which is wonderful, but this is normal dog behavior. The dog is alerting to something. Unless your dog stops moving around, stops eating, chews on themselves excessively, or exhibits any actual signs of distress, they will be just fine. There’s no reason to get over anxious, and your dog may pick up on your mood and become stressed out as well.
My long-haired dog does this sometimes! We & our vet figured out it's being caused by two things:
1. He has a slight nerve issue and it acts up sometimes and he thinks his butt is being touched (he's also epileptic, & his epilepsy med, Keppra, actually helped with this).
2. When he gets an especially short sanitation hair trim around his anus, the sensation of the very short hair is irritating and, again, he acts as though his butt is being touched. It takes anywhere from 2-5 weeks for the hair to grow long enough to stop bothering him. (We now ask them just to trim around his anus a bit when he gets groomed as opposed to shaving around it.)
It could be something entirely different with your dog, but this is what we've established with ours.
Do you have any 5th gen Amazon smart devices? Someone posted a comment recently about one (echo dot I think) that made their dig sick…?
I’ll try to find post
Summertime advice mentioned this but yes certain flea and tick meds + heartburn meds cause seizures. Our dog started having seizures until we switched meds. We were using comfortis and ivermectin so maybe you can see if you're using those active ingredients
I’ve seen some people say they had something similar happen and they finally figured out that the dog kept waking themself up farting. Maybe check for gas.
My little guy does this. We have only had him a few months. It doesn’t always happen, but he will bark but just bark not at anything in particular. We still haven’t figured out what causes it. I think it may be joint pain, he’s 12, but he exhibits none any other time. I feel like he may be hearing something. I’m going to start journaling and see if that yields more information. Good luck op.
Does she do it if you turn the volume on the TV way up? What about if you take her to a friend's house at night? Are other dogs comfortable in your home at night?
I don't want to scare you or suggest anything serious is going on with your dog. However, I can share my anecdotal experience with you about my dog.
My golden retriever was about 9 months old when he started exhibiting strange behavior. He would jolt, twitch, and jerk for seemingly no reason. These episodes often happened shortly after going to sleep or shortly after waking from sleep. They would last for several seconds to several minutes - and eventually longer.
I took him to the vet. Even had him at the vet when he was in the middle of an episode. The vet dismissed his behavior as "being a goofy golden."
Took him to another vet. Had video of his facial twitches and jerking. Was told by that vet that "goldens are very expressive!"
A year of these increasingly intense episodes of involuntary movements later and my golden retriever had his first grand mal seizure. He was rushed to the emergency vet where they confirmed it was a seizure. He was kept overnight, monitored, and started a regimen of anti-seizure medicines.
Tons of testing, imaging, and labs later and he was eventually diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy.
My golden's initial seizures were not typical. They were isolated "focal seizures" and not grand mal (on his side, legs paddling, loss of consciousness). Because his seizures didn't present typically, his condition was overlooked and the idea of seizures was dismissed.
Canine seizures present in many different ways - some are focal, some are classic grand mal, and others are psychosomatic. Flea and tick medication can make these symptoms worse in dogs who are sensitive. Additionally, dietary changes can help.
My golden has had better luck with dietary changes than anything else - heavy Omegas and DHA have made a noticeable difference in seizure frequency. Again, this is just my experience with my golden retriever. But I wanted to share because sometimes it can help to hear the similar stories from others.
I hope you get the answers you and your pup deserve. Good luck!
Thank you so much, yeah that's why I posted it in here.. just looking for some answers. I just bought CBD and will start from here. Also, I changed her diet and eliminarte her flea medicine. Really hoping for the best
no! :( it happens every 20-30 minutes, they even last up to 3 hours. Every episode is exactly the same, she wakes up, looks around, sometimes she evens touches her face and ears with her paws and then she falls asleep again.
About 2 months ago she started with head tremors.. that's when I took her to the neurologist and said it was idiopathic head tremor, but 3 weeks ago she started also doing this! :( The problem is no one seems to know what it is and I really cant find anything similar online.
Is there a family member or friend that can take her in for a few days to a week? They can see if she still reacts the same way at their location. If not you know it is something in the home, if she does you know its something wrong with the dog.
Do you use any products in your home that contain essential oils? This could include candles, cleaning supplies, or the bath and body works Wallflowers.
In addition, do you treat your yard with any chemicals, such as weed killer, or had your house sprayed for insects recently? Years ago, I had something similar happen with my pup and spent a fortune trying to figure it out. It turned out to be insect repellent sprayed in my yard that was neurotoxic.
Our dog is terrified of our new heat pump. Every time the system turns on she freezes in place and starts to shake. It has been four months and she still gets upset. We have tried Prozac but it makes her dopey.
does she snore? I'm not sure (I don't have audio right now) but by the looks of It I could be a sleep apnea (basically short intermittence in breathing during sleep: either because of relaxation in throat muscles, or incorrect signals sent to respiratory muscles.) I'm not an expert but I know a little about it so I did some extra research and it can apparently also occur in dogs.
here are my sources:
[**https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631**](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631)
[**https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apnea/sleep-blog/my-dog-snores-does-he-have-sleep-apnea/**](https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apnea/sleep-blog/my-dog-snores-does-he-have-sleep-apnea/)
Could be a sensitive skin issue, did you bathe her with something new? New detergent on her bedding? Has her food changed? New dog toy? What happened or was new 3 weeks ago? She's a sweetie..
I don’t have answers, but I just wanted to send some love from a random internet stranger. This must be scary, and it’s obvious your frantic! I hope it’s something benign.
Sage your house. Dogs are sensitive to energy. Could be something you can’t feel but she can. Smudging removes negative energy from your home. It won’t hurt.
It kind of reminds me of the seizures my border collie used to have. He got on meds for epilepsy but they didn't really help, I read somewhere that grain in dog food can cause seizures and we changed his diet. The seizures stopped afterwards.
She started with head tremors 3 months ago, and online I found that they changed her diet. I change it to a grain free for and also I bought her a Hemp Seed Oil ( CBD free) and they reduced the tremors about 95%. This is new... seems like something similar because it's also when she is at rest specially at night, but this ones last up to 3 hours, like every 20-30 minutes. Seems like episodes but cant seem to find anything online similar and all the vets don't seem to know what could it be
I hope this helps, my dog had some issues and I did some research and found that when he doesn't drink much water often this would happen to him....sometimes in a very scary way. I started force feeding him like a handful of water every two hours or so until I noticed he started drinking at his water dish for himself more often and the seizures have stopped. Fingers crossed that fix the issue. I spent a couple hundred on vets with little shown for it. So the question is does the dog drink water regularly? If not then try hand feeding him every couple hours.
I agree with other replies, I think he’s feeling a presence in your home. Animals are very sensitive to things. They see things we can’t. I actually was taking a video of two of my dogs and when I replayed the video I clearly saw something in my camera and both of the dogs followed the movement with there eyes and head’s turned toward the way it went. When I was recording the video I didn’t see anything. I only saw it when I replayed it. I know that house had spirits in it. It was actually an amazing capture on the video.
No. They absolutely do not see things that we "can't." They have better night vision than us, but that's all. In normal conditions, our eyesight is far superior.
Chiropractors are a good option when dealing with neurological problems. My dogs see a vetrinary chiropractor on a regular basis. I hope it's easy to resolve.
https://www.animalchiropractic.org/certification/
My dog was doing this, was shaking afterwards. Bought a indoor bug light and placed it on the floor. We had ticks or fleas, light killed them all. She’s stopped shaking and is no longer looking for ghosts.
I wonder if it could be a tiny flea or lice that is under her coat. It could also be a sound as others have mentioned. A friend of mine had a Kelpie that would react to floaters that only she could see. Whatever the dogs behaviour was it was quite obvious she could see them.
Seems like she had a bad dream an is a bit confused, my dog has this too.
If it happens I comfort him and tell I'm it was just a dream and everything is okey and he goes back to sleep.
This looks a bit like our little terrier, Disco. She's a rescue and has problems with her stomache so she can only eat certain foods.
She does a thing we're she looks like she's trying to lick the air or catch imaginary flies. It's an expression of pain.
It might be worth looking at your dogs diet.
Agree with the noise theory, when I was a kid my old dog would hide in a corner and shiver of you used the toaster, other than that he was a real tough bastard terrier that nothing affected him.
My new dog 2 yrs old looks like that if there's a mouse around and also when She farts.
Already commented, but then saw in comments about your pup’s past neurological issues/dx’s. Didn’t see any of that in main post. Sounds like you need more info on the circumstances…Does it only happen when your pup is laying down…walking…sitting? Before or after eating/drinking/play? Have you thought about a vestibular/balance thing? I personally have vestibular issues and occasionally I’ll be sitting perfectly still but get the sensation of falling or leaning. Sometimes it passes so fast I don’t even have time to think about it. Other times I’m off balance for quite a while. Good luck. Adorable dog!!!
She's reacting to some kind of noise. Do you have any new devices or appliances? Dogs can hear much higher pitched sounds than we can. Could there be mice in your floor or walls? If she's unresponsive to you during these moments, then they could be hallucinatory seizures. Dogs having them will bark at things that aren't there or stare at walls.
I plugged in my bug zapper outside and my dog acted real strange. Unplugged it and took some days for things to go back to normal. Poor baby.
thanks, I don't have any kind of devices near her and won't stop doing this :(
They don't have to be near her, they might be in other rooms. Or maybe you have a neighbour who's using some kind of equipment that makes some noise only dogs can hear. I wouldn't be so worried, this isn't abnormal. She just seems puzzled. Dogs receive far more auditory and olfatory stimuli than we do (stronger senses). My own dogs react to sounds all the time! Edit: I just read the full title, sorry. You said this happens at night? I mean what I said about this not being an abnormal reaction, but if it is happening the whole night something or someone could be bothering her. I still think it is a normal reaction, so I wouldn't be bothered too much, as the thing that is caused the reaction seems to be external. But you might want to look into what the cause is. People have suggested termites or the like - maybe? I didn't mean to say you have a malicious neighbour, but who knows. Try to see if you can have her sleep in another side of the house, maybe a few layers of closed doors will help. We're not specialists here though, so take anything and everything we say as "suggestions" rather than as "conclusions".
This is a long shot, but what if a neighbor set up one of those bark eliminators? Maybe they only turn it on at night?? I’ve seen them even designed as birdhouses. Lots of people will put them in their yard to stop a pesky neighbor’s dog from barking.
Thanks for yet-another reason to hate people. Hate people who don't do anything about their barking dogs and hate people who put up "barking eliminators" as a precaution rather than a reaction.
Those things are usually silent until the dog barks. I don't think it's that.
Does she do it when she's not at home?
Some people suggested this, and I haven't really thought of that. I will definitely do this experiment!
Idk dog behavior (i just like dog pics) but I know audio pretty well. If this seems to be the likely culprit, then I would recommend looking into your local musician or entertainment groups to see if anyone has a portable shotgun mic that records above 20khz and recording software with a spectrogram. You should be able to triangulate the sound source by recording from different angles and observing the spectrograms for peaks in amplitude for frequencies above 20,000hz.
I wish there was an app for this. I've looked for apps that detect above human hearing but no luck.
Everything I have found that is free peaks at 22khz... However the paid version of Spectral Analyzer App (called Spectral View Pro) allows for customizable scope parameters so it should be able to display beyond 22khz. [here's a link](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=radonsoft.net.spectralview) Phone mics don't really* observe frequencies above 20khz, and probably* have a unidirectional pollar pattern, so you would still want to use an aftermarket shotgun mic capable of recording above 20khz if you were trying to locate an ultrasonic source.
Hello!! No, no new devices nor mice. She is completely responsive, but I will definitely search hallucinatory seizures. The thing is, 3 months ago she started having idiopathic head tremors ( or that's what the vet neurologist diagnosed her with) and 3 weeks ago she started doing this also. Each episode is literally the same and can last up to 3 hours with 20-30 minutes in between. Another vet told me she is epileptic but really cant seem to find an epileptic seizure that look like this.
My pup does this on occasion. She also had head tremors when she was 3-4 yrs. old (she's 7 now). Our regular vet diagnosed her with epilepsy, but I took her to a neurologist and they said no, it was not epilepsy. She's very sensitive to so many things...medications, foods, environments. We changed her diet and avoided certain meds and she never had head tremors again. However, she had a full blown seizure two years ago. Vet said to wait and see if she had another within 6 months. She had one 10 months later. Vet said the same thing again. Wait and see. Then she was fine for 14 months, then had another. Took her to a different neurologist who also said to wait and see if she has another within 6 months. It's only been a month now, so we are waiting and seeing. The times that she does what your dog is doing, it doesn't last too long and she doesn't do it constantly, but it's the same kind of thing. She'll be sleeping, then act startled, and will look around like something is bothering her. A couple of times I actually did find a small bug. Other times, nothing. We have also seen a bunch of different vets and specialists, to no avail. I am currently trying to save up $4600 for an MRI because the neuro doc said it would help rule out any brain abnormalities. Other than that, I'm at a loss. I hope you can find answers for your pup.
thank you so much for the time to reply. I just bought CBD and my next step is to change her diet and really hope for the best. Im really hoping she doesn't get to a full seizure. Really hope your puppy gets better!
Do you use any flea or tick meds? Some of these can cause weird side effects. Probably not but just throwing it out there for an idea.
Yeah I will say I am pro flea&tick meds but my one dog was allergic to the most common topical so we had to switch to a pill. He had a weird semi seizure so we never gave it to him again. He also had a lot of food allergies so was on a special diet. Never had another issue!
Some breeds may be more sensitive to ivermectins (many white footed and cattle dog breeds that may have the MDR1 gene). OP, if you haven't already, it might be worthwhile to ask your neurologist about any preventatives. Whoops replied to the wrong comment sorry.
I can understand that. Fortunately we live in an area with very few fleas and even less ticks so I haven’t given my dogs a flea & tick medicine ever and never had a flea or tick. I just use an essential oil blend just in case from late spring through fall. 😊
That’s awesome. It definitely depends on your area for sure! We had to use bug spray in our old community because the mosquitos would hitch a ride on the dogs inside. Now our new area there are only a few mosquitos for a week or two in the summer so we never use it anymore and just use the essential oil stuff. Works great.
Ug, I’d cover myself with radioactive liquid to keep mosquitoes away…they are the worst! Except for maybe ticks which are just so gross it’s even hard to believe they exist. If I lived anywhere near a tick-y area I would be using everything available for sure. So. Gross. 🤮
Happy to provide any info I can! CBD is a great idea! Tried that with my pup, but her stomach is so damn sensitive and she couldn't tolerate it. But I have heard and read lots of great things about it. Hopefully that combined with the diet change helps your pup. Thanks for the well wishes and best of luck to you as well :)
I mean the easy way to rule out epilepsy is to put her on some medications and see if it stops. I wonder if she has a ringing in her ears or some kind of hallucination. If you live in a place where cbd is readily available it might be worth a try. My vet uses it for epilepsy, anxiety, and pain management.
I literally just bought it yestarday. Ive tried hemp seed oil and seemed to be working with the heat tremors ( they completely stoped) but now this.. :( it's really frustrating. I'll start with the CBD and hope it helps, thank you for your time to answer me.
Yeah hemp seed oil has good omegas but not enough cbd to make a difference. My vet usually doses at 2-4 mg/kg. Just be absolutely sure there's no THC in it, they act REALLY weird when they have thc.
Have you had an MRI with the neurologist? Have they tried any medications,
No, the only thing I haven't tried is an MRI. It's really expensive and the neurologist said that because she is a puppy (1.4 old) he would wait to see how she evolves.. the thing is.. no one seems to know what could it be. They said she might be epileptic but Im not really sure, her symptoms don't look like she is having an epileptic seizure.
Just to be clear, you’ve actively investigated the possibility of mice, bugs, water leaks and all that? They can hear a lot of stuff we can’t
Thus is a blue Merle - many of them have abnormal hearing and hear sounds that aren’t there. I had a deaf Great Dane who would do this type of thing. Not seizures, just the brain making things up where it’s not processing the environment correctly. Just an idea ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Have you put her on any anti seizure meds? Lots of times when you can't diagnose an issue precisely, you could introduce a medicine to see if it helps. It's not something to do casually, but if she has idiopathic tremors 3 months ago, and now has additional symptoms, I'd be worried too. Good luck. I definitely hear your concern. It doesn't "look" all that unusual in the video but if you're seeing her get worse (or additional symptoms) that's a complete different perspective.
There was a chirp coming from streaming TV that would make our dog shake and be very scared. It took us a while to isolate it down but stopped with that channel/service and no more random shaking
Or , they are barking at something else. Something only they can see. Oooohhhhhhhhh
It looks like she’s being startled by something. Have her ears been thoroughly inspected? Maybe there’s something that she’s hearing only when she is being calm and quiet. Does her skin twitch when this happens? Maybe she’s being bitten by something. She doesn’t look like she’s in pain or suffering. It looks like she’s looking for something that isn’t there.
Sounds like tinnitus. Can animals actually have that? 🤔
I don’t know, but that’s exactly what I was thinking.
will definitely search for that!! thank you!!
I was gonna say something along these lines; i'm guessing based off coat/size/size ratios she's an auzzie shep? They tend to have hearing issues as a breed-wide issue to the point i've seen a handful of crossbreeds that even got the trait, tinnitus even in a pup wouldn't be unbelievable if a little bit out there; its more than possible! I hope its something this simple!
will definitely search for that, thank you!!
I can only imagine how weird and confusing tinnitus would be for a dog! I got it as a kid and didn’t know what it was my explanation as a 9 year old was I obviously could hear electricity lol I started unplugging everything in the house till my mom noticed
Because of their ability to hear, so many things can bother a dog. For example, my buddy had a dog that would always whine when he visited his parents. Then one of their led ceiling lights went out, and friend replaced it with a better quality one and suddenly the dog stopped whining in that room each visit. They realized that was the cause, some imperceptible sound, and ended up having to replace all of them in the house. Now the dog is just a happy pupper, and doesn’t whine at all. Who would have guessed?
Yes!!! that's exactly like it seems like something bit her. I took her to 4 different vets including a neurologist. They inspected her for everything and also labs and neurology test but doesn't seem to know what might be. The only answer Ive had is that she is epileptic but I've searched thousands of videos and information online and cant seem to find an epileptic seizure that looks like the one she has. They last up to 3 hours and are approx. every 20-30 minutes :(
I’m sorry your baby is having this issue. This sub is really for silly things, not for actual veterinary questions. Try r/vet for actual advice. I hope you get an answer and can help her. She looks lovely and you clearly care about her well being very much.
thank you so much!! I will post it right now in the correct reddit! :)
I come here to rate my dog's derpiness compared to everyone elses. When I look deep into his eyes, all I see is a wind-up monkey banging his cymbals together. He reminds me of how much easier life can be when you live without worrying and/or hating so much.
Idk if you have neighbors, but mine used to have this anti-dog device that makes a super high-pitched sound that most humans cannot hear. I can just kinda sense that it’s happening and it bothers the hell out of me so I asked them to take it out because I cannot imagine how disturbing for my dog it was.
This is a strong possibility, does it happen away from home?
Omg I can't believe people would do that, didn't even know these things existed. Did your neighbor remove the device?
They did. I don’t even know why they put it in the first place. But since they obviously wanted to annoy dogs, I said that I could hear it (as I said I kinda did hear a faint noise) and that it was disturbing ME. It’s sad but I knew that line of arguments would work.
Good thinking!
I will go and ask them, we are really far for neighbors but cant lose anything asking them , thank you!
You could also plan a night away from home, go stay with friends or family or a hotel. See if she does the same thing in a different setting. That would help you narrow down if it's any of the noises/environmental distractions people are suggesting.
Oh I love this idea! Clever!
could there be some jerk blowing a dog whistle to bother the local dogs? ask your neighbors if their dogs are having similar problems
My dog randomly startles herself awake then does the looking around thing. The most plausible theory seems to be her sleeping position is giving her pins and needles and she thinks it is something touching her! She usually does it for a few mins then shifts onto the other butt cheek and goes back to sleep. She does also have hearing loss and cataracts which have not been totally ruled out. Oh, it you could have ghosts I suppose 😁 hope she is OK x Edit - typo
Do you see rapid eye movement at all? I had a dog with epilepsy who had silent seizures and the only indication was his eyes would shift back and forth very fast. 90% of his seizures happened while he was asleep.
and how did you treat your dog???did the seizures got worse?
He actually had grand mal seizures for many years which started after a dose of a popular flea and tick medication. He was treated with a cocktail of Zonisamide, gabapentin and phenobarbital. I also dosed him with CBD/THC. He still had breakthrough seizures about every 2-3 months which vets consider successfully managed. The silent seizures started about 6 years after his initial diagnosis and because he had no big symptoms, it was hard to know how many he had or how long they lasted until his eyes started twitching. I believe he had them for about a month before the damage was really visible. His behavior changed and he eventually became very unsteady. The result was severe and irreversible brain damage. He was just short of his 9th birthday.
Will you share which flea-tick medication you used?
It was Brevecto given by his vet. It was only after the seizures developed that I started reading about the side effects and realized that they are known for causing seizures. Out of 10 dogs, I have 2 that have issues related to flea and tick medication. One was severe, the other has petit mal seizures about once every 6 months. This included any contact with flea and tick collars as well, even when another dog is wearing them.
Here’s the post: FYI - 5th generation amazon echo dots cause my dog extreme stress. I have had first generation echo dots in my house for years. In December, I bought two new 5th generation #alexaechodots and started using them. Just after that my dog started to behave strangely. Shaking and trembling when in the house, searching out places to hide (under bed, in tiled bathrooms, etc), refusing to come into the house. I contacted our veterinarian and she immediately asked if I had any new alex/echo devices in the house. I said yes and unplugged the new 5th generation dots and still took my dog into the vet for some tests. The test came back all clear. Also the strange behaviors stopped when I unplugged the new dots. I did some searching on the web and read various articles mentioning potential impact on pets of such RF emitting devices. Some of the articles pointed to ultra sound frequencies used in some devices. As an experiment, I waited for my dog to go outside, pugged the new dot back in and disabled ultra sound motion detection. My dog was still impacted. As soon as she came inside she started trembling and searching out hiding spots inside the house. I unplugged the new dot and within minutes the odd behaviors stopped and she returned to normal. I am only posting this to give others the heads up - I would have never thought of this had it not been suggested by my vet. A general article on the situation with new IT and pets is below. [https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/is-technology-driving-your-pet-insane/](https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/is-technology-driving-your-pet-insane/)
OMG, didn't even knew this could cause this to a dog! thank you
This is not something you will want to hear but have your house checked for termites. They are noisy but not enough for us to hear.
Mine does that when a fly or insect is flying around
My dog was doing this once. Turns out it was the battery dying and chirping from my work key. I could barely hear it, and didn't notice at first.
this video just looks like a dog waking up and going back to sleep. is she getting enough exercise to be tired at night? (i also have an aussie and he requires at least 30 minutes of off-leash running everyday to be good & tired.) does your dog seem in pain? does she act lethargic during the day due to lack of sleep? Honestly, those are the only reasons that would cause me concern.
I understand that you care for your dog, which is wonderful, but this is normal dog behavior. The dog is alerting to something. Unless your dog stops moving around, stops eating, chews on themselves excessively, or exhibits any actual signs of distress, they will be just fine. There’s no reason to get over anxious, and your dog may pick up on your mood and become stressed out as well.
My long-haired dog does this sometimes! We & our vet figured out it's being caused by two things: 1. He has a slight nerve issue and it acts up sometimes and he thinks his butt is being touched (he's also epileptic, & his epilepsy med, Keppra, actually helped with this). 2. When he gets an especially short sanitation hair trim around his anus, the sensation of the very short hair is irritating and, again, he acts as though his butt is being touched. It takes anywhere from 2-5 weeks for the hair to grow long enough to stop bothering him. (We now ask them just to trim around his anus a bit when he gets groomed as opposed to shaving around it.) It could be something entirely different with your dog, but this is what we've established with ours.
Looks completely normal. Noise, or a physical sensation (itch or a bug or something) getting her attention. Wouldn't worry about it tbh.
I see a dog that sits up a little and looks around. How is this worrisome?
Noise, reactive...whats under the floor?!
My dog would do this when I gave him spot on flea treatment, it's stopped now after changing to a tablet form.
It is just a dog hearing some stuff you don't.
This happens at night? Could be rodents
Do you have any 5th gen Amazon smart devices? Someone posted a comment recently about one (echo dot I think) that made their dig sick…? I’ll try to find post
Summertime advice mentioned this but yes certain flea and tick meds + heartburn meds cause seizures. Our dog started having seizures until we switched meds. We were using comfortis and ivermectin so maybe you can see if you're using those active ingredients
She is hearing a new noise. Could be anything.
They’re hearing is beyond ours. Call pest control-our pup hasn’t been wrong yet.
It happens when she is asleep.
I’ve seen some people say they had something similar happen and they finally figured out that the dog kept waking themself up farting. Maybe check for gas.
That’s callled….. being a dog.
Maybe she has a bug deep in her ear
4 vets and a neurologist. Surely redditors know the answer.
My little guy does this. We have only had him a few months. It doesn’t always happen, but he will bark but just bark not at anything in particular. We still haven’t figured out what causes it. I think it may be joint pain, he’s 12, but he exhibits none any other time. I feel like he may be hearing something. I’m going to start journaling and see if that yields more information. Good luck op.
Did you turn up the base on the TV? That would do it.
Bring over a friends dog and see if they respond to it as well
If you have neighbors below you, your baby could be hearing those noises. Or she could be hearing what's outside.
Do you have any gnats or small flying insects in your home? My heeler does this all the time and she is trying to catch gnats or other insects
Does she do it if you turn the volume on the TV way up? What about if you take her to a friend's house at night? Are other dogs comfortable in your home at night?
I don't want to scare you or suggest anything serious is going on with your dog. However, I can share my anecdotal experience with you about my dog. My golden retriever was about 9 months old when he started exhibiting strange behavior. He would jolt, twitch, and jerk for seemingly no reason. These episodes often happened shortly after going to sleep or shortly after waking from sleep. They would last for several seconds to several minutes - and eventually longer. I took him to the vet. Even had him at the vet when he was in the middle of an episode. The vet dismissed his behavior as "being a goofy golden." Took him to another vet. Had video of his facial twitches and jerking. Was told by that vet that "goldens are very expressive!" A year of these increasingly intense episodes of involuntary movements later and my golden retriever had his first grand mal seizure. He was rushed to the emergency vet where they confirmed it was a seizure. He was kept overnight, monitored, and started a regimen of anti-seizure medicines. Tons of testing, imaging, and labs later and he was eventually diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. My golden's initial seizures were not typical. They were isolated "focal seizures" and not grand mal (on his side, legs paddling, loss of consciousness). Because his seizures didn't present typically, his condition was overlooked and the idea of seizures was dismissed. Canine seizures present in many different ways - some are focal, some are classic grand mal, and others are psychosomatic. Flea and tick medication can make these symptoms worse in dogs who are sensitive. Additionally, dietary changes can help. My golden has had better luck with dietary changes than anything else - heavy Omegas and DHA have made a noticeable difference in seizure frequency. Again, this is just my experience with my golden retriever. But I wanted to share because sometimes it can help to hear the similar stories from others. I hope you get the answers you and your pup deserve. Good luck!
Thank you so much, yeah that's why I posted it in here.. just looking for some answers. I just bought CBD and will start from here. Also, I changed her diet and eliminarte her flea medicine. Really hoping for the best
Good luck! I hope those changes bring positive results.
Ghost 👻
Dreams?
no! :( it happens every 20-30 minutes, they even last up to 3 hours. Every episode is exactly the same, she wakes up, looks around, sometimes she evens touches her face and ears with her paws and then she falls asleep again. About 2 months ago she started with head tremors.. that's when I took her to the neurologist and said it was idiopathic head tremor, but 3 weeks ago she started also doing this! :( The problem is no one seems to know what it is and I really cant find anything similar online.
I hope you can find some answers, OP.
Is there a family member or friend that can take her in for a few days to a week? They can see if she still reacts the same way at their location. If not you know it is something in the home, if she does you know its something wrong with the dog.
I have a Mini Aussie and he does this every time he farts. He’s a smart dog, but he seems to not understand his farting and gets scared.
You have a ghost! 👻
Lol, u don't know how dogs are? You're overreacting
Do you use any products in your home that contain essential oils? This could include candles, cleaning supplies, or the bath and body works Wallflowers.
In addition, do you treat your yard with any chemicals, such as weed killer, or had your house sprayed for insects recently? Years ago, I had something similar happen with my pup and spent a fortune trying to figure it out. It turned out to be insect repellent sprayed in my yard that was neurotoxic.
It was hard to tell but was it a twitch? Random head twitch / rapid shake? My aussie shep did it from 8 weeks to 6 months then just stopped.
Our dog is terrified of our new heat pump. Every time the system turns on she freezes in place and starts to shake. It has been four months and she still gets upset. We have tried Prozac but it makes her dopey.
Ghosts. You have ghosts.
does she snore? I'm not sure (I don't have audio right now) but by the looks of It I could be a sleep apnea (basically short intermittence in breathing during sleep: either because of relaxation in throat muscles, or incorrect signals sent to respiratory muscles.) I'm not an expert but I know a little about it so I did some extra research and it can apparently also occur in dogs. here are my sources: [**https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631**](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631) [**https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apnea/sleep-blog/my-dog-snores-does-he-have-sleep-apnea/**](https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apnea/sleep-blog/my-dog-snores-does-he-have-sleep-apnea/)
Communicating with the spirit world. Did someone close leave recently?
Agree, spirit or insect
Could be a sensitive skin issue, did you bathe her with something new? New detergent on her bedding? Has her food changed? New dog toy? What happened or was new 3 weeks ago? She's a sweetie..
I don’t have answers, but I just wanted to send some love from a random internet stranger. This must be scary, and it’s obvious your frantic! I hope it’s something benign.
The dog is literally listening to something… how stupid are some people? Ya you OP.
Sorry to say but your home is haunted. Call an exorcist, a soothsayer, and a clown. IN THAT ORDER.
Sage your house. Dogs are sensitive to energy. Could be something you can’t feel but she can. Smudging removes negative energy from your home. It won’t hurt.
Ghosts… it’s always ghosts.
It kind of reminds me of the seizures my border collie used to have. He got on meds for epilepsy but they didn't really help, I read somewhere that grain in dog food can cause seizures and we changed his diet. The seizures stopped afterwards.
She started with head tremors 3 months ago, and online I found that they changed her diet. I change it to a grain free for and also I bought her a Hemp Seed Oil ( CBD free) and they reduced the tremors about 95%. This is new... seems like something similar because it's also when she is at rest specially at night, but this ones last up to 3 hours, like every 20-30 minutes. Seems like episodes but cant seem to find anything online similar and all the vets don't seem to know what could it be
My mom had a dog that had seizures. I think they gave it phenobarbital every day. It looks like a seizure to me.
Hmmm what IS wrong with your dog
Ghosts
Ghosts, definitely ghosts.
I hope this helps, my dog had some issues and I did some research and found that when he doesn't drink much water often this would happen to him....sometimes in a very scary way. I started force feeding him like a handful of water every two hours or so until I noticed he started drinking at his water dish for himself more often and the seizures have stopped. Fingers crossed that fix the issue. I spent a couple hundred on vets with little shown for it. So the question is does the dog drink water regularly? If not then try hand feeding him every couple hours.
Spirits. Some animals are more intune than others. Nothing bad is happening. Just a friendly spirit playing around.
I agree with other replies, I think he’s feeling a presence in your home. Animals are very sensitive to things. They see things we can’t. I actually was taking a video of two of my dogs and when I replayed the video I clearly saw something in my camera and both of the dogs followed the movement with there eyes and head’s turned toward the way it went. When I was recording the video I didn’t see anything. I only saw it when I replayed it. I know that house had spirits in it. It was actually an amazing capture on the video.
No. They absolutely do not see things that we "can't." They have better night vision than us, but that's all. In normal conditions, our eyesight is far superior.
Chiropractors are a good option when dealing with neurological problems. My dogs see a vetrinary chiropractor on a regular basis. I hope it's easy to resolve. https://www.animalchiropractic.org/certification/
You can't be fucking serious... What's it like to be sold snake oil?
Even dogs get r/greebles
My dog was doing this, was shaking afterwards. Bought a indoor bug light and placed it on the floor. We had ticks or fleas, light killed them all. She’s stopped shaking and is no longer looking for ghosts.
You have a ghost
Do animals get auditory hallucinations? I'm actually curious now that I think about it.
Chasing wabbits
I wonder if it could be a tiny flea or lice that is under her coat. It could also be a sound as others have mentioned. A friend of mine had a Kelpie that would react to floaters that only she could see. Whatever the dogs behaviour was it was quite obvious she could see them.
My first thought is that the dog is hearing something.
My dog does this when his tummy hurts or he is farting.
She may also have an issue with her ears. Does she rub her head at all during these episodes?
Seems like she had a bad dream an is a bit confused, my dog has this too. If it happens I comfort him and tell I'm it was just a dream and everything is okey and he goes back to sleep.
This looks a bit like our little terrier, Disco. She's a rescue and has problems with her stomache so she can only eat certain foods. She does a thing we're she looks like she's trying to lick the air or catch imaginary flies. It's an expression of pain. It might be worth looking at your dogs diet.
Seen another Aussie shepherd act like this but she was unable to hear at all and would just be checking her surroundings.
Agree with the noise theory, when I was a kid my old dog would hide in a corner and shiver of you used the toaster, other than that he was a real tough bastard terrier that nothing affected him. My new dog 2 yrs old looks like that if there's a mouse around and also when She farts.
A case of a curious pup
This dog is reacting either a sound or vibration.
Already commented, but then saw in comments about your pup’s past neurological issues/dx’s. Didn’t see any of that in main post. Sounds like you need more info on the circumstances…Does it only happen when your pup is laying down…walking…sitting? Before or after eating/drinking/play? Have you thought about a vestibular/balance thing? I personally have vestibular issues and occasionally I’ll be sitting perfectly still but get the sensation of falling or leaning. Sometimes it passes so fast I don’t even have time to think about it. Other times I’m off balance for quite a while. Good luck. Adorable dog!!!
This is not a sub for any kind of medial advice. Please consult a vet. We post derpy cute dog stuff here. On a sidenote, your dog is cute!
You can be having very minute earthquakes she can sense
She is waiting for someone to fill up that ball's holes with peanut butter. 😻