When you notice your puppy’s front leg shaking while sitting or playing, it makes you worried. We all love our pups so much that we can’t see them even in the slightest of pain. This is one of few things that can literally make you worried when you observe them in your dog.
Noticing your puppy’s front leg shaking is not something to ignore. This may not be serious at all but when it happens, you need to address the issue for the sake of your dog’s health.
Diagnosis Calculator
Use below diagnosis calculator to find the probable cause of leg shake through below form.
The anatomy
Dog’s legs anatomy is complex. Any problem in their legs and your dog can even stop walking. That is why whenever you notice your dog limping you need to rule out serious illnesses. Trembling in your dog’s front or back legs can hinder its movements. The shaking could be due to many reasons. If your puppy is overall fine and doesn’t seem in pain, carefully look out yourself why its legs are shaking. If your puppy seems distressed or in a problem, talk to a vet about your pup’s condition.
Why the puppy’s front leg is shaking?
To start, this could be nothing and your puppy will be fine on its own.
but
you can’t ignore if you are observing constant trembling in the leg. Puppy front leg shaking could be due to weaknesses in the brain, a result of genetic diseases, or tremors.
We have made a list of possible reasons and Puppy front leg shaking could be due to one of these
- Old age
- Front leg deformity
- Tremors
- Stress
- Low sugar levels
- Fatigue
- Nervousness
- Genetic disease
- Injury
- Obesity
Now one by one we will try to understand how these reasons could affect your pup’s movement.
Old age
Have you noticed old people with trembling hands? And how Parkinson‘s affects their motor abilities. Brain diseases are a major cause that affects the movements of body parts. The root cause of every motor ability dysfunction is linked to the brain somehow. The brain gives commands to the whole body to function properly.
In old age, the brain functions of your dog get affected as it does in all living beings ( this is what aging is for). Body parts start trembling due to the weak connection between the brain giving the signals and body organs receiving them.
Front leg deformity
In front leg deformity, one leg can grow more than the other one causing limping in dogs. This condition could be inherited or due to premature closure in the growth plate and is very painful for dogs. An injury in the legs can also cause front leg deformity.
Tremors
Tremor is a disease where body parts shake during movement. Puppies can develop tremors at any age and many puppies are even born with this disease.
The dogs born with tremors may show symptoms within a month of their birth. A puppy learns to start walking and holding its balance three weeks after birth. So any trembling or shaking will be visible within the first few weeks. Talk to the vet for further treatment of your dog.
Infection /disease
A viral infection called a distemper can cause a leg shake. This viral infection has appeared to be fatal and affects different organs of the body. Distemper can target the digestive, respiratory and nervous systems as well, affecting motor abilities.
Diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, and shaking legs could be the symptoms of distemper. We also understand that these symptoms are common in other diseases too. Your dog gets distemper from another infected dog. So talk to your vet for further examination of your puppy.
Stress/emotional trauma
Stress affects brain muscles and thus can be linked to shaking movement patterns. Your puppy can be stressed due to many reasons and some of them could be so simple that you might overlook them.
Calming down your puppy will stop the shaking movements. Sometimes trembling could be due to fear also which is another variant of stress and emotional trauma. So make sure that the puppy is well pampered not only physically but also emotionally. Mental health is as important as a physical one. Never take it lightly.
Low sugar level
The low sugar level in the bloodstream can cause weakness and shake in body parts. Your puppy will also feel lethargic if the blood sugar is below the level.
A simple and effective remedy is, give your puppy something sugary to eat. Also, talk to your vet about adding supplements to your dog’s diet for additional nutrition. Don’t stress out your dog and try to keep giving him food in portions. Long fasting could also result in dropped sugar levels.
Fatigue
Fatigue is another reason that affects motor abilities. Fatigue usually accompanies other symptoms so observe carefully. A set of particular symptoms could be a sign of underlying disease.
Nervousness
Nervousness is common among dogs and this can cause shaking in the legs. Nervousness is like spontaneous stress on the brain. You don’t need to worry if your puppy’s leg is shaking due to nervousness. This trembling will go away soon.
Genetic disease
Some puppies are born with Hypomyelination which is also called shaking puppy syndrome. This disease affects the central nervous system of dogs. Tremors could be a result of shaking puppy syndrome.
Injury
Shaking movement in legs could be due to injury or bone disorders as well. Maybe your pup has fractured its leg or is suffering from elbow dysplasia. Front leg shaking could mean your puppy is in pain. You need to talk to your vet to confirm.
Obesity
When you feed your dog too many calories, obesity can cause trembling in the legs while standing or sitting. In simple words, a dog’s legs are unable to support its weight.
So if your puppy is obese and has front leg shaking while sitting, you need to increase exercise and playtime. Take your puppy on long walks and give him tough exercises to lose more calories and stay fit.
What to do if your puppy’s front leg is shaking?
Mostly, there is nothing serious and you can treat the problem on your own. For example, if it’s a reflex movement or your puppy is scared, you need to hug and calm your puppy and soon he will be fine as ever. But if you notice other symptoms along with trembling front leg, book an appointment to vet and take professional help.
Why 10 weeks old puppy leg starts shaking
Many people have observed front leg shaking in their 10 weeks old puppies. Although we have mentioned that puppies born with this problem, may show symptoms sooner than 4 weeks. A 10-week pup is 2.5 months old, and at this age, it will be more clearly visible if one leg shakes and the other doesn’t.
Many times, this is nothing to worry about and when the puppy grows, it starts using all the body parts like normal. So if your vet has given a clean chit to the pup after a checkup. Chill. The puppy will soon outgrow the problem. This could be because a new puppy is trying to learn about balancing a body and may feel trembling during movements.
Why 3 months old puppy leg starts shaking
When you observe your three-month-old puppy trembling while sitting, this could be due to nutritional deficiencies. You need to increase vitamins, calcium, and minerals in its diet. Sometimes heavy breeds need more nutrition than normal. You need to meet the nutritional demands of your dog.
Owners consult a vet to receive a diet plan for dogs. Sometimes, vets recommend suitable dog food too.
Puppy leg shaking in different breeds
Different dogs could have different reasons for trembling legs. Let’s have a look at possible reasons for trembling in different breeds. (This is based on Q/A session from these dogs owners)
Rottweiler Puppy front leg shaking.
Rottweiler is a heavy breed of dog. Their average weight ranges between 35- 60 kgs. They must not get obese as it could be a major reason for their shaking legs. Also, being a heavy breed, bone displacement in the leg could cause limping but usually, this will happen in the hind legs.
Pitbull puppy front leg shaking
Pitbulls are cute. They must be fed well but high protein food can cause their front legs to tremble. Mixing two types of dog foods or frequent switching between foods is usually the reason behind their shaking legs as this disturbs their nutritional cycle.
Boxer puppy front leg shaking
Boxers are playful and energetic dogs. At a young age, too much exertion can cause low blood sugar levels. Magnesium deficiency is another reason for shaking legs in boxer puppies. Keep them well-fed to avoid any nutritional deficiencies.
Bernedoodles front leg shaking
Bernes have long front legs and they have a cute way of sitting. Their leg is shaking maybe because of how they sit. Unless they don’t show other symptoms like limping, favoring the leg, or nipping, it’s fine. Also if it’s a puppy, it will take time to develop fine leg muscles that can support its body.
Why does a puppy leg shake while sleeping?
In awake, there could be many reasons why your puppy has shaking legs? It might concern you why your puppy has shaking legs while sleeping. Well for your peace, he is just having sweet dreams.
Puppies manifest actions that they see in their dreams and they dream about their daily activities. They might be playing or kicking in their dream and this could cause twitching movements during sleep. Usually, it will last 30 seconds. Don’t try to wake up your dog.
Summary
Puppy front leg shaking might not be serious but being a responsible dog parent, you have to rule out any threat to the pup’s health. If there is any disease causing the problem, it’s important to know and treat the disease at early stages. The sooner your pup will receive medical attention, the better it will recover.