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Why is my chihuahua suddenly tucking his tail, shaking, and not eating?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 1 year and 5 months old

My chihuahua suddenly tucked his tail yesterday and started shaking and will not eat or drink.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on September 8th, 2016

Poor Zeus! The shaking can be a sign of pain, which would cause him to not eat or drink. He could be in pain from an injury, such as a torn ligament or muscle, or he could be in pain from an illness or infection. If he had a foreign body stuck in his GI tract, for example, that would be painful and cause him to not want to eat or drink. I think it would be a good idea to take him into your vet today for an exam given how quickly his symptoms appeared. Your vet can determine what has caused him to have these symptoms, and how best to treat it.

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11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    These are very general signs of disease, it mostly indicates that Zeus is probably in pain or in great discomfort, unfortunately almost any disease can manifest itself with those symptoms and for this reason I won't be able to give you an idea of what could be causing this. I would recommend taking Zeus to the vet ASAP for a physical examination, if nothing obvious is found he will probably need a blood test or an ultrasound and the vet will then treat him according to the results.

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    11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    Poor Zeus! A tucked tail with shaking is usually a sign of pain. From your description, I'm suspicious that he may have back or neck pain - this is a fairly common issue in Chihuahuas, usually caused by a herniated disc although he could also have some other type of injury. Less commonly, we may see symptoms like this with abdominal pain or even anal gland problems. I would recommend having Zeus examined by a vet as soon as you can - he/she can check his neck and back for any focal areas that seem painful, and may also do x-rays to help diagnose the problem. If it is a herniated disc, Zeus will need anti-inflammatories and pain medication, and will also need to be strictly rested for the next several days.

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    7Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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