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What to do if my dog is shaking, restless, and won't eat treats?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Smooth Fox Terrier | Male | neutered | 2 years and 3 months old | 15 lbs

We just noticed Toby is shaking a little and not acting like himself. He can't seem to get comfortable to go to sleep. He ate his usual dinner hours ago, but he is not interested in a treat as he usually is. We are very concerned and don't know what to do for him.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ann Dion, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 12th, 2017

Hello. I am sorry that Toby isn't feeling well. Shaking, not acting like themselves, and being unsettled are signs of pain and discomfort. If the shaking is the whole body, and more like tremors (uncontrolled and continuous) then this is very serious and associated with signs of a neuro-toxin. I would suggest having Toby seen by your vet, or an emergency 24 hour clinic if your vet isn't open. It could be that Toby just ate something that has upset his stomach and he is painful, however there could be something very serious going on. Either way, it sounds like Toby is in pain and at minimum requires soemthing for this. Your vet may also want to do some bloodwork or x-rays depending on what they find on their physical exam. Best of luck with Toby!

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on

    Poor guy! Shaking is a fairly non-specific symptom. It can mean a variety of things that go from pain to even being nervous or cold. It could be some degree of gastrointestinal upset related to his dinner tonight just like it could happen to us. There are two basic approaches. You could basically just monitor him overnight. Make sure that he has access to water. If he is not feeling better in the morning then have him evaluated by your veterinarian. The other approach is to take him to an emergency clinic now where a veterinarian will evaluate him and likely recommend some bloodwork and at least abdominal radiographs to ensure that there is not alarming in the abdomen evident on the radiographs. I think that if he is otherwise doing well, it would be fine to monitor him tonight and if no improvement is seen in the morning then to have him evaluated by your veterinarian. Good luck with Toby! He is adorable!

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