Why did my dog have strange jerking, hiccup-like shaking at night?

Question

In the middle of the night my dog woke me up because he was shaking. But it wasn’t his normal shaking. It seemed like he had the hiccups, but was not hicupping. It felt like a jerk every few seconds. It stopped when he changed positions. Then started up after he got comfortable. It went on for about an hour. This morning he has been eating, drinking, using the bathroom as normal. He has been acting like his normal self. Do you have any idea what could have caused this? It has not happened again. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 4 months old | 12 lbs

Penelope Graben, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, I'm sorry to hear about this event with Cooper. A couple of thoughts come to mind about what this may be, but it's going to be difficult to give you a very specific answer on something like this. My first thought is an acid reflux event causing hiccups or hiccuping like motions, and this self resolved for now. Acid reflux can also be associated with lip smacking, obsessive licking, teeth grinding, or vomiting. I believe a seizure is another possibility. Seizures can range from quite dramatic to very mild in regards to muscle spasming and consciousness. Sometimes seizures occur only once in life. Seizures can occur secondary to internal disease, such as kidney or liver dysfunction, or due to brain disease, such as epilepsy or a brain tumor. A soft tissue injury or muscle spasming due to playing hard earlier in the day may cause this type of behavior. Almost any type of pain could present in a similar manner. I would recommend keeping a close eye on Cooper for the next several days. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have him get a physical exam and baseline bloodwork to ensure he doesn't have any major problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck to you and Cooper.

Why did my dog have strange jerking, hiccup-like shaking at night?

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