Anything from an insect landing on their head to a little water on their ear after swimming can cause them to shake their head. pointing out that although dogs can use their paws to scratch their faces and massage their ears, these actions are not as effective as a firm and swift headshake. Still, there may be physiological explanations for the tumbling.
As a result of not having thumbs that are oblique, our furry friends must find alternative means of relieving themselves of itchiness or clearing debris from their ears. Do dogs shake their heads for this reason?
Causes of dogs shaking their heads
Head shaking is often rather successful, so if you see your dog repeatedly shaking their head with little breaks in between, there's probably a problem, and seeing your veterinarian for a checkup is a smart option. These are a few potential medical disorders that could be causing your dog to shake his head a lot.
1 - Infection of the ears
For dogs, ear infections are a rather common condition. Ear mites, allergies, yeast and germs, and wet ears are common reasons. Other indications of an infection that you may observe include:
1: Your dog shakes their head and scratches their ears nonstop.
2: Redness and inflammation inside their ears.
3: An unpleasant discharge, typically brown, green, or yellow, that emerges from the ears.
Get medical attention right away if you see any of these symptoms in order to save your dog from more suffering and stop the problem from getting worse. Following an examination, your veterinarian will most likely suggest a prescription drug.
2 - Accumulation of earwax
Dogs may shake their heads due to excessive earwax buildup, which can impede airflow, create discomfort, and serve as a sign of infection. It's time to clean the ears of a dog if you sniff them and detect an odor and brown muck without any skin irritation or discharge.
However, cleaning healthy ears at home is not advised. Thus, let your veterinarian handle any debris you think may be within your dog's ears.
3 - Hypersensitivity
Like us, some of our dog pals have allergies to environmental triggers and uncontrollably present parasites like fleas and ticks. Although they occur less frequently, food allergies can also affect dogs.
It's probably time to schedule allergy testing if the dog starts shaking his head incessantly and exhibits a variety of additional symptoms, such as excessive paw licking, clawing at hot spots, diarrhea, and rashes.
4 - Neurological conditions
Dogs occasionally tilt their heads or shake their heads uncontrollably, which could be a sign of neurological conditions. Crying out in pain, loss of balance, aberrant stride or limping, and facial distortion are further indications that point to a more severe medical issue.
Is a "shake off" not the same as a head shake?
Some dogs shake off in addition to giving brief head shakes. Dogs may be using a strategy known as "shake off" to reset themselves after any type of tense and stressful scenario if they are shaking their entire body in addition to their heads. This is a typical response, and this is how they pacify themselves.
This occurs frequently when two dogs cross paths for the very first time. According to Phillips, dogs may get a little nervous at this first meeting, so both of them shake off after the customary sniffing. Your dog may also shake their body vigorously from head to tail when playing alongside other dogs, when they get off a lengthy car ride, or when they are with strangers.
Risky Situations Associated with Shaking of the Head
Dogs that shake their heads excessively may also have foreign objects stuck in their ear canals, inflammatory diseases, and even neurological abnormalities that cause tremors in their heads that are mistaken for excessive head shaking.
You and the vet should look for a root cause, like allergies, structural anomalies, or hypothyroidism, if your dog is experiencing recurring ear infections.
Finding the cause of a dog's head shaking or treating it is crucial because excessive or persistent head shaking might burst blood vessels in the dog's ear flap. Head shaking is also a sign of a potentially dangerous condition. Because treating the resulting aural hematomas frequently necessitates surgery, we should try to prevent excessive head shaking rather than just treating it once it occurs.
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