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Tremors In My English Mastiff

Henry’s Mom

New Member
I am new to this forum, but not new to owning Mastiffs. My 17 month old EM pup has recently developed shaking or tremors in his hind legs when he tries to sit. He had no problems during obedience training when he had to sit, but seems to have developed it in the past four or five months. I read where some dogs display this particular symptom when their anal glands need to be expressed, but I had it done, and he still quakes. There doesn’t seem to be pain involved, and everything else such as appetite, mobility, playfulness, and attitude are all normal. He is still intact and was treated for a urinary tract infection two months ago. He is going to be neutered in August. If anyone has any experience with this problem, I’d love to know!
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
My big girl often has that issue with her legs when she's putting her weight on her legs in a certain way while sitting, but I haven't noticed it in her rear legs. Have you discussed it with your vet?
 

Henry’s Mom

New Member
My big girl often has that issue with her legs when she's putting her weight on her legs in a certain way while sitting, but I haven't noticed it in her rear legs. Have you discussed it with your vet?
Hi Boxergirl. Yes, I mentioned it to my vet and she also thought his anal glands were the cause. I haven’t taken him back in because of the Covid19 issue and the fact that he is getting neutered in less than a month. (The office is so backed up with appointments due to the pandemic.) For about 2 days after expressing his glands, he seemed much better, but soon returned to quaking.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
It's difficult right now. My daughter is a technician and they're still doing curbside service at her clinic. She's been putting in time doing behavior consults on her days off because the clinic is so busy she can't fit them in on her normal 10 hour shifts (but she works 12).

So what are his stools like? Are they nice and firm? Does he every scoot on the floor or lick his rear? Any other things you've notices that seem small but are out of the norm for him? Anything at all?
 

TylerDurden

Well-Known Member
I have seen that before when the weight seems to be unevenly distributed between the two legs. Difficult to explain...Essentially when they are putting significantly more weight on one leg vs. the other while sitting or standing in certain positions. However, I‘ve only observed it in front legs. I can‘t tell whether this is neurological (I wouldn‘t think so). It looked more like a "shaking" to me (more like muscular).
 

Henry’s Mom

New Member
It's difficult right now. My daughter is a technician and they're still doing curbside service at her clinic. She's been putting in time doing behavior consults on her days off because the clinic is so busy she can't fit them in on her normal 10 hour shifts (but she works 12).

So what are his stools like? Are they nice and firm? Does he every scoot on the floor or lick his rear? Any other things you've notices that seem small but are out of the norm for him? Anything at all?
His stools range from normal to diarrhea. Henry has had a sensitive stomach since we got him at 8 weeks of age. He doesn’t get people food at all, and the only treats he receives are Nubz. He tends to lick at his rear after he makes a bowel movement. He has been wormed, so I know it isn’t parasites. I don’t notice any changes in him at all.
 

Henry’s Mom

New Member
I have seen that before when the weight seems to be unevenly distributed between the two legs. Difficult to explain...Essentially when they are putting significantly more weight on one leg vs. the other while sitting or standing in certain positions. However, I‘ve only observed it in front legs. I can‘t tell whether this is neurological (I wouldn‘t think so). It looked more like a "shaking" to me (more like muscular).
I have seen that before when the weight seems to be unevenly distributed between the two legs. Difficult to explain...Essentially when they are putting significantly more weight on one leg vs. the other while sitting or standing in certain positions. However, I‘ve only observed it in front legs. I can‘t tell whether this is neurological (I wouldn‘t think so). It looked more like a "shaking" to me (more like muscular).
Hi Tyler. It is shaking almost like a Parkinson’s Disease tremor. He isn’t in pain and runs, walks, and jogs like a normal Mastiff. Like you, I’ve seen this in the front legs of a few dogs, but never in the hind legs. I guess I’m going to ask our vet if he should see a specialist to rule out neurological issues.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
His stools range from normal to diarrhea. Henry has had a sensitive stomach since we got him at 8 weeks of age. He doesn’t get people food at all, and the only treats he receives are Nubz. He tends to lick at his rear after he makes a bowel movement. He has been wormed, so I know it isn’t parasites. I don’t notice any changes in him at all.

Soft stools can definitely cause anal gland issues. The stool needs to be firm to express them when they eliminate. Licking indicates there's something going on back there. I'd try to get those poops more solid and see if that helps the anal gland issues.

The leg tremors I'd have to see to comment on if they're similar to what I see in my mastiff. I'd be inclined to work on building those rear leg muscles in a low impact way. Marke has many posts with suggestions for doing that.