White Shaker Dog Syndrome in Maltese Terriers

Have you ever heard of White Dog Shakerpossibly cause the tremor to occur. Once the dog
Syndrome? I didn't until recently either...starts to relax or rest, the tremor will decrease in
It's official scientific name is idiopathic cerebellitis.strength and then stop. It can be anywhere between
I stumbled upon a site that talked vaguely about thismild to severe.
phenomenon with small white dogs, which includes theIt is speculated that it could be caused by an overall
Maltese Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, smallgeneralized neurotransmitter deficiency. It does not
white Poodles, and Bichon Frises. Less often, thisaffect your dog's personality and is not known to be
syndrome affects Yorkshire Terriers and Beagles.painful. However, depending upon how severe the
It is a disorder developing in small white dogs aroundtremors are, you may opt to have your dog checked
the age of 1 or 2 years old. It is known to cause aout by a veterinarian, and they will decide whether to
diffuse intention tremor throughout the dog's entiretreat them with medication.
body.Some dogs may be on treatment for their entire life,
The actual cause is still unknown, but it does seem towhich could consist of corticosteroids or diazepam.
be onset by stress. An intention tremor means that itIt is not known whether or not this syndrome is
happens when the dog starts to "do" something, suchinherited in dog breeds.
as walk, eat, run or undergo stress...these could all