A dog twitching while sleeping means that they're in the later stages of sleep, known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Just like with humans, this often involves dreams that can result in spasms and whimpers. If your dog isn't twitching nonstop for more than 30 seconds, you don't need to worry.
Myoclonic movements are sudden, brief, shock‐like IM. They are typically positive (caused by muscle contraction), but can sometimes be negative (due to brief loss or inhibition of muscular tonus, as in metabolic conditions caused by hepatic encephalopathy, uremic encephalopathy, or kernicterus as examples).
All dogs dream, and some manifest dreaming with twitching, paddling, or kicks of their legs. These movements are often brief (lasting less than 30 seconds) and intermittent. Seizing dogs' limbs, on the other hand, tend to be rigid and stiffer, with more violent movement.
Many times, a dog that flinches when you move your hand near them will indicate that they have been mistreated at some point and have not forgotten the incident. Lack of proper socialization or a naturally shy personality can also cause your dog to flinch or startle easily when in strange or stressful situations.
A: For most patients, I recommend that if you're experiencing muscle twitches with no other symptoms, wait it out for few months. Usually, the twitching will stop on its own. If it doesn't stop, make an appointment to see me or another neurologist.
Twitches and tremors can originate from muscle or nerves, and can happen at any time. If these jolts happen while your dog is sleeping, it may only be a physical manifestation of a dream. But if they happen when your dog is awake, there may be another cause. Reasons for such movements can include: Muscle conditions.
Involuntary muscle jerks called myoclonus are common in both dogs and humans. That's what you're seeing when a dog's limbs and paws quiver or move repeatedly during sleep. It's most frequent during REM sleep. The flickering eyes, too, are associated with REM.
Physiologic myoclonus involves quick muscle twitches followed by relaxation. Examples are hiccups and the jerks or “sleep starts” that some people experience while drifting off to sleep. This form occurs in healthy people, causes no difficulties, and does not require medical treatment.
Myoclonus (pronounced “my-OCK-lon-us”) is the term for a quick, sharp muscle movement, which often looks like a twitch or a spasm. It can affect one muscle or groups of related muscles.
Distemper (aka canine distemper) is caused by a virus. It can infect dogs, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and large cats such as lions and tigers. The virus infects the lungs, airways, nose, and eyes. It can also infect the brain and suppress the immune system.
Like puppies, senior dogs also twitch more than middle-aged adult dogs. One theory is when the dog is asleep, his brain stem (especially the pons and medulla) sends signals to relax muscles, and this prevents your dog from actually jumping up to chase that dream squirrel.
Some of the signs of parvovirus include lethargy; loss of appetite; abdominal pain and bloating; fever or low body temperature (hypothermia); vomiting; and severe, often bloody, diarrhea. Persistent vomiting and diarrhea can cause rapid dehydration, and damage to the intestines and immune system can cause septic shock.
Like seizures, tremors are involuntary rhythmic muscle movements that look like shaking, shivering, or trembling. They can be rapid or slow, involve the whole body or just one part, and vary in intensity from mild to incapacitating.
Dehydration is another common cause of muscle spasms. When the muscles don't receive enough water, they can't properly contract. Your dog should always have access to clean water, especially when they're getting plenty of physical activity.
Muscle twitches can happen for lots of reasons, like stress, too much caffeine, a poor diet, exercise, or as a side effect of some medicines. Lots of people get twitches in the eyelid, thumb, or calf muscles. These types of twitches usually go away after a few days. They're often related to stress or anxiety.
Twitches are common and very rarely a sign of anything serious. They often go away on their own, but see a GP if a twitch lasts more than 2 weeks.
Some signs of a stroke in dogs include a head tilt, circling, loss of balance, and unusual eye movements. If you think that your dog is having a stroke, don't delay getting them to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. Treatment is mostly supportive, and it's important to treat any underlying causes.
In the case of a stroke, your pet's brain sends incorrect signals to their body. For example, your pet may not be able to respond to your spoken directions. Instead, he may move in a directionless fashion and seem to be walking in circles. He may appear as though he is drunk and be unable to walk in a straight line.
According to the ASPCA, caffeine, dark chocolate, mushrooms, theobromine, ethanol, and xylitol can cause your dog's seizures.
Treatment of Muscle Spasms in Dogs
If he begins to spasm or cramp, you can gently stretch or massage the muscles affected and offer him a drink. Heat or cold can also relieve muscle spasms and any pain associated with them. Ask your vet about muscle relaxants or pain relievers for your dog if he's cramping.
The most common intracranial causes are genetic epilepsy, trauma to the brain, tumors, nutritional imbalances, autoimmune disease, or infectious diseases such as canine distemper virus (CDV) and rabies.
A single seizure is rarely dangerous to a dog. If your dog has multiple seizures within a short period of time (cluster seizures) or if a seizure continues for longer than a few minutes, however, the body temperature begins to rise.