Why Does My Dog Keep Shaking His Head?

Reasons For Dog Head Shaking

The most commonly reported condition in Dogs is ear infection or irritation, which is also the most common reason for visiting the veterinarian's office.

Dogs' hearing equipment is extremely sensitive, and even slight difficulties such as ear pain, itching, or irritation can cause them to become irritable.

Head shaking is one of the most prevalent symptoms of discomfort.

Temporary or insignificant Dog head shaking is perfectly natural; but, if your dog's head shakes for an extended amount of time, you should be concerned.

Unfortunately, most cases of head shaking are neglected or overlooked until a cause is identified; however, a more practical strategy is to carefully study environmental and lifestyle aspects to determine a likely cause.

The most prevalent reasons for a Dog shaking its head strongly and repeatedly are mentioned below.

Some of the causes are serious, while others are not.

Find out what you can do to assist him, or her feel better and prevent the situation from happening again:

Ears Filled with Water

Head shaking caused by water in the ears can be avoided by inserting cotton balls (or half a cotton ball for tiny breeds) into the dog's ears before bathing or swimming.

During a bath, avoid spraying or dumping water directly on your dog's head.

Instead, bathe him from the neck down and use a damp washcloth to clean his cheeks and ears.

If your Dog will not tolerate cotton balls in his ears while swimming, use an ear band or rinse his ears with a drying solution afterwards.

Based on your dog's specific needs, your vet can offer a safe and effective product.

Ear Infections

When a Dog has an ear infection or a yeast overgrowth in the ear, he may frequently shake his head.

This is more common in Dogs with long, floppy ears.

It is critical to keep humidity and moisture at bay near the ear to avoid infection.

You should also practice ear cleaning to maintain the ear canal and ear flaps healthy.

If you detect an ear infection or smell "yeasty ears," take your Dog to the vet for an examination.

Ear Mites

When a Dog has ear mites, you can generally tell.

Mites are most likely present if he or she tosses their head and scrapes their ears (to the point of bleeding).

Mite discharge is reddish-brown or deep brown, much darker than ordinary earwax.

Ear mites are especially dangerous to Dogs since they can cause serious ear canal damage if it goes untreated.

Dirty Ears

Your Dog may simply have unclean ears if he or she shakes his head now and again.

He or she may accumulate earwax and dirt if the debris inside the ears is primarily light to medium-tan in hue.

A simple ear wash may be all that's required.

You may use a commercial ear cleaner because it's simple to use and won't interfere with any other treatments you're giving your dog.

Allergies

Another ailment that causes Dogs to shake their heads is allergies.

Individuals can be allergic to food ingredients or triggers in their surroundings (pollen, mould spores, dust or storage mites, etc.).

Itchy skin, hair loss, repeated skin and ear infections, scratching at the ears, head shaking, gnawing on the feet, and rubbing at the face are common allergy symptoms in dogs.

To diagnose a food allergy, a Dog is put on a diet that contains a single carbohydrate (e.g., rice or potato) and a single source of protein (e.g., duck or venison) that has never been offered to the Dog before or has been hydrolysed (broken down into tiny, non-allergenic pieces).

For a month or two, the Dog must only eat this food.

A food allergy is likely if the symptoms go away or dramatically improve.

Intradermal skin testing is the best way to evaluate environmental allergies, although blood testing is viable for some dogs.

Trauma

After an acute injury, traumatic events can cause pain and discomfort in the head and ear canal.

If the damage is not significant, head shaking may be the first sign of trauma and may resolve on its own.

On the other hand, if the shaking continues, the trauma has likely caused substantial damage inside the ear or skull.

Cleaning the wound after trauma and treating it with the necessary medications is the best course of action.

Grass Seed or Foreign Body

Grass seeds, as the name implies, are frequent near rural areas.

The seeds, alone or in conjunction with other foreign materials, may lodge in your dog's ear canal, causing pain and irritation, as well as violent shaking of the dog's head.

The veterinarian can easily see these grass seeds inside the ear canal using an otoscope.

Check to see if any foreign things are present and take prompt action if they are.

Haematomas

Haematomas form when blood collects between the blood vessels and the ear cartilage.

This can cause a painful swollen, and red region on the skin, as well as the main bleed, and your Dog will try to scratch it all the time.

There are numerous reasons for this.

An injury or excessive scratching might cause it.

However, several diseases and health issues can also contribute to it.

This problem can also be caused by an ear infection or a skin infection.

Pain is never far away! The remedy is to drain the haematomas with a needle (which your veterinarian should do), or surgery may be required.

Otitis Externa

Inflammation causes otitis externa.

The most typical symptoms include odour, drainage from the ears, ear itching, and swollen and red ears.

However, your Dog will shake his head constantly due to this problem, which is one of the first indications to watch for.

The condition can be caused by various factors, including stagnant water inside the ear canal, ear mites, or even floppy ears.

It is vital to note that this problem will not go away on its own.

In reality, it may also disrupt hearing, and it may have a significant unfavourable impact on the ears.

A veterinarian will check your pet and prescribe a highly effective therapy.

Dogs who have this problem are more likely to develop it again.

It's one of those minor problems that can become problematic and harm your dog's ears and hearing.

Vasculitis

This is a serious problem that could affect your dog.

It is inflammation that affects blood vessels inside your dog's ear canal.

Some of the symptoms include hair loss, soreness and irritation in the affected area, cysts packed with fluid, and purple or red blotches on the rears.

Crusting on the skin is also possible.

The real cause of this ailment is unknown, and there isn't much useful information available.

However, in other circumstances, it can be triggered by unusual immune system activity.

You should consult your veterinarian right away and begin therapy.

Seizure

A seizure is a life-threatening condition.

If the head shaking continues and is followed by other signs of a seizure, contact your veterinarian right once.

Prepare to bring your Dog in for a visit right away.

Seizures in Dogs can cause catastrophic brain damage and even death.

As soon as you suspect this is happening, you must take your Dog to the veterinarian for treatment.

Seizures are uncommon, and far less dangerous illnesses cause most head tremors.

Other Symptoms That Your Dog's Ears Aren't Okay

There are several other signs that your Dog is having problems with his ears, including loss of balance, walking in circles, erratic eye motions, rubbing their ears on furniture or the floor and scratching their ears.

All possible symptoms are swelling around the ears, brown or bloody discharge pouring from the ears, or an unpleasant odour from the ears.

How to Stop Your Dog from Shaking His Head?

If you wish to stop your Dog from shaking his head all the time, you must address the underlying sickness or allergy.

This necessitates a trip to the veterinarian to determine the specific nature of the problem.

If your dog's ears are clean but frequently shaking or scratching, you should see a veterinarian right once.

Ear infections can quickly worsen, resulting in significant hearing loss.

The veterinarian will clean your dog's ears completely, trim any unwanted fur, and prescribe medications, generally an antibiotic rinse to apply directly to the ears after cleaning.

You should also request an allergy test if your Dog has had multiple ear infections.

Preventing Future Ear Infections

Everyone dislikes ear infections, but the vast majority of them can be avoided if you take the time to properly care for your dog's ears.

This entails clipping any additional fur that grows in or around their ears weekly and cleaning their ears with a specific ear cleanser.

Dogs who swim frequently may require more frequent ear cleaning.

After a long stroll in the park, you should always check your dog's ears for dirt and debris, especially if the park you typically visit is heavily wooded.

Dogs can easily damage themselves while attempting to remove debris on their own, and these wounds are easily infected.

If you're worried about clipping your dog's fur or cleaning their ears, you can ask the vet to demonstrate how to do it while you're treating the ear infection.

How to Care for a Dog's Ears?

The following instructions will show you how to clean a dog's ear.

Take your Dog to the vet if he or she is unhappy or in pain or if you feel anything else is wrong.

Cleaning your dog's ears should only be done if the eardrum is certain to be intact (meaning it is not ruptured).

Supplies

• An ear-cleaning product is a product that is used to clean the ears.

• Cotton swabs

• Treats

• A pair of gloves (recommended)

Instructions

• If you have gloves, put them on.

• 2-3 cotton balls soaked with ear cleanser.

• Allow the dog's ear to lay flat (or fold-over) for 30–60 seconds while gently massaging the solution-soaked cotton balls.

  A squishy sound should be heard.

  Between your fingertips and the ear, the dog's ear should act as a barrier.

• When you're finished, remove the cotton balls and let your pet shake out any extra solution.

• Remove any surplus solution with a clean cotton ball.

  If the dog's ear wax is thick, swipe with a fresh cotton ball after each swipe to avoid pushing debris farther into the ear.