If you have a small/medium sized terrier...

[RadioDorothy]

...or any dog of any size or age, really...could you indulge me and answer a few questions about something? I will explain why afterwards, although you'll probably see where I'm going.

1. Assuming your dog hasn't just come indoors, just eaten or had a drink, just woken up and everything is otherwise as it should be, does it:

• Scrub its body along the walls or furniture?
• Perpetually roll as though rubbing its back?
• Stretch front and back legs repeatedly?

1. Does your dog ever shake or tremble vigorously when not cold, anxious/nervous, frightened, or after exercise?

1. Do it's limbs and head shake/tremble even when sound asleep with eyes closed (and not wuffing and dreaming )?

1. Does it ever display a rhythmical, consistent twitch?

Thanks.

Bump

I have a patterdale x JRT and no .

You are describing my JRT to a tee! But not my other 2!
Some are really twitchy/ shivery. Mine always rubs against the couch, he is quite long haired and I think he likes smoothing his hair down .
He's now 12 with no problems but will still tremble fairly regularly. Sleep time is all out twitch fest especially when been for a big walk I think he dreams.
Obviously if you are concerned about your dog do get him checked but mine does all the above except front leg stretching. If these are new behaviours id want to make sure he wasn't in pain.

Ha Floral that was easy, thanks.

Really Disableduser, interesting! Has your dog ever had surgery or spinal issues?

I have 2 medium sized terriers and its no to all those questions

Okay thank you.

I'm showing my hand early, but essentially ALL of the above behaviours have been put down to chronic pain and nerve damage after spinal surgery 6 years ago for a ruptured disc (yes, by the Supervet).

She is reactive and aggressive and frightened of everything, and has seen 6 behaviourists in total. The last was a clinical vet behaviourist who took my £300 then observed her for 30 minutes and said everything was down to chronic pain.

She is on pain management and anxiolytic drugs permanently, yet she still does all of the above (and now chews her feet as well).

She's 10 and I don't even know if she's happy.

If she’s still doing it despite being on the pain killers I would assume she’s still in pain so probably not that happy , the feet chewing would really bother me as that sounds like stress .

Before I read your follow up, I was going to say pain.
Licking feet is also a sign of pain. I had mine x-rayed due to saliva stains from licking.
What are your thoughts on the way to go?

18 month old JRT cross

No to all of the above questions. Sometimes he'll do them in certain circumstances (e.g. rolling in a funny smell on a walk) but not when there's no apparent cause for it.

I know Floral, I totally agree. She is a working Patterdale from good working stock, but ruptured a disc when she was just 4. She's an adrenalin junkie, always looking for good violent noisy bloodshed fun, but in the last couple of years I've had to cut her exercise right back to 20 mins per day - any more and the tembling/twitching increases and she chews her back footpads raw.

I have to walk her in the dark so we don't see anyone, and we manage her very carefully as she will bite. I try playing mental games with her to tire her brain out, but she gets all lairy about it and nips me.

Our vet is fabulous and does what he can, he seems a bit stumped as to what to try next. When her back is bad enough that she doesn't want to walk anywhere she has a course of steroids until she rallies again - she always does.

She will never have another surgery, it's all so traumatic for her.

Not sure Twinone. Shake up the meds, have a rethink?

At the moment she's on gabapentin and amitriptyline, she's not taking tramadol but I could add that back in. She's been on amantadine before but that faded out between her last two courses of steroids.

I have crossbreed, not sure what exactly as she was originally a rescue, but im fairly sure some yorkshire terrier in her
She does the rolling about bit, like when shes just had a bath, but not the other stuff,sometimes when she out on a walk she will roll around in the grass

1 yr old jrt and no. Will scrub body to walls sometimes when she's wearing her harness and/or jacket. Does tremble when cold or excited (cats). Does sometimes tremble or twitch when asleep.
It certainly sounds like something is amiss.