Maltese Head Shaking

If hairs were plucked first, with cleanser added later, this can cause a temporary hot burning sensation that may cause a Maltese to shake his head as well. In most cases, this will go away later that same day. 

You'll want to keep a careful eye on the ears for any discharge or odor. If the Maltese continues to shake his head for longer than 2 days, or the intensity or frequency of the head shaking worsens, it will be time to have the veterinarian take a look.

The following are the most typical ear problems:

 

It can cause pain, hearing loss, dizziness, and lead to infection. In some cases there is also an issue with long hairs as well. You can clean the ears at home, or have the vet or groomer perform an ear flush and do any necessary plucking.

If there is no infection, removal of the excess wax should clear up the issue.

Mites - Ear mites are common with dogs (and cats) because these can very easily spread from one animal to the other. While there are several types, the most common is called otodectes cynotis. 

These are very tiny and barely noticeable to the human eye. However, they can cause a dog to feel an array of symptoms that leads to head shaking. This includes itching, irritation, and inflammation. 

There are classic signs such as the above mentioned head shaking along with rubbing the head, a black or brown waxy discharge, a strong odor and in some cases, a discharge that resembles coffee grounds.

Without treatment, head shaking can become much worse due to the mites causing blood vessels inside the ear flap to rupture. In addition, there can be a secondary infection.

Since symptoms can mimic bacterial infections, it is important to have a veterinarian diagnose this. A sample of the discharge will be examined. 

If mites are found to be the cause of head shaking several treatment steps will be done. This includes a professional cleaning, parasite medications and possibly antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medication.

Foreign body - When playing outside, many small foreign objects can enter the ear canal, though the most typical culprits include a blade of grass, an insect, and tiny pebbles. This can happen if a Maltese is rolling around in the yard or has popped his head into shrubbery to inspect things. 

In some cases, an owner will be able to lift the flap and see the object. If so, it can sometimes be carefully removed via fingertips or the very careful use of tweezers or grooming forceps. If not, a veterinarian will need to remove the debris and check for any additional damage to the sensitive tissue. 

Whenever a Maltese has both head shaking and heavy panting this points to the dog being in distress. 

Aside from some light panting during exercise, breathing heavy is not normal and often means that a dog is experiencing pain or is overwhelmed with a health issue. This can include a mounting ear infection, a mite infestation that has grown worse, or even ruptured vessels within the ear.

If your Maltese is panting and shaking this is a red flag for immediate veterinary care. 

Head bobbing refers to a Maltese making repetitive motions of the head in a rhythmic motion. This may be vertical as if the dog is nodding 'yes' or horizontal as if the dog is gesturing 'no'.  

Hypoglycemia - This is most common with very young Maltese puppies up to the age of 4 months, though it can occur with older pups. It is a rapid drop in blood sugar levels due to many causes including stress and not eating on a regular basis. 

The Maltese may appear to be very sleepy, nodding his head as if in a drowsy trance, have trouble walking and/or appear to be dizzy. 

Minor cases can be treated at home by rubbing a dab of honey onto the gums. Other remedies for minor cases are nutri-cal or a few bits of children's sugar coated cereal.  

If this does not resolve the issue or for moderate to severe cases, professional veterinary treatment will be needed which often includes IV treatment to balance out sugar levels. Severe cases can lead to coma and even death.

Toxic poisoning - In this event, a dog may have shaking limited to the head or trembling all over the body. Other signs vary greatly including: panicked behavior, weakness, drooling, dry heaving, vomiting, bloated stomach, and/or other unusual behavior. 

If poisoning is suspected, owners should contact the vet or a pet poison hotline ASAP such as the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) for instructions. Do note that pet poison hotlines charge fees. 

Idiopathic head tremors - These are involuntary muscle contractions of the head and neck that causes a dog to bob his head, with a typical episode lasting only 2 to 3 minutes. 

Once it passes, the Maltese may act as if nothing happened at all. 

The cause of these is still unknown and it is not thought to have any lasting negative effects. If a Maltese has ongoing episodes of this type of head bobbing, it can help to record an episode that can be shown to the vet, since the odds of it happening during a visit are slim.

While episodes are short, owners are often instructed to support the dog's head with a soft pillow. In addition, offering a bit of a sugary treat such as honey or peanut butter can often 'snap' a Maltese out of an episode. 

Many Maltese owners are aware of White Dog Shaker Syndrome since its name was derived by this initially only affecting pure white breeds including the Maltese. However, now it has been seen in dogs of other coat colors as well. 

While this is always something to keep in mind, while there may be just head tremors, many dogs are affected on other areas of the body or there are full body tremors.

In these cases owners have found that switching foods to change the main protein of the dog's diet - chicken to fish or vice versa- or changing to a grain free formula has brought about results. If food intolerance or allergy is indeed the trigger for head shaking, it usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of being on a new diet to see results. 

A Maltese may bop his head along to music or lean his head back and forth to make you look at him. It's almost always clear when this is just a matter of trying to gain your attention and nothing to be concerned with. 

There will not be any other symptoms and once your dog does have your attention, he will look pleased as if to say, 'made you look!" In these cases, it's just a matter of our canine family members finding another venue to communicate with us.