# idiopathic head bobbing syndrome



## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

Has anyone heard of this? Video here. A few days ago (about a week) Piper started to do this. We took her to the vet who wasn't sure what it was (but suggested idiopathic head bobbing syndrome) and booked an appointment with a neurologist. After doing some research we found that chemicals(amongst a ton of other "things") can be involved.... and a week ago we bought new dryer sheets (Snuggles brand).

So we rewashed all the sheets (she sleeps under the covers) without the new dryer sheets. So its been over a day and no head bobbing so far.

I'm baffled.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Ya we dont use dryer sheets. Some dangerous products I can think of off the top of my head that we dont use at home: 
febreze, swiffer wet jet, scented swiffer dry cloths, any air fresheners, tide... im sure there are a few more but i cant remember atm. We only use natural cleaning products, and our dish detergent is the palmolive one, I know some dish detergents leave behind a residue that can be harmful to birds (we dont have birds) but we dont use those products because if they arent safe for birds I dont find them to be safe for any animal.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

The video link doesn't work for me :frown:

Awesome name for a syndrome though haha


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Ya the link doesnt work for me either :S


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

hmbutler said:


> The video link doesn't work for me :frown:
> 
> Awesome name for a syndrome though haha


Fixed! (new video this time... so many of them on youtube...)


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

That's so sad. Im sure there are lots of things that can make that happen to dogs, but Im sure the main reason has to be all the chemicals people use in their homes without knowing how toxic they are to pets. Not saying you KittyKat, just people in general. There seem to be a lot of vids on youtube of dogs having idiopathic head bobbing syndrome


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

aww thats so sad :frown: when you described it, it sounded like something Duke does, but his is nothing like that (the vet told me his head shaking is because of the change in weather, his inner ear doesnt "pop" like he wants it to so he shakes his head and/or yawns to get it to)

I'd freak out if Duke started doing that :frown: I never would've suspected simple household cleaners to do such things!!


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

so, so sad. We don't use any of the things Kat listed either.....we have to be REALLY careful with that, especially with blankets, because Minnie will carry hers around and suck on them. Adorable...but we obviously want this to be safe for her to do..... she finds it very comforting.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yep, this is a true thing...its always an unknown thing, but I also agree that its chemical induced since there is no other clinical symptoms. We also don't use any synthetic chemical products just because chemicals are bad all around. 

I'm glad to hear that Piper is a day without head bobbing...hopefully thats the last you'll see of it!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Man that's scary. And dryer sheets? That's just nuts.

i hate smells so we don't use anything that's stinky, which is most stuff. Tide makes me gag. I tried it again recently and just couldn't do it. 

We use Dawn for dishes and Purex for clothes, and i clean everything with Comet. I hope that's ok.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

That's a bit scary. If it is caused by chemical products in the home? white vinegar (1/4 cup) as a clothes softener works really well in the final rinse. I actually don't use any softeners or scented washing machine powder and I don't use a dryer either, I just line dry everything, except to finish off in the winter if it's still damp.
Because electricity costs a bloody fortune here.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

hmbutler said:


> aww thats so sad :frown: when you described it, it sounded like something Duke does, but his is nothing like that (the vet told me his head shaking is because of the change in weather, his inner ear doesnt "pop" like he wants it to so he shakes his head and/or yawns to get it to)
> 
> I'd freak out if Duke started doing that :frown: I never would've suspected simple household cleaners to do such things!!


Piper wasn't nearly that bad, she would just do it very briefly - but we were concerned since she'd never done it before. We also thought it could be her ears.

We always use dryer sheets because otherwise all the clothes get full of static. We usually try and line dry things but we've been getting rain almost every day for the past couple of weeks.

The old brand (some no name ones) didn't bother her oddly enough. I'm sure it could be different for each dog though.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

annie had 1 very small bout of this a few weeks ago,i gave her a teaspoon of honey and they stopped,i was advised that they are due to sugar levels dropping how true this is i dont know,,karen


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

xellil said:


> We use Dawn for dishes and Purex for clothes, and i clean everything with Comet. I hope that's ok.


 The dawn and purex are good, I would be a bit iffy about the comet though. If you do the chemical route, its best to use phosphate free, and in a gel/liquid form. Since comet comes in a powder form, it is very corrosive and you can easily breathe it in, its pretty much powdered bleach I think. Vim came out with a gel cleaner that has more natural ingredients in it, I havnt tried it yet but Im gunna check it out at the store this weekend.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Kat said:


> The dawn and purex are good, I would be a bit iffy about the comet though. If you do the chemical route, its best to use phosphate free, and in a gel/liquid form. Since comet comes in a powder form, it is very corrosive and you can easily breathe it in, its pretty much powdered bleach I think. Vim came out with a gel cleaner that has more natural ingredients in it, I havnt tried it yet but Im gunna check it out at the store this weekend.


Rats. But thanks. I have been using Comet for everything in my bathroom and kitchen forever. 

I'll see if I can find the Vim and try it.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

It doesnt have to be vim in particular. Right now for our bathroom we are using the Method cleaner which is good but kind of expensive. Clorox has their natural line "green works" also. There are quite a few safer cleaning products on the market right now, but since you live in the U.S you guys might have different things than Canada does.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Kat said:


> It doesnt have to be vim in particular. Right now for our bathroom we are using the Method cleaner which is good but kind of expensive. Clorox has their natural line "green works" also. There are quite a few safer cleaning products on the market right now, but since you live in the U.S you guys might have different things than Canada does.


Oh, I bet you are right - I never heard of Vim stuff. I know Comet makes a gel, maybe I can use it.

Comet is kind of my comfort cleaner. It's what my mother always cleaned with. When I was growing up the two things I remember are that she used Comet and Mycitracin for everything. That and Vicks, but I hate Vicks.


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