Artist Star Uggie Has Mystery Syndrome

Uggie's time in the spotlight could just about be over: The heart-stealing Jack Russell terrier who stars in the hit movie The Artist is suffering from a puzzling debilitating condition, and will retire next month, says his devoted trainer. "It's very sad, but he is suffering from a mystery shaking syndrome. It is a neurological disorder and we’ve spent thousands on vets’ bills trying to figure out what is causing it, but the experts don’t really know," trainer Omar Von Muller tells the Daily Mail.

"He started shaking shortly before The Artist began filming. It comes and goes. Ironically, it's worse when he’s relaxed. When we were filming you could hardly notice it." But it's not all a tale of woe for the 10-year-old pooch. Uggie has one more star turn at the Oscars this month, when he'll do a bit with Billy Crystal. "It's a shame this happened when he's getting the biggest success of his career," says Von Muller, who adds that vets don't believe Uggie's condition is painful. "For The Artist, we were working 15-hour days, and I can't put him through that again." (More The Artist stories.)