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Weak hind quarters

5K views 53 replies 20 participants last post by  wolfy dog 
#1 ·
Hi all. I am very concerned about Deja, my strong girl. Her hind quarters are rapidly weakening over the last week. l contributed it to maybe a misstep at first and was observing her. She can now barely me it over 3 ft jump, lies down most of the time and wobbles like a badly built GSD. Of course it is now Friday evening when things look worse. Anything coming to mind before I have to take her to the ER vet? She is 6 six years old, intact and normally strong as a horse.
 
#2 · (Edited)
My first thought would be a tick-related paralysis. My next thought would be to get her spine x-rayed, if no ticks were found.

If that still didn't show a cause, I'd do bloodwork and look for things like anemia that would cause generalized weakness.

Edit: I avoid emergency vets for anything short of a life-threatening emergency, or wounds that need immediate treatment (stitches).
 
#3 ·
My initial go to is always a trial period of crate rest. If things get worse, then it's vet time. If things stay the same after a few days, I monitor for a few more. If it still doesn't start to improve, vet time. I have yet to have to take a dog to a vet for a joint injury using this protocol.
 
#5 ·
It sounds like it could be dm my neighbors dog had that and just remember never see anything like it. I would imagine a tick panel would be done but sometimes more then one thing going on so X-ray would be important to do. My male gsd has developed arthritis at 8 years of age but it was more stiffness then anything then progressed.
 
#8 ·
Don't assume it's DM. I've had 2 German shepherds that gradually lost control of their hind ends. In both cases, it was related to the spine. One had ankylosing spondylitis (vertebrae actually fused together!) and the other likely had lumbar stenosis due to arthritis. If your dog is active, it could also be a ruptured disc.
 
#12 ·
My old dog has legitimate hind end weakness and lack of awareness of her hind end. Hers they think is related to spondylosis or neuropathy from some other source. Also causing her constipation problem.

I'm not investigating it past that, she is getting laser tx on her back which has helped a lot. Past that I'm not really gonna go crazy. She is 13. All I am gonna do is keep her comfortable for as long as she can be anyway. I don't think hers is DM because i feel like she would be much more impaired than she is and it would have deteriorated much more/faster than it has.

But I did not see these symptoms till she was a senior...like over 12 I'd say
 
#13 ·
If she is just sore, I'd try crate rest and some anti-inflammatories.

If she is showing neurological signs, I'd bring her to a specialist as soon as possible.

It could be so many things, some easy fixes, some really serious. I hope she starts improving, I know how much she means to you.

I had a GSD with RMSF show very similar signs but with obvious neurological involvement. I opted out of MRI and just treated her for the tick illness, and she recovered fully. It was very, very scary.
 
#14 ·
She is super healthy otherwise and is not in pain. I can massage her back and no pain, which rules out disc problems and actually is a marker for DM. I had disc issues myself and you couldn't even point to them without feeling pain. No ticks, no fever.
It has started gradually but because I see her every hour, it sneaks up on you. My heart sank when she dragged her back feet and I heard the nails. Her hind legs sometimes cross under her belly like scissors. All not good. I will leave it at this and keep you posted once in a while. She is my heart dog. Thank you all for support.
 
#15 ·
With Shane the DM came on very very gradual and started with getting up a little bit slower than normal...he was 9 ish and i thought it was the beginning of arthritis....roughly a couple months went by ....then started to notice he would on occasion "knuckle" and drag one or the other rear paw we took him to a specialist....again the onset was slow.. don't think the worst until you see a vet...
 
#18 ·
I could not read this last night, I was having a bad day.
Not DM.
DM is an insidious thief that slowly steals pieces. Slowly. It is also painless and almost always the first symptom is the dragging/scuffing of the RIGHT foot. Don't know why but an informal poll of owners revealed that 87% noticed scuffing on the right foot first. I believe there were 1236 owners polled. Don't ask me to find the poll or where I found it. Either way it is always one foot first. It is also late onset, generally over 8 and while younger dogs have been documented it's rare. Don't go borrowing trouble. DM is a death sentence.
At six years old I would look to spinal inflammation but be sure they check her neck! Especially on big dogs everyone looks to the lower spine and neck injuries are actually super common. The laying down indicates pain. Avoid ER vets, they all to often rush to judgement.
 
#19 ·
I found an article about a condition with similar symptoms: "
1/19/2014 Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (FCE):
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=1663
"Most FCE dogs are young adults between the ages of 3 and 6 years. In one study, 61% were evaluated after some kind exercise injury or trauma. There may be a yelp at the time of the trauma but the injury is generally not painful. There is about a 50:50 chance that the lumbar area of the spinal cord will be affected, which means only the rear legs will be involved. Because the embolism is not generally a symmetrical event, both left and right may not be equally affected."

She at one time did give a yelp when she ran down hill fast and after that never sprinted anymore. That's when it all started for her and me panicking about DM. I have ordered a DNA test for DM. Fingers crossed.
 
#22 ·
Thank you for posting this link and thinking with me. I checked it; she doesn't have enough of the symptoms to be worried about it for now. Oddly today she seems to do better and had more drive in her hind quarters. Maybe it is that FCE condition. I don't dare to be relieved yet but was happy to see her in a better shape (knock on wood!). I hope with all my heart that she will stay with me for many more years.
I am not freaked out anymore. My son told me "to never give up on dogs cause I would die. Instead, enjoy the years you have with them, even when they are too short." So proud how I raised my kids.
 
#25 ·
So very happy and relieved she's doing better.

When Nitro was an adolescent we woke up one morning to him being in pain and his hind legs were paralysed. I rang the vet and then tried to get him moved and into the car. Because of his size and weight I couldn't lift him, so I placed a towel under his undercarriage and lifted. There were about 3 clicks and he was able to use his hind legs again. My poor boy got shaved at the vet's, they were checking for ticks. Nitro's chiropractor's opinion was I inadvertently 'put his spine back' when I used the towel. I don't know what he did to himself, it was a one off incident and he's never had subsequent ill-effects from whatever it was that happened.
 
#26 ·
wow! Something like that happened a few days ago. Deja, still affected, was running home from the mail box (the planned gentle walking) and then suddenly in the mid run she looked at her spine as if there was a fly bothering her. At that moment I hoped that something like what you described happened and it might have as she is improving. I am cautiously relieved and dare to look at a future with her..
 
#30 ·
spondylosis, spondylitis, DM, and cancer are the worst things. It could be a strained muscle. I think Heidi had that once. It took about six months, but it healed on its own.

If you pick up her foot and move the toes the wrong way and rest it that way on the floor, does she right it, right away?

Cujo1 was 7 when he missed a step one day. He got worse and worse. 30 days from that day he passed. It was some form of cancer that had tumors along the spine. I don't think that is what your girl has. Possible. But let's think of the muscle of tendon injury first and let the vet figure it out.
 
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