Conditions affecting both front and back legs
Contact your vet if you notice your dog is limping or appears stiff.
Contact your vet immediately if your dog is in severe pain, is unable to put a leg down or has a serious wound.
You know your dog best. If they don’t have the symptoms listed above but you are still concerned it’s always best to contact your vet.
Neurologic Causes of Hind-Leg Weakness in Dogs
IVDD crosses over from an orthopedic probem to a neurologic one when a diseased disc (or discs) puts pressure on the spinal cord, resulting in neurologic weakness. Many of these cases can be managed medically, but if paralysis occurs or there is no improvement with medical therapy, surgery is indicated.
Spinal tumors and other neurologic conditions cause similar signs. Advanced imaging, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and sometimes cerebrospinal fluid analysis, is required for diagnosis.
Diskospondylitis is an infection of the intervertebral disc and the ends of the adjacent vertebrae. It is very painful, frequently causes hind-limb weakness, and can be difficult to diagnose. Treatment is antibiotics for an extended period of time (six to 12 months). Because this condition can be hard to diagnose in its early stages, your dog may require repeat x-rays and/or advanced testing like CT or MRI to get to a definitive diagnosis. Properly diagnosed and treated, these dogs can make a full recovery.
Lumbosacral stenosis, also known as cauda equina syndrome, is a degenerative condition similar to IVDD but specific to the lumbosacral joint. This is the joint connecting the last vertebrae to the pelvic area. It’s different from the other intervertebral joints in that it is where all the peripheral nerves that go to the hind end branch off from the spinal cord. Disease in this area is very painful and frequently causes neurologic deficits, resulting in hind-limb weakness.
Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a slow but progressive degeneration of the spinal cord resulting in hind-limb weakness. It occurs in many breeds but the German Shepherd Dog is the poster child for this disease. It usually affects middle-aged and older dogs. There is currently no effective treatment for DM, just supportive care.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder that results in muscular weakness that comes on with exercise. It can start with the hind limbs, but rapidly evolves into full-body weakness and collapse.
Here’s a scenario that’s classic for MG: Your dog gets up from resting and is perfectly normal. You head out for your walk and within minutes, he is sinking, slipping, and staggering until he can no longer stand or walk. After a period of rest, which allows for replenishment of affected neuromuscular transmitters, he can once again function for a short time. Diagnosis requires a blood test. Treatment is long term (six months or longer). Some dogs will achieve remission and go on to live normal lives. Others will require treatment and support for life.
Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) is an inherited disorder in Labrador Retrievers and a handful of other breeds. It usually becomes apparent between 6 months and 2 years of age. It happens after several minutes of strenuous exercise. The dog suddenly becomes progressively weaker and uncoordinated in the hind limbs until he ultimately collapses. There is no treatment for this. Prevention involves avoiding strenuous exercise. For these reasons, it is important that you purchase your puppy from a breeder who has tested the parents for this gene. If you’ve adopted a dog with these symptoms, have him tested for the EIC gene.
Idiopathic vestibular syndrome is a common cause of incoordination and hind-limb weakness in geriatric dogs. It comes on suddenly, and it may seem to you as if your dog has had a stroke. The cause of this disorder is unknown. It is frequently accompanied by balance issues and a head tilt. Most dogs will recover in time with supportive care.
Several tick-borne diseases can cause generalized neuromuscular weakness that may first be apparent in the hind limbs. Tell your veterinarian if you have seen ticks on your dog.
The video shows one such example. It’s also important to stress that even vets get fooled at times by non-neurological hind leg lamenesses like hip dysplasia or severe arthritis.
These are the signs of a problem with the nerve supply to the hind legs. There are many diseases that do this, not just degenerative myelopathy. The end result is a sort of abnormal movement we call ataxia.
How Can You Tell if Your Dog has Arthritis: top 10 symptoms
I missed the early signs of arthritis in my dog. She was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 3, and to say I was a bit shocked is an understatement.
The signs had been there all along, but I wasn’t putting them together. I just assumed they were just regular age related issues.
When you live with a dog everyday it’s easy to miss some changes, and when it comes to arthritis many times those changes are just attributed to aging.
But when it comes to arthritis in dogs there are some specific things to look out for. This article goes over the early signs of arthritis in dogs, including all the ones I ended up missing.