Why is my dog struggling with back legs, shivering, and has diarrhea?

Shasta is experiencing two very different issues that may not have anything to do with one another unfortunately. In terms of hind end lameness, the most common causes of this are traumatic injuries, inflammatory conditions (arthritis / tendinitis), infectious diseases, tick borne diseases, nutritional deficiencies, clotting disorders, and certain cancers. As for diarrhea, the common causes of this include dietary indiscretion, inflammatory conditions of the GI tract, pancreatitis, parasites, infectious diseases, immune-mediated conditions, and certain types of cancers. To address either of these issues if they have been occurring for a significant period of time, both blood work and imaging modalities would be needed. This doesn't sound like an emergency or anything, but if either of these problems has been persistent I would consider making an appointment to have Shasta seen sometime soon for a work-up. Hope this helps and that Shasta gets well soon!

The pictures look like Potti has some muscle loss of the hind legs. If he cannot walk he really needs to see a vet as soon as possible. Infectious disease, trauma, parasites and neurologic disease can cause the inability to use your legs. I would recommend taking food to him so he can still eat and drink and getting him in for an exam. Hope Potti feels better soon

Hello, sorry to hear about Skittles. There are certainly several things that can cause dogs to have problems moving their legs. What you're describing however, seems to be more likely associated with an injury to her back. Most commonly in dogs, they may "slip" a disk which causes compression to their spinal cord. There are other injuries that are not compressive such as an swelling due to autoimmune disease in the spinal cord, a stroke to the spinal cord, or a fibrocartilagenous embolism which is more associated with larger breed dogs. Again their are other possibilities such as if she sprained a muscle or hurt her knees. Due to the concern for a potential back injury, Skittles should be evaluated by a veterinarian promptly to ensure she does/does not have a back injury. There are 2 options if she does have a back injury, you may elect to treat conservatively with strict rest and at home medications for 4-6 weeks or you may elect to have a neurologist evaluate her. The neurologist may then recommend an MRI and surgery based on the MRI. I know this is a lot of information to understand/explain so shortly but I would start off by having her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the interim, keep her quiet and rested, (no jumping, running, rough playing), make sure she is urinating and defecating, and keep her low to the ground. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Poor Turbena! I'm afraid this is very concerning. Loss of function in the rear legs is most often due to a "slipped" or herniated disc in the spine, but could also be due to some other neurologic problem or illness. This problem needs immediate treatment for the best chance of recovery, so I would recommend taking Turbena to the vet now. He/she can do a complete neurologic exam as well as x-rays or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment right away.

Going stiff in the back legs is not expected and is very concerning. I recommend to have her seen by her veterinarian today. Infections or toxins could cause both of the symptoms and these can be very serious. Just like with humans, getting an accurate diagnosis and early treatment gives a better prognosis. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This could be due to a bulging intervertebral disc which can cause rear leg weakness or paralysis. She may be in pain since she was able to get up a little after a tramadol. I would continue with the diagnostic tests until you get to the cause of the problem. Then she can receive the appropriate treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sweetie.

I am so sorry to hear about Diya. I would recommend getting her to a vet for examination as soon as possible. There could be many different causes for weakness in the hind legs, ranging from a problem with the bones due to development, injury, dietary deficiency; or a neurological issue such as a compression of the spinal cord due to a herniated disk, a spinal embolism, infection, tick borne diseases, and more. An examination is needed to determine the causative agent and start treatment.