My dog can't stand, has back pain & stiffness. Is it tick paralysis?

Poor Max. I’m sorry he’s not feeling well. Im suspicious from what I see in the picture that his neck or back hurts. If he is not back to normal tomorrow then I would recommend that he be evaluated by a veterinarian. Then they can decide if dog safe pain medication is appropriate for him or if other diagnostics should be done. I hope he improves quickly.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Maxi! There are many reasons for a senior dog to become weak: kidney, liver problems, arthritis, neurological degeneration of the spine, cancer. Tick infestations, if severe can make any age dog weak by removing too much blood and causing anemia. Also ticks carry infectious diseases like Lyme, Ehrlichia, anaplasma and many others. I recommend, ideally, to have Maxi seen by a Vet and have blood work done and check her for the above 3 tick borne diseases. Then if healthy enough give her a flea and tick preventative. There are great drugs out now for fleas and ticks, like Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto and the Seresto collar. I am so sorry that Maxi is sick and I wish her a speedy recovery! If you need anything else please contact us, we are here to help!

I am not sure of your location, but also make sure to check Dexter thoroughly for the presence of ticks. Tick paralysis can present in a similar fashion and is typically non-painful. Removal of the tick and supportive care results in a full recovery majority of the time. Another potential is coondog paralysis if Dexter has had any contact with a raccoon recently. As everyone else has stated, there is always the potential for an infectious or inflammatory CNS disease, trauma, or a congenital abnormality. He may need more advanced diagnostic imaging (CT scan, MRI) and CSF tap to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Most of these diagnostics are performed by board-certified veterinary neurologists.

Poor guy. I highly suspect that Ghost may have a tick borne disease that was transmitted when the ticks were feeding on him. I would highly recommend taking him back to your vet for a tick titer test to check for these diseases and also get him started on antibiotics (i.e. Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice for tick related diseases) right away! If he is still not able to recover well wthin 24 hrs of starting the antibiotics, then you should consider having him hospitalized with IV fluids and around the clock care. His condiiton is not good and I would err on the side of caution. I am so sorry that Ghost is so ill, and I sincerlely hope he is able to make a full and speedy recovery soon. Best wishes and take care.

There can be a number of diseases that cause weakness and/or pain. The first thing that should be done is to figure out whether he is truly in so much pain that he can't stand, or if he has a neurologic problem (i.e., paralysis) that's making it difficult for him to move his legs, or if he has a disease (like something caused by a tick bite) that is making him anemic (low numbers of red blood cells) and making him weak. Your dog needs to be examined by a vet who is capable of differentiating all of these problems, and figuring out what the appropriate therapy is, because the treatment depends on determining exactly what the problem is.

This is a medical emergency and Smooch has to see a vet now. He could be suffering neurological effects from the tick or he could have injured himself, and he has to have veterinary treatment now especially since his symptoms are worse. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

Oh my. It sounds like your pet may be suffering from a tick borne septic arthritis or something similar. Ticks can cause all sorts of internal problems for pets, including damaging the joints and causing low grade fevers and nausea. I would highly advise getting your pets seen by your local vet right away for much needed antibiotics and blood testing to confirm that tick borne disease is present. This will help let us know what other treatments they need to hopefully get better. I would take them in as soon as possible and also get them on a high quality flea/tick preventative such as Simparica, Firstshield, Nexgard or Bravecto. Best of luck with your pets. I hope that they get well soon. Take care.