My dog's neck shakes, can't stand, and has a weak leg. What's wrong?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a neurologic condition such as a herniated disc. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this and treat him accordingly. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Hooch is having neurologic issues. This is quite concerning. I would go ahead and have him evaluated at this time to see more in detail what he may have and see what the treatment would be like. I am hoping for the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be an indication of pain or discomfort. This could be due to a neurological issue or an orthopedic issue. Regardless, it does seem like he should see a veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment. At the very least they can prescribe pain control medications if he seems unconfortable. Good luck and have a good night!

Shaking or muscle tremors, difficulty walking and seizures can be a sign of neurologic disease in the brain. There are many infectious and inflammatory diseases that can cause signs like these. Severe liver disease or low blood sugar could also cause neurologic signs. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian if you have not already had Bobby examined. They can check blood work and may recommend testing for some infectious diseases. Often referral to a neurologist for an MRI and sampling spinal fluid is necessary to get a diagnosis, but there may be some treatments your veterinarian could recommend before more testing.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Poppy! I recommend that Poppy be seen by your Vet. Possible causes are distemper virus, a congenital abnormality, toxin ingestion, trauma or a brain issue. Hopefully this is just an injury that needs time to resolve but it is hard for me to say with out examining her or seeing a video. It may be very helpful for you to video tape an episode so your Vet can help you the best they can. I hope this helps and I wish Poppy a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few conditions that can affect a dog's ambulation such as a back injury or an injury to the legs per se. Sometimes weakness in the hind limbs can be caused by things like dehydration. Vomiting can be indicative of conditions such as gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal obstruction, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!

It sounds like what you are describing is weakness. Did your pup have a neurologic exam? What we look for is evidence of pain (although this can sometimes be inconsistent in pets), loss of sensation to the feet (does he fail to flip his foot back over when the top of his foot is placed down?), and presence or absence of reflexes. The results of these tests can help to determine if it's neurologic in origin and what portion of the spinal cord may be affected. Although, it can sometimes be hard to differentiate orthopedic from neurologic disease. Plain xrays of the spine are helpful to rule out any bony abnormalities, and sometimes we can see evidence of narrow disc spaces, but ultimately we cannot see the spinal cord, nerves leaving the spinal cord, or the soft tissues. If a neurologic problem is suspected an MRI is often needed. But, there are also some other conditions that can cause weakness that are metabolic in origin (has your guy had any senior lab work recently?) or related to loss of signaling to the muscles (for example a disease called myasthenia gravis) or related to a degenerative process such as degenerative myelopathy. If there is a component of pain detected on exam then anti-inflammatory pain medication may help. If you feel like things are getting worse it would be a good time to have a re-evaluation with your family vet. Another option as well, if a neurologic process is suspected, would be to have a consult with a veterinary neurologist. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!