My dog struggles to walk, and vets can't find a diagnosis. Help!

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It could be vestibular disease, among other neurological conditions. Regardless, this warrants an evaluation by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They can diagnose this issue so that therapy can be started. Best of luck!

IF the x-ray is clear then it must be a neurological issue. In a small puppy I would be worried about distemper or a problem with the spinal cord. I think more testing needs to be done. If you access to a veterinary specialist in neurology in your area I suggest you take him there. Your vet should be able to give you a reference.

Sorry to hear that Kobie isn't feeling right. In the picture, it also looks like he might have a left sided head tilt. Coupled with the other clinical signs you are listing, the basis of the condition may very well be neurologic rather than a primary orthopedic condition. I would have him seen by a veterinarian soon so that he can have a thorough neurologic exam. Depending on the results, the vet may be able to isolate and localize the condition to a certain part of the body and be better suited to direct therapy and diagnostics. In all likelihood, diagnostics are going to be required including blood work and imaging in order to make some headway in a diagnosis of the problem.

It's difficult to say exactly what's going on without examining him, but it could be due to a couple different things: 1) Arthritis - we usually see this in older dogs, but he may have had some growth abnormalities that caused him to get arthritis early. The best thing you can do for this is make sure he stays thin. A fat dog will be more prone to problems. Here is a link to a short article that explains how to keep your dog thin: https://www.petcoach.co/article/tipping-the-scales-10-tips-to-fight-pet-obesity/ 2) Damage to nerves in the neck - Larger breed dogs are prone to nerve damage in the neck. This can cause them to not walk properly and lay around more than normal. This would have to be diagnosed by a veterinarian and require more specific treatment. Either way, I think it's best to have a vet doctor do an evaluation of Duke to see what the problem may be. They can also advise on the best treatment for the problem. I hope that helps.

Poor guy. He certainly sounds like he may either be in pain or has some underyling neurological disorder going on here. Your vet should know where to start looking once a complete physical examination is done, because much more information can be gathered here. They will certainly want to start with some baseline bloodwork and possibly some x-rays if he seems to have any musculoskeletal issues as well. Some possible causes for these symptoms would be an underlying neurological disorder (i.e. IVDD), Addison's disease (disease of the adrenal gland), a toxin ingestion, or just pain from something internal. I do hope that your pet starts to feel better soon! Best of luck tonight at the vet. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a neurological or orthopedic condition. This could even due to weakness from perhaps getting into something he should not have. For this reason, I recommend that you consider taking him to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check what seems to be the issue so that it can be treated accordingly. Good luck and have a great day!