Why is my dog tripping and struggling to walk after kennel stay?

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!

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be because he is painful or showing some discomfort. This could of course be due to something else but it is not possible to know without further history and at least an examination. Keep in mind he may just be tired. I recommend you have Kane evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to try to find out what may be wrong so it can be treated. Good luck!

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chooch. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. Boarding can be stressful for a dog. It can also exacerbate underlying arthritis if she slept on the hard surface of a kennel floor. Her veterinarian will examine her and determine if joint pain is causing her sudden change in behavior. If so, pain medication can be prescribed. Blood work may be recommended to determine if she has any organ dysfunction as well. In the meantime, help her move around if she needs assistance. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

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 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!