Could my pet's weak back legs be from cancer or kidney disease?

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These are general signs that can be seen with a lot of conditions. It could be due to a neurologic condition or perhaps an orthopedic condition causing some kind of pain or discomfort. If this continues, I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to start with a good physical examination and possibly diagnostics to get to the bottom of this so that therapy if any can be started. Have a great day!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concerns. This could very well be related to arthritis of the back legs. The more arthritis develops, the more painful it becomes for dogs to walk. If there is hip dysplasia and this worsens over time, some dogs can appear to walk as if they are drunk with wobbly legs. I would recommend having Athena looked at by a veterinarian so that the appropriate treatment can be recommended. I typically recommend a multi-modal approach and use anti-inflammatory drugs such as Carprofen, pain medications such as Tramadol, Methadone or Gabapentin. Supplements that I would recommend would include Dasuquin with MSM, Adequan injections and Welactin omega 3 fish oil. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite and diarrhea can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. He could be weak on his hind end from not eating before and/or from dehydration so that could be connected. I recommend that you have Kip evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

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!

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!

Kidney disease is definitely a possible cause of back pain and an increase in drinking. It can also make her feel bad and less active. I recommend taking her to the vet sometime soon, because some causes of kidney disease like infections and stones can be successfully treated and further damage to the kidneys can be prevented. I hope that helps and Thor gets better soon.