My dog's back legs are weak, she's acting strange, and has gas. Why?

This sounds like a medical emergency and you should have Puddin seen right away. The potential cause for her signs are a slipped disc in her back causing pinching of her nerves going to her back legs (Intervertebral disc disease), trauma, spinal infection, a spinal tumor or a toxin. The veterinarian will want to perform a through exam and localize the pain. They will also check Puddin's neurologic function which will help to determine if her signs are due to a spinal problem. If her signs worsen and she can no longer walk on her back legs, she may need an MRI or surgery. Please have her seen, good luck.

Hello, sorry to hear about Skittles. There are certainly several things that can cause dogs to have problems moving their legs. What you're describing however, seems to be more likely associated with an injury to her back. Most commonly in dogs, they may "slip" a disk which causes compression to their spinal cord. There are other injuries that are not compressive such as an swelling due to autoimmune disease in the spinal cord, a stroke to the spinal cord, or a fibrocartilagenous embolism which is more associated with larger breed dogs. Again their are other possibilities such as if she sprained a muscle or hurt her knees. Due to the concern for a potential back injury, Skittles should be evaluated by a veterinarian promptly to ensure she does/does not have a back injury. There are 2 options if she does have a back injury, you may elect to treat conservatively with strict rest and at home medications for 4-6 weeks or you may elect to have a neurologist evaluate her. The neurologist may then recommend an MRI and surgery based on the MRI. I know this is a lot of information to understand/explain so shortly but I would start off by having her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the interim, keep her quiet and rested, (no jumping, running, rough playing), make sure she is urinating and defecating, and keep her low to the ground. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lil Girl. No, intestinal parasites should not cause the symptoms you are describing. Given her breed, I am concerned that she is experiencing a problem with the disks in her back. If a disk bulges or swells, it will put pressure on the spinal cord resulting in weakness and wobbling. I would recommend that she sees a veterinarian tonight if possible. If left untreated, the dog can experience paralysis in rare cases. In the meantime, keep very quiet. Carry her if she needs to move. I hope this information helps!

I am so sorry to hear about Diya. I would recommend getting her to a vet for examination as soon as possible. There could be many different causes for weakness in the hind legs, ranging from a problem with the bones due to development, injury, dietary deficiency; or a neurological issue such as a compression of the spinal cord due to a herniated disk, a spinal embolism, infection, tick borne diseases, and more. An examination is needed to determine the causative agent and start treatment.

Shasta is experiencing two very different issues that may not have anything to do with one another unfortunately. In terms of hind end lameness, the most common causes of this are traumatic injuries, inflammatory conditions (arthritis / tendinitis), infectious diseases, tick borne diseases, nutritional deficiencies, clotting disorders, and certain cancers. As for diarrhea, the common causes of this include dietary indiscretion, inflammatory conditions of the GI tract, pancreatitis, parasites, infectious diseases, immune-mediated conditions, and certain types of cancers. To address either of these issues if they have been occurring for a significant period of time, both blood work and imaging modalities would be needed. This doesn't sound like an emergency or anything, but if either of these problems has been persistent I would consider making an appointment to have Shasta seen sometime soon for a work-up. Hope this helps and that Shasta gets well soon!

I'm not exactly sure I understand what you mean by frog pose but I assume this means her rear end is sinking down when she stands? I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. Take pictures or video of her standing or walking down the stairs. Make sure the veterinarian checks her nerves in her hind legs. This could indicate a neuropathy, a disc problem or it cold be related to her arthritis. It may be time for her to start medication and supplements to see if she improves. I hope this helps.

This is most likely from a bulging intervertebral disc pressing on the nerves to his legs. I recommend a veterinary exam and spinal X-ray to be sure. Then as long as he’s walking I recommend pain medication, muscle relaxers and I treat these dogs with laser and acupuncture. He needs to rest, no running or jumping and short slow leash walks for three weeks. Usually this will improve with treatment in three to four weeks. He also could rupture the intervertebral disc and become paralyzed. That is a medical emergency and he may need surgery by a specialist so he could walk again. Please take him in soon and get treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Armor.