My dog can't walk, hind legs weak, and tail swollen. Is it serious?

It sounds like a spinal cord injury, or it could be a growing tumor that has become large enough to cause pressure. Ant sudden, drastic change in a pet's condition needs to be assessed right away. Please bring him to the emergency vet today.

Limber tail syndrome, or acute caudal myopathy, is a disorder of the muscles in the tail, usually affecting working dogs. This condition is not a disease, but a symptom of overuse of the muscles of the tail which causes inflammation and pain. However, it has to be differentiated from other causes of pain in the tail, such as a fracture, cancer along the vertebra or spine, neurological disorders, metabolic disorders, intoxication, infection, and other disease. Without examining Cleo myself, I can't say for certain what is causing her pain. I'd recommend taking Cleo into your vet as soon as possible to have her tail examined.

I'm sorry to hear that Mayhem hasn't been feeling well. The signs that you describe - reluctance to use stairs, pain on manipulation of the tail, not pooping (likely due to pain while posturing/squatting), lethargy, and a decreased appetite - are all most suspicious for a sign of back pain. This could be a result of a soft tissue injury while playing, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), fibrocartilaginous emboli (FCE), among others. Regardless of the cause, it sounds as though Mayhem is quite painful and would greatly benefit from an urgent trip to the vet for an exam and pain medications. Do not give any pain medications at home (including aspirin), and only give medications prescribed by his vet as most human pain medications are not safe for use in dogs. I hope that he feels better soon!

Hello. My first inclination is that Ryder somehow injured the tail. This is typical of a tail being shut in a door or stepped on. True limber tail usually involves the entire tail & generally resolves in a few days or a week. I recommend having the tail evaluated to make sure there are no injuries, especially a fracture. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That is good that it does not appear painful. Swelling at the base of the tail can be related to a tumor, a fat pad or less commonly- cellulitis due to infection or congestion of the blood vessels. To know for sure, you would need to see a veterinarian so they can palpate the area. They may recommend to collect a small sample of cells to look at under the microscope to get a better diagnosis. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any additional questions!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that Riley is having some problems. These look like fairly significant areas of bruising and you didn't mention any witnessed trauma that may have occurred. I would immediately get him to your local veterinarian. Your vet can gather a detailed history and perform a thorough examination. Once those are done, they can discuss a diagnostic/preliminary treatment plan with you. My biggest concern right now if trauma did not occur would be blood clotting. Is there something going on with Riley's ability to clot?? Your vet will most likely want to perform some blood tests, clotting tests, tick disease tests, and possibly some imaging studies such as x-rays/ultrasound to figure out what is going on. Once a diagnosis is made/suspected, a treatment plan can be put into action. I wish you the best of luck with Riley and I hope he recovers soon.

Poor Turbena! I'm afraid this is very concerning. Loss of function in the rear legs is most often due to a "slipped" or herniated disc in the spine, but could also be due to some other neurologic problem or illness. This problem needs immediate treatment for the best chance of recovery, so I would recommend taking Turbena to the vet now. He/she can do a complete neurologic exam as well as x-rays or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment right away.