Why can't my 12-week-old lab puppy suddenly walk on his back legs?

Poor guy. He is a bit young to have muscle weakness, so this is a bit concerning. I would highly recommend taking him to your vet to have his legs examined first. He may have an underlying disorder that is causing this, such as myasthenia gravis, a muscle injury, or something else entirely. Once the vet is able to diagnose the problem (using testing such as bloodwork +/- radiographs), then we will know what Lucky needs for treatment of his conditon. Also make sure you aren’t giving any kind of supplements to him, such as calcium, which can potentially cause musculoskeletal disorders in pets. Also feeding him a high quality puppy food such as Royal Canin, Hill’s science diet, Evo, Eukanuba or Merrick is also ideal for proper bone and muscle growth. I hope are able to find the issue soon and get Lucky feeling better. Best wishes and take care.

I'm sorry to hear Lucky is having some issues. I would be concerned about an injury either to the spine or the the legs. Unfortunately there is not much you can do at home except make him REST. No walks, no running, no stairs and no jumping. This can help the body to heal. I would also recommend to take him to see the veterinarian to have an exam and possibly radiographs. Labs are a breed prone to hip dysplasia although he is young for signs to show up just yet. Hope Lucky starts doing better.

The Trineurosol is just a vitamin injection. That is not really treating anything. My suggestion would be to have him x-rayed. This can be a severe case of hip dysplasia or a problem with this spine (a protruding disk, a fractured vertebra, etc). He needs some stronger medications. If this is a neurological disorder then he needs steroids and if this is an orthopedic issue he needs strong non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. Start with the x-rays. This is not something you can treat at home with home remedies. Best wishes.

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! This is not a common occurrence if it is just temporary for a few hours after taking a bath. There is a variety of neurologic conditions such as a myelopathy that may cause this though it is not typically temporary and does not necessarily improve on its own within a matter of hours. I recommend that you have Freddy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as necessary. I think the main thing is trying to figure out what is going on exactly which further history and a physical exam would help with. Good luck!

At his age I would worry there is a injury affected his back or hips that is causing him to be weak and unsteady. If he is overactive and jumps frequently, he may have damaged part of his spine to cause swelling and compression on the nerves. The best thing to do in confine him so he does not continue to injury himself until you can get him to the vet for an evaluation and radiographs

Without xrays and records of the physical exam it is impossible to guess what might be causing these symptoms. Paralysis of 3 months in a young pup is unlikely to resolve bit referral to a specialist neurologist and orthopedic surgeon may provide a full diagnosis and highlight any possible treatment options. If he has limited mobility then quality of life should be assessed and it may not be fair to expect him to continue most especially if any incontinence develops