Why did my senior dog collapse, shake, and lose use of her back legs?

It sounds like Danika has a seizure, and it a dog her age, that can have very serious causes. You need to take her into a vet as soon as possible. If she seizures again before you can seek vet care: - Don't put your hands near her mouth - Keep some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle to spray on the pads of the feet for cooling - Monitor her at all times during the seizure to ensure that she cannot hurt herself by crashing into furniture, etc - If the seizure continues for more than 5 minutes, seek emergency care immediately

Hello. This sounds very suspicious of a seizure. The average age of onset of seizure activity for epileptic dogs is from 2-4 years of age. Since this is a first time occurrence...or the first that you have witnessed....you may have to wait and see if it happens again. It may help your veterinarian if you can video the episode if it happens again. It is always a good idea to have your veterinarian examine her to make sure there are no other problems and discuss the possibility of seizures. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The falling/lethargy episode you described may have been a seizure. This may be due to toxin ingestion or epilepsy, which does occur occasionally in older dogs. Head shaking may be related or unrelated as an ear infection. I recommend having Sami seen by her vet who can perform bloodwork and x-rays and prescribe anticonvulsant medications if the seizures continue. I recommend bringing a video of the episode if you are able to, as his will be really helpful in determining if the episode was truly a seizure. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with your pet. There are any number of medical reasons that might explain this, but the most likely would be a seizure (not all are classic grand mal), or a heart issue. The best way to determine the cause is to let your veterinarian do a full exam & blood work to rule out any metabolic or otherwise obvious reasons for the episode. Then, if any treatments or medications are indicated, your veterinarian can discuss all options with you. Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am so sorry to hear about Coco. I know how scary this can be for the dog as well as the owner. You have my sympathies. The first disease that comes to mind when you were describing her symptoms was one called idiopathic epilepsy or seizures. Unfortunately, dogs of her breed can start to have seizures at an early age. Another disease of small small breed dogs is a condition called hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. This disease can also cause the same symptoms as seizures. I strongly encourage you to make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible even if she is acting completely normal. In fact, that would be the best time to do a physical exam as well as diagnostic testing like bloodwork so that you can have medications on board or at home to give if she exhibits the symptoms again. Not to mention, with something as serious as this could be, you need to have a correct diagnosis performed by your local veterinarian so that they can help you treat any problems you may have in the future. I hope this helps.

No, this is not distemper or a "nervous break down". It is either weakness from an underlying orthopedic issue or mild seizure activity. Since she is back to normal I suggest you just monitor her for now. If it happens again then you should video tape the episode to show your vet what she is doing as she should be examined by your vet.

Hello, sorry to hear about Shiloh. It looks like she is an older pup and the potentials for what is causing her to collapse can vary greatly (anything from neurologic in origin to orthopedic in origin). In older pets, severe muscle loss, heart problems, or other metabolic problems can contribute to their weakness and collapsing episodes. In a dog with a cough however, I would be most concerned with an underlying heart problem, then a neurologic or orthopedic problem. I would recommend seeing her veterinarian to have her evaluated and check her for any underlying heart problems, neurologic or orthopedic problems. Hope this helps and best of luck.