My old pug has hind leg weakness and trouble walking. What's wrong?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Snickers. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian again. The hindlimb problems should not be related to his recent anal gland expression. The condition is worrisome though. He may be experiencing advancing joint disease that is leaving him to be very weak in the back legs. The collapsing and splaying is likely painful for him. He also could be experiencing a neurological condition from a bulging or ruptured disc in his back. This can be a very serious situation as the weakness has the potential to become paralysis. For this reason, he needs to be seen as soon as possible. Keep him quiet and do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Paddy. It sounds like Paddy may have a back or neck injury either from a slipped disk or a inflammation. I would recommend restricting his activity and not allow any running, jumping, or rough housing as this can exacerbate any injury until you can see your primary care veterinarian. Monitor for any worsening signs of weakness in his back legs and if you see any of these then have him evaluated sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Injuries to the spine or muscles/nerves in the back can sometimes cause symptoms similar to what you are seeing, and pain meds and anti-inflammatory medications are often the first-line treatment for this to help reduce any swelling and let the area heal. Keeping Voodoo calm, quiet, and on leashed-only potty walks may also help with the healing process. If her symptoms are worsening, don't improve with the medication, or she seems in bad pain or distress, taking her back to the vet for additional exam and treatment may be needed.

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!

Hi, he might be experiencing an herniated disc. You would not necessarily see it on xrays. I would recommend to monitor urination and defecation and consider what’s the best way forward considering age, prognosis and welfare. Your vet should be able to advise you considering these three factors. Sending you positive thoughts.

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.

Have Hopper examined by your veterinarian. Spinal x-rays may reveal arthritic changes that could cause low back pain and home end weakness. Pain management, physical therapy, swim therapy and/or cold laser therapy may all be options depending on the diagnosis.