My senior dog's leg injury: Is her walking progress a good sign?

This question is tough to answer because every spinal cord injury is different and all dogs heal at different rates. I would recommend judging Rayna’s improvement on a day by day basis. If she is improving, even slowly, it is a good sign. Continue supporting her and giving the medication as prescribed and she will most likely continue to improve. Some dogs don’t show any improvement until 6 weeks post injury. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello, and thanks for your question. Yes, senior dogs can heal fractures, though their healing will definitely be slower compared to young dogs. A 15 year old dog will definitely require some extra healing time, and some extra tender loving care! The fracture must be well aligned, and well stabilized (with a cast, splint, or surgical stabilizer such as a plate or external fixator, depending on the type and location of the fracture) until the fracture is healed. Pain control is very important during this process. Hope this helps and Rayna feels better soon!

It really depends on the cause of the muscle weakness. If it was related to illness, then it could gradually start to recover. If the muscle loss is due to another underlying conditioning or age, it may require additional treatment such as pain meds, joint meds etc, or even assistance with walking/doggy wheelchairs. Since it hasn't improved in several weeks, i would schedule a recheck with your veterinarian to see if there are any additional treatments needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she is showing improvement, that would be an indication that whatever happened is resolving. Usually, they do not tend to damage the affected area more without showing clinical signs as long as you follow the instructions from your veterinarian in terms of restricting her activity for at least 2-3 weeks post injury. This can help tremendously even if it was just a soft tissue injury or something else mild. As long as she continues to improve, it is likely that she is not causing any more damage to the previously affected area. Good luck and have a great night!

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 PetCoach! I'm sorry to hear about Xena. So if the position you describe (with the hurt leg extended) is when she is SITTING, I am most suspicious of a torn ACL. This is especially suspicious if she will walk on 3 legs but not the injured leg. Staffies between the ages of 1 and 5 are textbook for that particular injury. If it is when she is standing, that would be an odd way to carry herself and not typical of the usual injuries. (And I would see your vet). Finally, with this information, I cannot rule out a back injury or disk problem - more likely if she truly cannot stand, even if you help her up and put her back legs under her. You don't list Xena's age but as I mentioned before, if she is young, some sort of soft tissue injury is more likely. If she is older, an arthritis flare up or other problem may be more likely. Long story short, I recommend getting her in as soon as possible for evaluation and some safe pain medication. We as veterinarians have so many wonderful pain medications that are safe for long term or occasional use. As such, I would strongly recommend heading to your vet and NOT giving over the counter pain medication (it is not as effective and can interfere with what we would ideally prescribe). If you are unable/unwilling to go to the vet, probably the “least bad” choice would be aspirin. Be sure to use a product labeled for dogs and use the dosing on the bottle. See the link below for more information about the safe use of aspirin. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/aspirin/ Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Xena!

It sounds like she is in pain and needs some physical therapy to help her learn to walk again. She has probably lost muscle from being in a cage so long. I recommend having her leg checked so you know where the lameness is from, like her knee, hip or foot, and seeing if there is a treatment for her lameness. They can also get her safe pain medication. She may walk better once the pain is under control. Use a harness and leash so you can assist her walking and get her up for many short walks during the day. As she gets some exercise she should improve. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Dobby.