Why are my senior poodle's legs weak, off balance, bloated, and drinking a lot?

This could be due to a bulging intervertebral disc which can cause rear leg weakness or paralysis. She may be in pain since she was able to get up a little after a tramadol. I would continue with the diagnostic tests until you get to the cause of the problem. Then she can receive the appropriate treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sweetie.

I would have Molly seen by a vet as soon as possible. It sounds like she has a few things going on at the moment that need to be diagnosed and treated medically . The problems using her back legs could be due to arthritis, or problems with her hips, spine, and/or joints. Drinking a lot more and peeing a lot more can be due to diabetes or kidney disease. That would also cause weight loss. The bad breath could be caused by diabetes and dental disease. Finally, peeing her in sleep could be caused by incontinence. She needs a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis to diagnose what is causing all of her symptoms. Once a cause is found, the vet can discuss treatment options with you.

If she is drinking or urinating more than usual, she should be seen by your veterinarian. Given her age, blood work should be done to assess major organ function, especially kidney function. Dogs can have kidney disease but show no symptoms until kidney function is greatly reduced. If diagnosed early, it may be managed.

Drinking a lot of water and losing weight is very concerning and indicates an underlying medical condition. There are many possibilities: * cancer * Cushing's disease * Diabetes * kidney disease * etc.... The weakness and spasms in the back legs is probably due to arthritis, however, she could be just weak from whatever underlying disease is going on. The chewing and licking of the paws could be due to her being generally uncomfortable (displacement behavior), allergies, bacterial infection of the skin, etc. She really needs an examination by your veterinarian to get to the bottom of what is going on.

At her age, Lovie should be examined by your veterinarian. Her symptoms may indicate kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes or endocrine disease. Your vet can submit blood and urine samples to assess major organ function. Once the underlying cause is diagnosed, the appropriate treatment can be administered.

This presentation could commonly be caused either by a neurological damage of the nerves of the back legs (usually from spinal cord), caused by a stroke or a intervertebral disc extrusion/protrusion,or potentially by severe arthritis and osteo-arthrosis. A check up and appropriate medications (anti-inflammatories) would be ideal and essential to understand the underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly neck or back pain though it could also be due to arthritis. It could still be pain associated with a leg even if nothing seems wrong with them. I recommend that you have Sausage evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics include radiographs. Treatment would be based on findings. At the very least they can prescribe pain control medications to make Sausage feel better. In the meantime, reduce his activity as much as possible as that in itself can make a big difference. Good luck and have a good day!