Rear leg weakness in dogs

[Cougarfan]

I went through this last year with my dog. I thought he was going to be paralyzed forever. After a poor diagnosis and treatment by a newbie vet in the office for over a week (who is no longer there) different vet finally gave him a cortisone injection directly on the location and he was walking 48 hours later. He has a calcium deposit or something in his back (photo of x-ray below). When it gets inflamed, it pushes the disc up into the spinal cord causing paralysis. After the inflammation subsides, the disc goes back where it belongs and he's fine.



That was the worst he's ever been but I can tell when it is bothering him so I make sure to keep him quiet and don't let him jump on anything and our walks are slow and steady.

Good luck and if it doesn't get better, there are wheelchairs out there for dogs and they seem to adapt pretty fast.

Laura

[gingerK]

Arthritis in the spine could cause weakness in the hind limbs. Should be able to see this on xray. Agree, pred should be helpful, rest and you can get a harness type thing that supports their hind end so you won't worry about dropping a towel and possibly hurting him. Have you tried Care Credit for the vet bills?

[catzmom7]

I just ordered a leash called a Bottoms Up. It looks like an easier way to hold up his back end, with a better grip.

He is supposed to be resting. He keeps trying to get up, and when I take him out for potty trips, he really wants to walk on his back legs. He tries to, anyway. I have a call in to the vet to see if these are good signs, or if I should be discouraging this. Started the prednisone today, had to wait until the Rymadil cleared his system, as they do not mix.

Still waiting to hear back from either of the acupuncture people that I contacted.

Wish I could afford to bring in a bevy of experts, but I can only do what I can do. :cry

[Cougarfan]

Part of the issue I had with Harley and the poor treatment from the newbie vet is she gave him oral Prednisone which did nothing to help him for a week. He did not get better until he got the steroid injection at the site of the inflammation. Then, in 48 hours, it was like night and day. If you don't see any kind of improvement in 48 hours take him back for the injection.

He gets around just fine now but I can tell he just doesn't have 100% strength in his hind legs. He is not in pain and that was the only thing that mattered to me, whether he could walk again or not.

[catzmom7]

If I do not see any improvement in a few days, I will call her and suggest it. He started oral prednisone today.

Can they tell where the swelling is just from an X Ray? I can't afford an MRI.

Thanks for all of the advice and support. What a great group of ladies on here!

Dee

[Azusateach]

Dee, if it's a soft tissue (which discs are) injury it won't show up on an x-ray. But if there's bone involved, as in Laura's situation (see the x-ray pic), then they'll be able to see something. If a vet has had any neuro training he/she should be able to do an exam and make a good guess.

With Jed I knew something was up when he couldn't lift his head up without crying. And by the time I got to the vet he was losing the ability to walk because the discs in his neck were being pinched. Getting him to a neuro vet and getting treatment quickly was the biggest help.

You might not need an MRI, but if you can find someone who has specialized training to deal with this might be your best bet. But it'll still be pricey. Not as bad as an MRI, but not as inexpensive as a non-specialist vet.

Hang in there ...

[catzmom7]

Crud. I will not be able to do that. I am a single mom, and support my family on not much $. I did set up a Youcare.com, but not much money came in there.

I hope maybe the med with help! Prayers please!

Dee

[SoCalGalcas]

Dee, just want you to know I'm giving positive thoughts for your dog. I have a 60 lb dog with severe arthritis in the hips. It is heart breaking to see our dogs suffer. Lyn

[catzmom7]

For the first time since it happened, Bear just stood up for a minute, to get on his bed. I assume that is good news?

Thank you to all for your support! You are wonderful!

[WickedLady]

Are you still usin the heat? It should help keep muscles relaxed so they do not tighten and set back any improvements.

[catzmom7]

Yes, I am still using warm packs!

[Gentleladybear]

Interesting, I posted a response here and it just disappeared.

[catzmom7]

Odd. Please re post! i want to hear what you have to say!

He is making some slow progress. From laying there refusing to move unless needed, he is sitting up most of the time. He is restless and bored with being stuck. His legs still will not hold him up, but he tries. With the towel holding him up, he is holding more of his weight on his own legs, but still can't rely on them to hold him up. It's been one week.

He has a re-check at the vet late this coming week. I will ask her about the cortisone shot then.

[catzmom7]

Ok, ladies, I need some serious input.

I took Bear to the vet. His appetite has slowed down, which is not what she expected to happen on the prednisone. He has lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. No real change on his back legs, he can walk on his front legs with something supporting his back legs, but that is all the improvement we have seen. She ran blood work. She said she has "seen much worse on dogs this age", but his liver was a bit high. Whether that is from the prednosine doses, she cannot tell, but she said we need to take him off of the prednisone, and just keep him on pain killers.

I am flat out of money to deal with this. Bear is home with me, on his bed, resting. I just do not know what to do. The vet seems to think we should just put him down, but geez... over a slipped disc? And even if I wanted to, its $140 for that, plus creamation is another $160. I don't have it, I just dropped another $260 on vet bills today!

What would you do, in my position? I am sad, worried, and lost as to what direction to take!

[Azusateach]

You've got some hard decisions to make. Having to make decisions on a dear pet's life based on finances are even more difficult. I've been there more times than I want to think about.

Only you know what you can live with. You'll find support here with whatever you decide.

Laura