Take him to the vet, immediately.

I agree you need to get the dog to the vet right away. If he has a spinal cord injury, there is only a short time frame that they can give steroids to reduce inflammation to avoid permanent damage. Back injuries are also severely painful. If the spinal injury caused loss of ability to use his bladder, he can rupture his bladder and die, if it isn't drained/cath'd.

hi,i have a three yr old lab that has trouble with hind legs,vets seen him,been xrayed and joint samples took from three legs,he showed signs of joint trauma to leg,but this was the front ones.he now has real trouble walking and looks like (bambi on ice),ihold him up when he needs to pee,he can walk a little but seems to lose his strength in one leg in particular,the vet wants to mri scan him and break my pet insurance limit i feel its a muscular problem or infection,is this possible?,this dog been with me while i bust leg and was in intensive care myself,i owe this dog a voice,if you can help would you please contact me,jacksonsean05@gmail.com,or on twitter( a&e has been).thank you so much in advance and good luck to you all who find themselves in a similar position as myself

Spinal injury, over supplementation of fish oil, limber tail can all cause that. I'd have the mri and complete blood workup.

I agree with the above poster...get the mri and blood work.

thankyou elpaso1 and junebug1961.my dog has had bloods and they came back as norm.he walks but he seems to slip on floor,he raises the one hind leg after,sits down for a while and then walks a little way.im tottaly confused,im convinced this may be some kind of muscle problem,if you would both be kind enough to follow me on twitter i could post a short vid of him walking.i feel so helpless and frustrated and despite my thirst for knowledge on the subject i cant get to any real verdict unless i pass over 1500 pounds or so for a mri,is it poss that my dog could have another reason for his lameness,i do feel that because hes a lab that the first thing a vet thinks of is either arthritus or nural disfunction.i dont mean to sound rude i just feel money plays a huge part in his diagnos

I'm sorry, I don't do twitter. Did you ask vet about luxating patella or torn acl? Luxating patella isn't very common in larger dogs but can happen. Torn acl is very common.

Maybe videotape him walking and ask vet if you can send his test results aND walking video to a teaching hospital for a 2nd opinion. That would be much cheaper than an mri. Most vets (all good vets) are fine with clients getting 2nd opinions.

elpaso1.ty for your advice,havent heard of any of those,and my vet hasent suggested either either,i will try research just what they are unless you have the time to tell me.not too sure how my vet would take asking for another opinion though,i know im trying not to accept any bad news about my dog and searching for a happy ending.but as you probably know,the bond i have with my dog is so very strong ,and i owe my dog a (voice).ty again for replying so quickly,if you have any further advice id be so gratefull to hear anything you have to say

ok acl is the ligament in the knee,im pretty certain this isent what my dog is suffering from .im looking into the other you suggested

Try to get video and records sent to a teaching hospital (by email) for a 2nd opinion. I can't begin to tell you how much that can help. Just tell your vet you can't afford can mri right now, and would like him to send them to a teaching hospital that he respects.

A 2nd opinion of xrays/ blood work on a dog with a lung issue cost me 80.00 US dollars. .

alpaso1 many thanks for your advice,ive took several vids of my dog walking and a couple of selfies :),he walking just still now and then unsteady on his legs,im upbeat about how well he seems to be doing.mri has beeen arranged now so i will go ahead with it,hes a quiet dog and i hate the idea of him being sedated again,but im going with him to chester and intend to stay there till i can bring him home.i really cant thank you enough for discussing this with me.

if anyone wants to know how we get through this,and if it will help others that find themselfs in my position,please e mail or twitter me.id be happy to help and return the favour for the help and guidance ive received on here

Please post an update here for those that don't do twitter. I know I would appreciate it and I'm sure others will. Especially people that may Google the subject and wonder how it turned out for you.

elpaso1,my dogs going for consultation and mri scan t morrow,hes almost completely off his feet now.i fear the worst im sad to say

Sending prayers for your dog. Please let us know the outcome

once you have the official diagnosis of hip dysplasia.. there are many treatment/remedial options to keep your dog's quality of life high and their mood positive! when my dog tore her ACL last year we used this Ortocanis dog knee brace that our vet had recommended to us and it ended up being just what we needed. I thoroughly researched other knee braces on the markets and this was one of the only ones under $100 let alone $50!! the reasonable price in this case didn't mean compromising quality a tall. I just took a look on the Ortocanis website and they also sell this dog hip brace which says it's appropriate for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia.. it's seems like a feasible option for dogs and their owners dealing with this disease!

elpasso1 i have some info that may be of use to others who have had a dog suffer from ligament dam,im not a vet im just a owner that cant accept that my dog has come to the end of his life at the age of three, so here goes,took dog for mri,the vet looked at dog ,did very standard test to check for neural damage(pull leg joint back and see if dog reacts and returns leg to origina. position).my dog passed that and i knew he would cause id researched the tests on the net and had already performed them.he said my dog had a number of issues and both legs were shot and for £6800 pounds he could do corrective surgery(with no guarantee that it would work).that cost m2 250 pounds.i took dog home and did a lot of crying as this was too much money,it seemed the only thing to do was to put my dog down.then that night i went on the internet and found........a long and lengthy and updated in 2016 survey,,it said that most vets will promote surgery for obvious reasons and in many many cases the dog can and has recovered from acl.injuries.now im not trying to put false hope into anyone that reads this but this is what i read,a dog with acl ligament damage with a programme of a strict diet weight loss prog (takes weight off injured legs),combined with rest and limiting any unnecessary walking can and has recovered from this injury without surgery.now as far as i can gather smaller breeds recover better due to size and weight but larger breeds that have had any weight issues attended to have a chance too.also i discovered that my dog was on steroids,i found out that steroids (apart from causing long term damage to a dogs internal organs) hinder and stop the natural repairing process of the dog,they also can quicken the deterioration of the injury the alternative?,non steroid anti inflammatory drugs,they do as they say without what steroids can do.for me i took my dog off steroids,weight loss is being dealt with including feeding him carrots.built a ramp so he doesent use steps,hes kept in one room and exercise is monitored,(it says that any improvement in the dog can take from 8 to 12 weeks ,so hes on r and r.long term we have found many dif prices for this surgery and id suggest to you all that u dont accept the first vets costing.my first one was 6800 then 3800 and my last one if agreed is under 3000 pounds,i myself will keep on the diet and non steroids and hope,but i am still trying to get surgery as a back up in case this doesent work.one thing i have learned is this...dont take what a vet says as final,as long as your dog isent suffering keep looking and asking questions,i hope this inspires others as the bond between me and my dog drove me to not give up on him untill every possible option had been explored. ..please use what ive said to start your own journey into helping your dog and not just follow what ive done so far.

So was it a torn acl?

If so, you can buy a brace for their leg that can help them walk and allow time to heal. Usually when one goes out, the other will shortly after.

I had surgery done on one, and he did great. I had another that didn't do well after surgery and refused to try to walk, so when the other went out, vet said to not do surgery. He explained that the dog would develop scar tissue around knee that would provide support. That he may develop arthritis later. He did, but lived to be 17.

elpaso1 im so glad your dog lived to a good age,my mutt has two torn acls,arthritus is an issue,we put him on fish oil tablets,u move tablets carrots and hes on a anti inflammatory drug.i think to anyone reading this my message would be dont give up untill your sure,for ive had conflicting vet diagnosis(,there human and make errors just like we all do).my dog is looking better on his legs and if i can find a way of putting a video of his progress on here to show you all i will. looked at leg supports and thank you for mentioning them,heres one thing i to think of if anyone has surgery suggested to them.( there are several ways of fixing acl you dont have to take the gold star first class option).ask your vet what types of surgery are available,the price drops like a stone and as far as i can find out,the results are as good.will keep you updated if you would like me to.im very very grateful for all your help.ohh and my dog barked cause he cant type to say thank you :)

ive gained enough knowledge to be able to help others so if you want to know what ive learned just e mail me.without giving false hope i can say my dog does very short walks in kitchen,hes not allowed walks above that and his diet is strict its heartbreaking to see my dog like this but hes not in pain and everyday is a bonus,i will never give up on him and i look for positives in every step he takes,he knows ova 50 words (commands) but id swop them just to hear him tell me whats wrong. i will never train or own another dog so hes got to make it.

I have a miniature husky that is at least 10 years old. She was very badly abused before we got her. She has hip and back damage that affect movement often. about two years ago she tore both her back leg ACLs within a month of each other. Surgery was going to cost upwards to $2500 each leg so I just couldn't do it. With excerise and massages we got her back on her feet within two weeks of each leg being damaged. Now she's back to her frisky old lady self most days. On her bad days we give her OTC Bufferin as suggested by her vet. It seems to help her pain and any inflammation problems and actually has less side effects than the prescription her vet first suggested.

Grrrrr. Just sayin

U woz a gr8 elp 2 me, me dog got nowt frm ur criticism though, wrote that when i woz emotionally charged n not finkin clearly

I wasn't snarking.

Your posts are in fact illegible and note that no one has replied. I wish your dog well and also the other dogs that you might have been able to help.

Hi there! Hip dysplasia can be an overwhelming diagnosis but it can be treated! My lab was diagnosed last year and we've been using the Ortocanis dog hip brace on her (as per recommendation by my vet), to help add some stability to the region and reduce her discomfort and pain. For now it seems to be helping a lot, obviously if or when we notice that her dysplasia worsens, the first place to go will be a trip to the vet to see what other steps need to be taken. But for now it's working for us, and for someone else with a mild to moderate hip dysplasia diagnosis, the Ortocanis hip brace could be a really interesting option to consider!!

jfrwright the Ortocanis hip brace is working for you? i've been looking for a hip brace to help my dog with her hip dysplasia.. but haven't been able to find one yet that's convincing enough. i'm going to check it out.. thanks for the suggestion!

Hi Leslie, the Ortocanis hip brace has made a huge difference in my dog's quality of life. She doesn't wear it 24/7 but when we do put it on I always notice a difference in her gait and activity level. Her dysplasia isn't too severe so I'm not sure how well this would work for a more serious case, but I definitely recommend it (based on my experience alone). I've read other people's experiences who have also had success using similar products..

Hi! I have a 5 year old Rat Terrier who has suddenly lost the use of her back legs...overnight. We found a tick on her. The Vet seems to think it is Tick Paralysis....said to watch her today and if she still can't stand up by morning to bring her in and they can search her again and give her steroids. Is anyone familiar with this? After reading through the comments over the years, I am now concerned about hip dysplasia over tick paralysis. Any help is appreciated. Thanking you in advance. Prayers for all of your Babies!

Update! Paralysis was from a Tick note and My Baby is getting better! Praying for all of your Babies! Thank you all!

Happy to hear you got some good news! Must have been a huge relief for you.

Most definitely was!! Thank you! Glad your Baby is doing good!!

Jean,

I'm very curious what happened to your furbaby? My little angel, Harley, was 2 weeks away from her 11th birthday. We had been battling chronic kidney disease and tumors. 5-21-2016 everything seemed normal. Of course normal was something different in our house. I admnistereo 600cc of sodium chloride thru an iv every night, syringe fed by day and changed bandages on open rumor 1-2 times a day. We had a long hard run. She was my world! I'm soooo lost without her. She let me cradle and hold her the last night.

5-22-2016 we got up @2am to potty as normal. We. She came back in, her legs gave out. My little Mamma! I wanted to believe it go away. She cried most of the night until the mess I kept pushing kicked in. I knew what I had to do. I did EVERYTHING for my little girl, but I was hepless!!!!

1pm, Angels Paws came and I said goodbye to my best friend, my little baby girl.

I have many supplies, I also lost her brother, my boyfriends dog 1 month prior to a respiratory issue. I don't what to do with any of it. $ was not issue if it meant there was a chance. I want to help others.

Your situation sounds very familiar to me. If you're reading this please tell me what happened. We concluded it was most likely a blood clot, due to loss of proteins through kidney's is common in chronic kidney dogs, through diarrhea, or possible tumor drainage. Either way, I know she was in pain that early morning. The only way to calm her was rocking her like a baby. The meds didn't kick in until @5/6. It's sooooooooo hard!

I wish this on NOBODY!

Forever Harley's mom,

Both 1 week prior

Meg♡

My 16 year-old lab/pit bull mix lost the use of her two hind legs, about ten hours ago. I watched as she went inside the bathroom to lay down on the floor. She layed down awkwardly, so I took notice. As I looked at her, I called her to me and she did not respond. I then helped her up by holding her from around her belly, and there I noticed that her left hind leg was not supporting her, and even her pas was curled in, as if she had been dragging it. The other hind leg had a bit more strength because Sandy was able to put some weight on it. As I continued to help her walk into the living room, we got to her doggie bed and she layed on her side, trying to keep her shoulders up. She also seemed to be fighting her sleep. She finally layed fully on her side on her bed and seemed as if she was going to take a nap, yet she never closed her eyes. Sandy began drinking water and eating dry food about four hours into this episode. Sandy also suffered a stroke three weeks ago, and (I thought) she had fully recuperated. Today was a normal day, she was active, ate, peed, pooped, drank. But all of the sudden she goes into my bathroom and loses strength in her hind legs. The weird thing is that she will try to sit up, but her body (being layed on her side) wont help. Sandy's face looks alert, its just her hind legs not working. I do not have the money for a vet, and I must consider Sandy's quality of life at her age. I would not put her through extraneous tests at her age. However, I worry that there is something the vet can do to help her. My prayers go out to all of us and our beloved pets. OMG! As I was typing, my Sandy put her effort together, stood up and drank some water! Her left leg/paw remains weak and curled. But she's not a quitter! need your prayers. thank you

Sounds like another stroke. Maybe it's time? Most humane societies/animal shelters have low cost euthanasia programs.

Ms Greene,

Your dog needs to see a Vet. Wow.

Ignore the euthanasia suggestion - get your dog to see a Vet ASAP!

Incredible!

Salti...obviously a vet would be the best choice, but if she won't go to a vet because of no money, then letting the dog suffer isn't right. The dog would be better off euthanized rather than suffering. A 16 yr old dog that has had one stroke and shows evidence of either another, or other neuro issue is only going to go downhill without vet care.

I thank you for the advice given. I am amazed to report that after seven hours of being in a lethargic state. Sandy being the trooper and fighter she's proven to be, got up three times during the night. I slept next to her all night. I wad shocked to see het get up, every time gaining more hind leg strength! By the time morning came around, Sandy was drinking water, eating ham, wagging her tail and walking around as if nothing had happened! Today, a day and some hours later after lethargic episode, she remains to be an active dog, playing, eating. Pooping, being herself. Sandy amazes me completely with her recovery. I don't know how much time I'll have with her, but I have learned from this experience with her to not fear to love her more simply because I'm scared to lose her. My Sandy is proof that even doggies at the brink of death. Can turn around to make a great recovery! So to those humans who love and worry about their beloved pets, don't give up. Miracles do happen, just like with Sandy. I do want to make clear that i would not try to extend Sandy s life of i remotely thought she was in pain. As long as she's drinking. Eating, peeing, pooping and playing, I will not lose hope for recovery. My prayers are with all of you going through painful times with your canine kids. Don't lose hope!

this is Sandy

Well good news...but I think she needs a vet...Ham? I thought ham was very bad for dogs??????

My Broxi 11year old now ..cross Lab/Germanshepard. 1 1/2 year ago.. this problem hit him was fine 1 minute then he just dropped to floor and could not get back up was crawling along the floor next day he was totaly fine and then all of a sudden back down he went .. vet couldnt understand this as 1 min all ok ..after 2 weeks resting he was back to full fitness. Then on Sat 29th July he was not his usual self but walking eating drinking .. then sunday morning back to having to crawl around floor afternoon he was fine again then came home today from work and he has not moved from front door just lying there again. Vet cant understand this and wants to do scans and xray ect but know way i can aford all this .. Also Broxi wouldn't allow a vet near him also wont travel in car .. have started to give him calming tablets and I just hope like last time he will be full of life again after a few days rest .. Fingers crossed

My 4yr Maltipoo was fine last night and this morning was in able to move her two back legs she doesn't feel pain that she's dragging her legs she doesn't want to eat or drink I don't know what to do

Sashas blend was a miracle cure for our dog..got it off the net

I have a beagle, age unknown, but she’s at least 12, and overweigh. I’ve had her at least 10 years. Yesterday, my neighbor said Bailey the Beagle was lying in the ditch and throwing up. We retrieved her immediately and she has ZERO use of her back legs and refuses food. Tried some water and she drank but it came back up. Clear foamy vomit came sometime later. I have bathed her and she is resting at this time. She does seem to be in pain and I do not have money for a vet. Only one available today is emergency and you give them $600 when you walk in their door. I don’t have that kind of money! Why should my baby suffer because I do not have money for a vet? She has love, a home, and food. Can someone please give me advice? Please help!!

it sounds to me like she was probably hit by a car. no matter how long you've had her and how much you love her, you need to do what is right for her. dogs instinctively hide pain so if she is showing obvious pain, you can bet it's excruciatingly painful.

all you can do is call a vet and plead your case. don't expect much from them as they aren't a free clinic. if they have some compassion, maybe they would agree to euthanize her without charging a lot of money. from your description, i would suspect a broken back and most likely some internal injuries. if you can't afford to have her evaluated and treated (if that's even possible given her dire condition), at least have the decency to end her suffering.

sorry if that sounds abrupt but you can't just let her die a painful and scary death.

If she hasn't died from her injuries already, I second what Ninapearl has told you. A major part of the responsibility of owning a pet is being able to care for all it's needs. You can't just love a dog to good health. It takes money and if you have a hard time doing that then maybe having a dog is not the right thing for you to do. Please at least have the dog put down. It's the only humane option at her age if you can't afford an expensive (and no guarantee for success) surgery. I'm sorry this is happening to you but please do the right thing for your beloved dog.

xraymom - I second the advice that Ninapearl and murraysmom have given you. I agree that your pup may have been hit by a car - but you should also know, if you don't already, that Beagles are very prone to disc disease (I know we had Dachshunds and before that a Beagle). Our neurosurgeon who performed back/neck surgery on one of our Dachshunds had Beagles and he had just performed surgery on their backs.

I posted back in 2013...we had a similar situation. I agree with Ninapearl. We traveled to a college that had a vet school-it’s much less expensive. Although Bonkers couldn’t have surgery, we spent half as much as we would have if we had gone to his vet. In fact, the vet suggested it. Bonkers gradually got the use of one of his back legs, but it was a lot of work on our part. He passed away this year.

You can’t let the dog suffer. Euthanasia is not very expensive...as a last resort If the dog is in extreme pain.

hello everybody i have a question i have a small dog and we had her every since my cousin was in the 6th grade.We took her to the vet and they said that her arthritis is getting bad and soon she would stop walking.And she did she that Thursday she stop walking we have to carry her everywhere we go. we have to hold her up to use the bathroom but since Friday she haven't poop. she hardly want to get and drink water. the vet even told us that the best thing to do is put her to slp. and im trying to talk to my mother and let her know that thats the best thing to do. i mean she helpless its nothing that we could do. i understand my mom dont want that to happen but thats the best choice. i go back to work soon and its not going to be nobody here with the dog to watch her ever move...

Why not get a Vet Second Opinion and then start a new thread!

My dog has recently been really weak on his hind legs and not peeing, along with the fact that he has had a skin flakiness problem for around a year