Neurological disorder in three-year-old dog

[sieglinde]

We have a lovely dog we all adore, but she has a health issue; every so often - about every three-four months - her back legs stop working properly. She doesn't lose all power in them, but she struggles to get around. Steroids make her better, but only temporarily. This has been going on for over a year. Anyone know anything about this? It's like a doggie MS. She's otherwise very healthy. The vet doesn't know anything much about it, and she - the dog - has had an MRI scan with no result.

Discuss again with your vet, and if you have insurance press for a referral to a specialist or further investigations.

Agree with scuttle - this needs referral to a specialist and if already done when the MRI was taken consider finding another specialist. Many things could affect - just one thought has myasthenia gravis been ruled out? History not totally textbook but there are many shades of grey too.

Thanks for this. Will def. press the vet for a referral - we do indeed have insurance. Beautifulfgirls, don't think they ruled out anything except a brain tumour.

My thought on reading the "doggie MS" part was degenerative myleopathy but as the initial test for that is a simple one consisting of only putting the dog's hind paw backwards to see how quickly the dog recovers her normal standing position I'd imagine that the vet has covered that and ruled that out too?

Whatever it is I agree with pressing the vet for a referral to a specialist asap.

yes i was thinking "wobbles' but i assume the vet would think of that early on

It's not really degenerative - and it's also made a lot worse/caused by exercise. Every attack has been triggered by a long walk - which btw she adores at the time.

Have booked vet for tomorrow and will let you know!

My "old boy" starting falling up kerbs and stairs when he was about 3 or 4. Occasionally he would suddenly go totally lame in his back end, usually after long walks too. I paid for him to go to a canine osteo specialist who did an MRI. He was able to diagnose him with Lumbar Sacral Disease (or the wobbles, as I understand). At the time, his physical signs were almost invisible, but the specialist spotted it and as time went on it became more obvious. He was always able to return his foot though - he never had full paralysis

Steroids made my old boy better too, but not for long either. He went on to non-steroidal anti inflams and a lifelong course of woo and lived until the grand old age of nearly 12, when he died of something totally unrelated.

I'm not for a minute saying it's that for certain, of course, but I agree that it is well worth going to a specialist.

You don't have a German Shepherd, do you, Sieglind??

MotherJack, perhaps I should, but I have a French bulldog. Multiculturalism HASN'T failed. :)

Your dog sounds a darling. You must miss him still.

He was indeed a lovely boy - I do miss him terribly, still His beautiful face is on my profile.

I was asking about breed as I know the wobbles are common in GSD's. My boy was clearly not one!

Hope all goes well at your vets tomorrow. By the way - I changed vet 3 times until I found one that understood him. Don't be afraid to move vets if needs be.

Oh heck - it has just dawned on me that your name suggests German origin - I wasn't for one minute suggesting you had a German Shepherd because of that! More the fact that they are prone to the Wobbles (Lumbar Sacral Disease)

ask them to test for Myasthenia Gravis, my dog had this although it started with megaesophagus which meant he couldn't swallow, it could be a possibility.

Hey, that's okay. Absolutely no offence taken. I didn't know some breeds were more prone to wobble, but I did check with the breed club - got a pretty unhelpful sneer, but nothing in Frenchies explains it (Yes, Frenchies - I find it funny too). Thanks for all this; shall go to the vet fully primed. There was a cool piece in Time Magazine this week about some people seeing dogs as a replaceable item, like a utensil, and others seeing everything from their pov, and how each found the other group unbearable. I think my vet is used to the utensil type; we live in a small village...