Ask a Vet: How can I help my dog recover the strength in its rear legs?

Have a non-emergency question about your pet's health? Dr. Heather Oxford of L.A. veterinary hospital California Animal Rehabilitation (CARE) is here to help! In this installment of Ask a Vet, Dr. Oxford offers some tips to reader Janet Ishikawa about dealing with her dog's apparent numbness:

Janet's question: My male pug's hind legs seem like they are numb; he has a hard time climbing steps and maneuvering his back legs and can't seem to control his bowels. His back legs seem almost paralyzed.

Heather Oxford, DVM: It sounds like the problems in the back legs and loss of control of his bowels may be caused by a neurological problem. As dogs age, their intervertebral discs can degenerate and become unable to absorb the compressive pressure between the vertebrae in the back. Usually, the pet jumps down off of furniture or plays too roughly, and all of a sudden one or more of these discs can herniate and put pressure on the spinal cord.

This is when you start noticing outward signs, such as difficulty moving the legs in a coordinated fashion, lack of feeling and, sometimes, urinary and fecal incontinence.

Pugs do develop other diseases in their spinal cords besides disc herniations that can cause similar symptoms, and sometimes medications can help. Your veterinarian can help determine what is causing these problems with a neurological examination and X-rays of the neck and back. He or she may even need to refer you to see a veterinary neurologist.

At California Animal Rehabilitation, we see several pets each day with all of the symptoms that your pug is exhibiting. We instruct their owners how to do daily exercises that will rehabilitate the nervous system to improve their pet's coordination and function. One such exercise is as easy as pinching your pet's toes to stimulate a response to pull the leg back. Also, encouraging walking on grass, gravel, or another less stable surface than sidewalks, is helpful in reestablishing the neuromuscular coordination necessary for recovery. Repeatedly working with your pet multiple times throughout the day is key in rebuilding control of the back legs. Acupuncture can help stimulate nerve endings in the back legs to help regain sensation, and can help with the incontinence too.

To submit your question for Dr. Oxford, just leave a comment on this post or send us a tweet @LATunleashed and look for her answer in an upcoming installment of Ask a Vet!

About our vet: Dr. Oxford received her bachelor of science degree at Bowling Green State University, Ohio.  She also received a master's of public health degree in epidemiology from Emory University and went on to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She then went to the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine, where she received her doctor of veterinary medicine degree.  She practices at California Animal Rehabilitation and is also certified in veterinary rehabilitation and acupuncture. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Wade, and German shepherd, Tess.

Photo: A pug (not Janet's). Credit: Shannon Sano / Shannon Sano Photography

Comments

[Dr. Jordan]

Don't forget about all the neurological damage that develops from vaccine administrations. As a practicing vet for 25 years I have witnessed the degeneration of many disks due to the oxidative damage brought onto the pet by vaccines administered along the back and close to the dorsal roots of the spinal cord. The vaccines carry neurotoxins and the mercury will be even more damaging with synergestic effects of aluminum in the vaccines. I have seen also the damage from the viruses in vaccines that have a predelection for the neurological system like distemper and rabies cause damage, neurological damage and degenerative problems in these animals. Many autoimmune diseases are also conveyed via vaccinations, both viral antigens and microbial antigens are perfectly capable of resulting in autoimmune disease and auto inflamatory myelopathys.......too bad we never actually understood the facts that vaccines are not safe and do not confer immunity and are not effective in controlling disease. Certainly our premiere veterinary vaccine researcher is not promoting more than one DAP vaccine more than once in a lifetime and none of the microbial vaccines. Also now, with over four full pages of adverse events following vaccinations now reported by Dr. Ron Schultz, we have to wonder what we have been doing with the frenzied unscientific avocation for yearly administration of vaccines. I have seen many neurological or degenerative cases in dogs and cats that were linked directly to one thing that happened every single year........the unscientific and non evidence based practice of the vaccine jab.

[KathrynK]

A friends dog jumped off their couch wrong and his back legs were paralyzed...the only thing that worked was ACUPUNCTURE! He's walking now...

[rina]

Anyone with a paralyzed dog should definitely do acupuncture and some swimming if possible. Main thing is don't give up.

My 7 year old dachsund turned quadraplegic (overnight) with no bowel or bladder movements - 5 weeks ago - she is now walking.

Thought it was impossible.

She spent 5 days at the vets and then took her home when her bowels and bladder could work on their own. It was hard work caring for her initially cause we had to turn her over every couple of hours to keep her circulation and hand feeding and syringes for water and changing the pads when she toileted etc. Lots of patience.

Had to go back a couple of times when her bladder wouldn't empty so they could manually do it and same with bowel but thats been fine since week 2.

She had acupuncture every 2 days for a week after that and then twice a week up to now.

Started her with a dog life jacket and my hand supporting her to keep her balanced in the swimming pool after 10 days and she hasn't looked back. She loves swimming for the balls. Cant believe the difference.

Its worth doing the acupuncture and if you can get some swimming or hydrotherapy its brilliant.

[Bean]

I have a 7.5 year old shephard / hound mix who had 2 mast cell tumors removed from his rgt hind leg in May. Almost immediately I noticed him begin to drag that leg. Now (feb) he is having great difficulty walking without drAgging that foot but seems to trot and run fine. Other than his rear end seeming to be disconnect with the rest of him, he is just as happy and exhuberebt as ever. Are there any exercises I can do with him? Does swim /hydratherapy help? I am devastated. Please help

[Susan Cleary]

Kylie, my 10 yr. Aussie Shepard X has developed DLSS( Degenerative Lumbosacral Stenosis) and Spondylosis, she has great pain when she bears weight on her RR leg. I have her on Rimadryl, Carbuprofin, and Gabapentin. In addition, she is receiving cold laser therapy and VOM which I hope help her with the Spondylosis. Short of surger, is there less invasive alternatives to aleviate Kylie's pain from the DLSS? Thanks for any advice you can give.