Lab Puppy Back Leg Problems

Hind Leg Weakness: When Your Dog’s Back Legs Give Out.. Typical Lab! Murphy didn’t seem to be in pain, but the dog’s back legs couldn’t support his weight. With his person supporting him in a standing position, I examined the poor dog.. it looked like his problems were neurological.

Lab puppy back leg problems. Labrador Retriever standing with hind legs close together to compensate for weak hips caused by an altered gait from dog hip dysplasia Source: Malinaccier. Unsurprisingly x-rays are the best way to discover Labrador Hip Dysplasia in a dog but, with the disease being largely inherited, hip scoring tests should also be carried out. Back legs or hips are painful when touched. Hind leg lameness, which worsens with exercise. Back legs are more close together when the dog stands than the front legs. In more severe cases, you may see muscle wasting in the back legs and hindquarters. Arthritis may develop as the disease progresses. The two main possible causes of your dog limping their back leg are: The rupturing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Usually, the small dogs with short legs and large with long legs are more prone to an ACL injury, which results in limping their back leg. Dislocated kneecap. Some Labrador Retriever health problems are inherited and passed down from parent to puppy. Genetic problems are inevitable when we breed closely related dogs together, and while Labradors are more genetically diverse than many less popular purebred dogs, inbreeding past and present means that genetic health issues will continue to arise.

Our crazy pup still had the energy of a puppy, and she still charged after the ball to play fetch, chase the cat around the house, and run out of control around the yard. But, after all the playing, we started noticing Bailey was placing less weight on her right hind leg and had trouble getting up after laying down. Specific problems can be difficult to diagnose by just a physical examination. The muscles around the dog's joints can make it hard for a veterinarian to feel around for the tell-tale signs of leg and hip weakness. A diagnosis will be even more challenging if the dog's leg is swollen or the animal is in pain. Canine orthopedic braces may slow the progression of this chronic issue by minimizing pressure on your Lab’s joints. Dog hip braces, such as the Ortho Dog Hip Hound brace, supports the low back and hip area for any severity level of hip dysplasia. The purpose of the Hip Hound brace is to stabilize the hip and lower back areas by holding the. Your puppy may be hungry, painful, uncomfortable, or nervous. Wobbly back legs may be caused by being tired, or weak, or having a problem with the knees or hips. It would probably be best to have your puppy checked out by a veterinarian, as they can examine him or her, and see if there is a problem or if everything is normal.

Hi All, Need some help with my pup's hind legs, when we first got him I noticed his back legs seemed very 'weak' and he seemed to walk funnily, I was scared about HD and contacted the person we got him from and he told us it is a problem caused because when the puppy was born he was kept inside on mainly uncarpeted floor so when he first started walking he slipped a lot which resulted in his. Most often, lameness in the hind leg caused by rupture of the ACL is due to an abrupt injury. It can be very painful and will likely cause your dog to walk without putting any weight on the hind leg or to only gingerly place weight on it. When standing, they will hold their leg bent so that it raises up into the air or extend it away from their. A veterinarian explains four possible causes of sudden weakness in your dog’s back legs, and what you must do. When your dog’s hind legs suddenly go weak, there could be any number of causes, says veterinarian Dr. Jules Benson, BVSc, and VP of Veterinary Services at Petplan pet insurance. The good news about surgery for CCL ruptures is that it is frequently curative, meaning a dog can go back to normal use of his leg. The bad news is that the surgical recovery takes from six to 14 weeks, and a dog must be quiet and controlled during this time.

Only bones show up on X-ray’s and they don’t provide a picture of soft tissue problems like tumors or nerve damage. Keep in mind also that with all the different possible causes of hind leg weakness in dogs many of the tests and examinations are done to rule out certain conditions. Front leg pain will result in your puppy’s head nodding down when the good leg hits the ground, while back leg pain displays as the hip jerking upwards when the bad leg is lowered. Causes of Limping in Puppies. There are a number of causes for your puppy to be limping, some less severe than others. When a Boxer puppy has hip dysplasia, the puppy will usually begin to show signs as young as 5 to 10 months old. A Boxer dog of any age can be diagnosed with this, as the condition may be very subtle in the dog’s early life and only as the dog grows older will an owner notice the signs: A board-certified canine ophthalmologist can examine your dog’s eyes if you suspect she is having any vision problems. If you buy your Lab from a breeder who is diligent about eye testing, you probably won’t encounter PRA. PRA is a genetic problem involving a recessive gene. If a puppy receives the gene from both parents, she will develop PRA.