My puppy can't walk on his hind legs, stand up, or balance without assistance. He is 8 weeks old. When I assist him, his legs go like crazy, and he wants to run, but he can't balance himself. He doesn't lay on his stomach like a "swimmer puppy" but he does lay on one particular hind leg on his side, which is starting to get sore with urine leaking. Is there any hope for this pup standing up without assistance? Does he need a wheel chair or a "walker"? Please help!
Optional Information: Type of Animal: boxer mix (bernese mother) Gender: male Age: 8 weeks Name of Dog: Billy Already Tried: assisting the puppy with a rag around his bottom half, so that he can balance and walk with assistance.
Welcome to JustAnswer! I am a licensed veterinarian and would be glad to help!Is this a chronic problem or a sudden problem?-
He pup was born this way and hasn't been able to walk alone on his hind legs. He is going on 9 weeks old shortly. He was the runt of the litter.
Is the problem with all 4 legs?-
No, since he ws born he wouldn't give up to get his milk from the mother. He would use his 2 from legs to scoot where he needed to go. He can scoot pretty well using his 2 front legs, but his back part of his body drags (both hind legs). He lays on one particular side. He pulls himself with his front legs but the rest of the body is still draging on the floor (legs are sideways, sort of on top of each other) It looks like the side he lays on (one of his hind legs) is not as strong as the other. He always falls on that side. But he doesn't seem to have the right blance function to get up on 3 legs.
Since this is something that we believe he was born with, already being described with a concern of a runt, there are several concerns I have with the description:1) Vestibular / brain / cerebellar disease2) Cervical vertebral instability (Wobbler's disease) 3) Hemi or butterfly vertebra that can be associated with spinal cord compressionLess likely infectious disease.While your regular veterinarian may help, making an appointment with a veterinary neurologist would be a good use of resources with your history above.weight: normal;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;text-decoration: none;">I hope this information is helpful.___________________________________________________________________________________________________Please click the "GREEN ACCEPT" if the information I have provided has been of help so I receive credit for helping you. Bonuses are always welcome and appreciated.Once you click accept, your question will not close, and you will still have the opportunity to follow-up if needed.Please keep in mind that if you do not list all the important information above (medical history, current medications, previous illness, etc) it is harder for me to give you the most complete information.With this communication - we are here to guide you in making the best decision for your pet. We are not allowed to diagnose and prescribe medications - rather provide a course of action to speak to your veterinarian about - and any medical therapy and treatment should only be performed after an in-person examination with your veterinarian as a professional-client relationship has not been established on the site.You can always request me through my profile (HERE) or beginning your question with “For CriticalCareVet”