Problems with hind legs
Just wondering if anyone else has had any similar experiences with their OES. Our beautiful boy, Ellery, has had shakey hind legs since he was about 9 months old. His hind legs would involuntary shake & at first we thought it may have been when he was nervous or anxious or after exercise but it seemed to come & go randomly even after being at home lying on the couch. He's always been a bit clumsy (after reading some posts it seems a trait of the OES) & has struggled to get his big bum up after sitting down but it is getting harder for him to get up, nothing major but still enough to be noticeable. His muscles in his back legs aren't strong & have always been very stiff. He is now 4 years old and the problem still exists together with recently starting to knuckle over one of his front legs. He is still active but does get even stiffer & sore after strenuous exercise. He has feeling in all 4 paws & his reflexes seem fine. We have been seeing our vet since all this started at 10 months & since then he has had X-rays to rule out hip displaysia, a knee tap, blood tests to rule out neospora & other bacteria type diseases, blood tests sent to Michigan to rule out a mutant gene in some OES - all results have come back clear. In addition, he's had complimentary therapies such as hydrotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic & Bowen therapy - all to no use. Has anyone else experienced this? We absolutely love our baby & want to do the best for him but we are reluctant to keep poking & prodding him without getting any answers. The vet is suggesting a CT scan & spinal tap next. Any advice would be muchly appreciated, thanks  |
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I think there are past posts regarding this issue on the forum....you may want to search the topics to see what you can find. Good Luck!!!! and please keep us posted.... |
| That's a really young dog to be having gait problems. Outside of dysplasia, which you say your vet ruled out, one thing that I have experienced, mostly in a couple of my older sheepdogs, is nerve damage somewhere in the spine that causes a wobbly gait and foot dragging. I have been told it is most likely caused by arthritis or perhaps architectural irregularity in the spine. It is irreversible but not painful unless the cause (arthritis or nerves being pinched) is painful in itself. My 13 year old male has it in his back legs. Of course he is a very old dog for a sheepie and it just developed in the past year or so. The vet called it "neurological damage" occurring toward the back of his spine caused by arthritis. He has trouble going up stairs and the ankle joint on his back feet is floppy and he constantly scuffs his toes as a result of dragging his feet. Another form of neurological damage that can possibly affect younger dogs is something called "wobbler syndrome" (google it) that is similar damage, but in the upper part of the spine at the neck. I have no personal experience with it but I am told it is not common but usually affects large breeds such as OES and Great Danes. |
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