My senior dog has stiff gait & weak hind legs. What could it be?

Question

I'd love a 2nd opinion on my dog's symptoms, test results, and meds. She is 10-12yo (adopted), shipoo mix, has a history of ehrlichia, seizure like eps 1-2x a year (vet said it might be anxiety attacks), sometimes has coughs every few months. She responds well to doxycycline, i notice a change after a few hours. Most recent symptoms are slightly stiff gait, weakness in hind legs, some signs of discomfort, she sometimes pants, & had shivers 3 days ago w/ slightly hig temp. Any info would help!tnx. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | 8.25 lbs

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, sorry to hear about Maicah. It sounds like she may be dealing less likely with an infectious disease and more likely with an inflammatory disease. On her bloodwork her white blood cells, which are the first responders to an infection are in the normal range, hence why I would be less suspicious of something infectious. Her red blood cells are decreased, which could occur from a chronic inflammation, loss of red blood cells, and potentially destruction of red blood cells. On the other hand, if she has erlichia this could cause joint pain and anemia. However, you tend to see other changes in the bloodwork which are not shown in the pictures you posted. Doxycycline for 3 weeks should treat an erlichia that could be present. A snap test or a PCR for erlichia could confirm this diagnosis. The weakness in her hind end could be associated with a primary orthopedic disease or neurologic disease. Some neurologic diseases in poodles can arise from degenerative inflammatory diseases. An orthopedic and neurologic examination could test for these. X-rays could also outline a primary orthopedic issue or be suggestive of a neurologic issue as well. In summary, Maicah should be thoroughly evaluated for a primary orthopedic or neurologic issue. I am a little less concerned about the erlichia at this moment due to the lack of changes in her blood, however she should have a snap test or PCR performed to confirm this. Her albumin is elevated which could be an error from the machine or she could be dehydrated. If this is an inflammatory disease, the prednisone she was prescribed may help. I hope this helps and best of luck!

My senior dog has stiff gait & weak hind legs. What could it be?

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