Why is my old dog suddenly weak in his hips and struggling to walk?

Question

My 13.5 year old mixed breed dog suddenly demonstrated bilateral hip weakness. My vet blames the fact that he had bilateral cruciate ligament replacements in both knees many years ago causing weak hips now. She denies that the xray shows any sensory impairment in the spine. I am just surprised that this happened so suddenly considering 1 month ago he was walking well. Now as he tires he can barely get his feet under his hips and he rests with his legs abducted to each side. I am a retired PT. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 13 years and 4 months old | 45 lbs

Dr. B. DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) · Accepted Answer

It sounds like what you are describing is weakness. Did your pup have a neurologic exam? What we look for is evidence of pain (although this can sometimes be inconsistent in pets), loss of sensation to the feet (does he fail to flip his foot back over when the top of his foot is placed down?), and presence or absence of reflexes. The results of these tests can help to determine if it's neurologic in origin and what portion of the spinal cord may be affected. Although, it can sometimes be hard to differentiate orthopedic from neurologic disease. Plain xrays of the spine are helpful to rule out any bony abnormalities, and sometimes we can see evidence of narrow disc spaces, but ultimately we cannot see the spinal cord, nerves leaving the spinal cord, or the soft tissues. If a neurologic problem is suspected an MRI is often needed. But, there are also some other conditions that can cause weakness that are metabolic in origin (has your guy had any senior lab work recently?) or related to loss of signaling to the muscles (for example a disease called myasthenia gravis) or related to a degenerative process such as degenerative myelopathy. If there is a component of pain detected on exam then anti-inflammatory pain medication may help. If you feel like things are getting worse it would be a good time to have a re-evaluation with your family vet. Another option as well, if a neurologic process is suspected, would be to have a consult with a veterinary neurologist. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Why is my old dog suddenly weak in his hips and struggling to walk?

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