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My dog is dragging back paws, limping, and shaking. Is it urgent?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Male | unneutered | 30 lbs

Help. My mother in laws dog randomly started limping and shaking! She left for work and came back and when she called Simba he was limping and dragging his back paws. Her pit bull is fine but Simba just drags his back paws and shakes randomly. It doesn’t look like he’s injured, wags his tail, and when I touch his paws he doesn’t bark. All the vets around me are closed but there is a 24/7 one an hour away. Is this something that requires immediate attention or can I wait until tomorrow morning

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 20th, 2018

Poor Simba! I'm wondering about your description that he's dragging his back paws, and I'm curious if he's not using them at all. Should they literally be dragging behind him and he's not walking on them, then yes this requires immediate attention and I would drive the one hour to the 24/7 clinic. It could be he has broken something or hurt his hips or spine preventing him from using his back legs, and that is something that could get progressively worse over time. In situations where a dog suddenly cannot use his legs and they drag behind him, that is a medical emergency. Now if he's able to put weight on the back paws and use them, even if he's limping on them, then it can wait until the morning but definitely have him seen by a vet first thing. It's very important to not give him an human pain medications, as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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