Weight Loss And Hind Quarter Weakness?

[Guest ashfundir]

7 year grey with weight loss of 10lbs over past 10 months and recently weakness in hind quarters. Blood tests have been normal and no other medical problems found by vet. Appetite is off and on. Could use some insite

[AndysMom]

Seems awfully early for Lumbar Stenosis, but has that been ruled out?

 

[Greys4Us]

I agree with AndysMom. A lot of vets don't seem to know a lot about LSS. We lost a ten year old to this. Have your vet check for it. Good luck!!

[Batmom]

Here is a good article about lumbosacral stenosis:

 

http://home.comcast.net/~greyhndz/lumbosacral.htm

 

Hope you can get a diagnosis and have your pupper feeling better soon.

[Burpdog]

Where are you located? Is he on any supplements? Do you have a certified chiropractor or acupuncture vet close? How many races did he run? Any broken bones at any time?

[Guest ashfundir]

Where are you located? Is he on any supplements? Do you have a certified chiropractor or acupuncture vet close? How many races did he run? Any broken bones at any time?

I'm in Ohio. He's not on any supplements. I'm not aware of any certified chiropractors or acupuncture vet close. He raced for a year in Florida. Don't have number of races run if front of me. There was no memtion of any broken bones but he has an indentation midway down his spine, where the vertebrae are not as protruding as the others.

[NeylasMom]

Have you changed anything in his/her diet or exercise schedule over the past 10 months? Is your dog losing weight despite an increase in food?

[Guest ashfundir]

Have you changed anything in his/her diet or exercise schedule over the past 10 months? Is your dog losing weight despite an increase in food?

 

The only changes have been in the past 6 months changing to a low residue food with more k/cal.

[Guest CyndiW]

Does he seem to have any pain or discomfort? What medical problem was he having to go on the low residue food?

[turbotaina]

Where are you located? Is he on any supplements? Do you have a certified chiropractor or acupuncture vet close? How many races did he run? Any broken bones at any time?

I'm in Ohio. He's not on any supplements. I'm not aware of any certified chiropractors or acupuncture vet close. He raced for a year in Florida. Don't have number of races run if front of me. There was no memtion of any broken bones but he has an indentation midway down his spine, where the vertebrae are not as protruding as the others.

 

The indentation is perfectly normal. He could have LS (as mentioned above).

[Guest ashfundir]

Does he seem to have any pain or discomfort? What medical problem was he having to go on the low residue food?

 

The vet. thought that he was having digestion problems since he lost weight and had grumbling in stomach. She thought this would help with food absorption.

[Guest caro]

Huggy Bear was the same way. Severe hind end weakness and dramatic weight loss. Vet also thought it was an absorption problem as well as hip arthritis. In retrospect I think he had LS and I think that the pain he was in contributed to the weight loss... even though he was eating 6 cups of food per day.

 

So in my opinion I think it definitely sounds like LS. I'd try accupuncture for pain management sooner rather than later, then talk to your vet about LS treatment. Neither will negatively affect your pup if LS is not actually present... so you won't be hurting him by doing either. I don't know the link, but if you search on LS here on greytalk you will find a thread with a link for the treatment.

 

Good luck and keep us posted

[Cynthia]

Since you mention weight loss, has he had TBD tests?

 

Also, Katie (just turned 6) had what appeared to be LS 6 months ago, but early MRIs didn't show severe nerve constriction. If you do have MRIs ask them to scan the brain at the same time. We went six months before repeating the MRIs and found that while there were still some indications of LS, the severity of symptoms may be from a brain tumor or bacterial infection found during second MRI series. I mention this not to frighten you, but because sometimes hind end weakness, drunken gait, avoiding stairs, sleeping on hard surfaces can be caused by a tumor or infection in the brain.

 

If your vet concludes it's LS, you would want to see a neurologist for a confirmation, definitive testing and surgery.

Edited October 5, 2007 by Cynthia

[Guest Spiff]

If your vet concludes it's LS, you would want to see a neurologist for a confirmation, definitive testing and surgery.

Spiff is 12 and has LS - which is really easy for your vet to test for using the information in the link provided above by Batmom. Some vets are more comfortable also taking an x-ray, but it may not be conclusive. Spiff has been treated with depo-medrol injections and separately with rimadyl and joint supplements. Surgery is generally not considered unless the dog is younger. If some of the treatments work, then I don't see the point in paying for expensive MRIs and other testing.

 

When I suspected that Spiff might have LS, I printed out Dr. Stack's info sheet and took it with me to my vet to talk with him about it. Then I knew that he was familiar with LS and other possible causes of Spiff's rear leg problems.

[Guest argolola]

I will pray for healing for your sweet pup.

[patricia]

Sending my many prayers and please keep us posted.

[Cynthia]

If your vet concludes it's LS, you would want to see a neurologist for a confirmation, definitive testing and surgery.

Surgery is generally not considered unless the dog is younger. If some of the treatments work, then I don't see the point in paying for expensive MRIs and other testing.

 

When I suspected that Spiff might have LS, I printed out Dr. Stack's info sheet and took it with me to my vet to talk with him about it. Then I knew that he was familiar with LS and other possible causes of Spiff's rear leg problems.

 

Spiff, Her dog is not 12, he's only 7, which is very young. I relayed Katie's story exactly for that reason. Reaching a conclusion without confirmation/testing in a 12 year old is reasonable, in a 7 year old it could be wrong and time could be lost treating the wrong disease. Hence the recommendation to see a neuro for a consult.

[Guest Spiff]

Spiff, Her dog is not 12, he's only 7, which is very young. I relayed Katie's story exactly for that reason. Reaching a conclusion without confirmation/testing in a 12 year old is reasonable, in a 7 year old it could be wrong and time could be lost treating the wrong disease. Hence the recommendation to see a neuro for a consult.

Which is why I said: "Surgery is generally not considered unless the dog is younger."

 

For older dogs, the benefits of surgery are likely outweighed by the risks. However, the determination that Spiff has LS was not without confirmation/testing -- we followed the test outlined in Dr. Stack's article (Spiff's rear legs dropped like a stone) and the vet also did an x-ray that showed that Spiff has an off-set in his spine that is pinching the nerves in the LS region. Spiff then responded well to depo-medrol injections, which wouldn't have had any effect if he didn't have LS. These tests and successful treatment outcome occurred over the course of 1.5 weeks.

 

I agree with you that a 7 year old is relatively young and thus surgery might be something to consider if the problem is indeed LS. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer about that , I mainly wanted to point out that it depends on the situation (particularly if people with older dogs are looking for information about similar ailments and end up reading this thread too).

 

[Guest ashfundir]

If your vet concludes it's LS, you would want to see a neurologist for a confirmation, definitive testing and surgery.

Spiff is 12 and has LS - which is really easy for your vet to test for using the information in the link provided above by Batmom. Some vets are more comfortable also taking an x-ray, but it may not be conclusive. Spiff has been treated with depo-medrol injections and separately with rimadyl and joint supplements. Surgery is generally not considered unless the dog is younger. If some of the treatments work, then I don't see the point in paying for expensive MRIs and other testing.

 

When I suspected that Spiff might have LS, I printed out Dr. Stack's info sheet and took it with me to my vet to talk with him about it. Then I knew that he was familiar with LS and other possible causes of Spiff's rear leg problems.

 

We have appointment with a vet that has more contact with greyhounds on Monday. I've printed off Dr. Stack's article and will take it with us along with all Accents medical history and blood work. Hopefully we can get a grip on this. Thanks for all the info and encouragement.

[Guest ashfundir]

We have an appointment Monday with another vet who has had more greyhound experience. I've printed Dr. Stack's article and will take it with us along with all of Accents blood work and medical history. Hopefully we will get some answers and help. Thanks for all the info and thoughtfulness. Will let you know about results.

[grey14me]

where in Ohio? there are some wonderful greyhound vets in Ohio!

[Fudge]

Hope recently had hind end weakness and I too feared LS and it still could be but she has done wonderfully on Deramaxx (anti inflammatory). She takes only a very low dose.

 

Maybe pain is diminishing his appetite.

[Guest ashfundir]

We have an appointment Monday with another vet who has had more greyhound experience. I've printed Dr. Stack's article and will take it with us along with all of Accents blood work and medical history. Hopefully we will get some answers and help. Thanks for all the info and thoughtfulness. Will let you know about results.

 

Update after seeing vet. There are two areas in spine with disc problems. They want to do MRI to comfirm there are no tumors(there doesn't appear to be any, but not sure in neck area other disc problem is in front of hip) then surgery to remove pressure. Has anyone had this done? How successful was it. What other alternative might there be. He is on Tramadol for the time being for the discomfort. We would appreciate any insight.

[Burpdog]

Where in Ohio are you located? Have you tried alternative medicine? Supplements?

[Guest Goldie]

How much should I expect to pay for Depo injections? Charges can vary dramatically among vets in our area.