Weak back legs - Page 1

Hi!  I have a brand new 8 wek old German Shepard Puppy!  I got him from a breeder that I thought was relaible and it turns out he sold me the dog when it was less than 6 weeks old.  Needles to say he is still here and needed alot ofl ove and affection and some special food to help him adjust.  My question is about 72 hours after I got him, I noticed his back legs seemed wobbly.  He is active, running after my son, playing ball, chasing my other dogs and cats.  He is a very happy puppy.  He eats great also.   The same day I noticed his weak back legs, he took some sort of a seizure, hitting head on ground, couldnt get up, it only lasted about 20 seconds.  I rushed him to the vet and the vet said he was so full of worms, that all the food he had been eatting was feeding the worms and his blood sugar dropped.  I asked him about the back legs and he said he would contribute it to the low blood sugar and the amount of worms in his body.  Apparently the breeder never wormed him!  He said once the worms cleared up, he should show slow improvement with his legs.  It has been about 2 weeks now and he is still very wobbly.  Some days he seems great and other days he is very wobbly.  He doesnt seem to be in any pain and asks like a normal puppy.  He kind of acts like he is drunk.  Vet says he will get stonger as he gets older!  Any suggestions?

legs will get stronger as he gets older..good luck

Thank you!

How sad for the poor pup at least he's in good hands now, I hope you keep us updated and a photo as soon as he's healthier!

If he was full of parasites, he is probably anemic.  Deworming needs to be done more than once.  Even if you do a fecal sample after the first deworming and it comes clean (as the parasites shed their eggs intermittently).  If he continues to be wobbly (and the vet initially stated she thought it was due to parasites), I would also get a CBC done to make sure that he is not still anemic (lack of red blood cells) or hypoglycemic (low blood sugar).

I would feed him every 3 hours trying to make sure his glucose level doesn't drop. Also note if he seems wobbly if he hasn't eaten for a few hours, if he recovers quickly after he does eat, and if the symptoms seem worse after he's played hard. You can also add a spoonful of Karo syrup to his food or water. If he's hypoglycemic, it's probably a temporary thing that he will outgrow.

Poor little guy didn't get a very good start from his breeder, did he?

That's what you get for getting a GSD. They have gross back legs that look really ugly because they ate so much shorter. Thank the AKC and breeders and buyers who bought into that disgusting practice

How much 'running around, chasing your son and playing ball' is he doing? What sort of 'special' food have you been feeding him to help him adjust. What food is he on now and how frequently is he fed?  If the pup did have low blood sugar, at his age that is most likely a dietary issue, either quality and/or frequency, and can cause seizures. It can also be caused by other conditions, and could also be exacerbated by overexercise if he is being fed incorrectly or not frequently enough. Did your vet actually establish that the pup had low blood sugar, do any tests?

I would be concerned by the symptoms you describe and whilst I guess all animals are different, have never heard these symptoms attributed to a worm burden. I had a rescue pup many years ago who had so many worms that she used to vomit them up like a tangled ball of living wool on the carpet (I can still remember my brother's reaction). Yet never did she exhibit the type of symptoms you describe. Many through rescue too, again without these symptoms. Had you seen worms in his motions, did the vet get a fecal sample and discover the presence of worms?

Personally I would be back to the vet, if he was dewormed 2 weeks ago and is still very wobbly.

"That's what you get for getting a GSD. They have gross back legs that look really ugly because they ate so much shorter. Thank the AKC and breeders and buyers who bought into that disgusting practice"

This is awesome!  I love how a guy can buy a Malinois from a backyard breeder for his first dog ever and be and expert on GSD's 5 months later!

#1 go to report the breeder - in almost every state its illegal to seperate puppies before 8 weeks.
#2 go to online complaint sights and make your story known.......this practice must be stopped.
#3 worm twice monthly for the next 3 months.
#4 check for cox and guardia.
#5 have bloodwork (cbc) to check for any type of infection (elevated wbc).
#6 don't over play the puppy, they don't know when to quit and will completely wear then selves out.

what food are you giving him? a healthy puppy at 6 weeks is usually able to eat solid food easily.