My boy isnt walking (X-rays inside) - Page 9

This is the only shot I have of his spine, the vet said it looked fine but maybe she missed something

nick, if the views of the spine aren't lateral [aka with the dog lying on his side], we're not going to see anything we didn't see in the hip films--his movement is suggestive of an issue in the lumbo-sacral sections of the spine, not the cervical or thoracic sections.

When you get a minute, check your boy's proprioception response, and get back to us with how he does. To do this test, watch this video:

 

Edited: I see you posted the lateral spine view while I was trying to get the video to load. :)

The x-ray is not very diagnostic .. depends on your money situation .. if no money then feed raw, swim the dog, and see if he gets better. Swimming is the best possible exercise and costs little but time. If some money maybe a sharper x-ray looking only at the last three vertebrae and tail head area. He may get better with time regardless .. any difference in his condition?? You said he was going off when you touched his back so that tells you where the problem is most likely. The fact that he has pain is a good thing because that means it is not DM. Pain can go away but DM can not. Appears to me that his range of motion is restricted on both hind legs .. an injured back or leg does not encourage giant steps.  Feel of his back and legs .. he will tell you where it hurts .. do it multiple times and see if he growls and reacts to one particular area each time.  Use a muzzle if need be.  I took my dog to a rehab vet who was the best there ever was .. the first thing out of the box he felt of every muscle and part of the dog's body which is how he found the problem  ... the injury was soft tissue and he never took an X-ray or looked at the ones I had.  Listen to your dog .. he is trying to tell you where the problem is.   In a developing puppy the development of bones and muscle are linked .. a problem in soft tissues can affect bones and vice versa.  That is why exercise is so important in developing pups to get strong, dense, and properly shaped bones and joints.

Just did the proprioception test and when I flipped his back paws he just left them how I positioned them and when I lifted his front paws off the ground he left his back legs in the position that they where in, when I attempted it a second time he cried out in pain and his legs went stiff and toes spread in the back

OK: good job Nick: here is my boys story. When my 2nd shepherd was a pup, 9-14 weeks he was growing at a rate that was very scarey. I was feeding him too much and did not know it as his breeder had mentioned a client that had half starved their puppy which scared me to death.

AS my boy grew and grew I had him neutered at 10 months and it was downhill from there. At a very young age I noticed him starting to struggle but his youth took him through that period and about 3 years old I noticed he was struggling but did not know why except that I did not like his movement front or rear. He ALWAYS did drag his hind quarters somewhat and had already had him x-rayed for HD at 4 months old when I first noticed his lameness. This is before I learned about DM. He also came up with an eye condition PANNUS. That is auto immune mediated which I also did not know at that time. Have learned much since then and do recommend you keep watching your boy daily. I would get the DM test done now, just see what that has to diagnose. If normal/normal move on. Just do give your boy a little time to see if he comes out of this problem or if it is going to be somewhat of a permanent problem.

Swim, raw diet (do not ovefeed) get his weight down. Walks on thick grass or soft sand, do not over exercise and do not supplement him with vitamins or other food things, his raw diet should take him thru this period; if you are not sure you are meeting his nutritional requirements, get a balanced raw combination that meets nutritional needs for his age. Re evaluate in a few weeks unless something else appears to go wrong. He very well could be going thru a terrible growth stage and could very well be in pain at this age and stage.

My current boy was a big baby when growing up and he is also a very large boy and I grew him up very slow yet he is still a lean 97 lbs. Large is not necessarily better, but breeder told me he would be a big guy (which I did not want due to my previous experience with a larger boy) and sure enough he is a big guy and did also suffer from pano terribly three different times as a youngster about your boys age then again at a later date (about 10 months, then 14 months) or so. Sooooo, give it time as I also had to do; very painful to watch these guys suffer but I did crate rest and only controlled exercise while this was going on; first couple of times it was about 3 weeks while limping the whole time, then 2-3 weeks, and then maybe a shorter version of a couple of weeks the last time, then never limped again. BUT was very concerning to watch him suffer. I did notice he was very sleepy and tired during these painful times. Just info for you to consider. Nan

It is not DM. He yelped in pain. And while my dog was young with DM symptoms, he was over a year plus. Doesn't the X-ray show no space at the sacral area? Isn't that indicative of CE? Looks like a harsh angle to me at the lumbar sacral area, after looking at healthy spine X-rays on Google. Get a second opinion asap. Poor dog is suffering through all this talk. Too bad Cherie hasn't weighed in on this with her experience.

nick, I'm sure I don't need to tell you those are not good signs. Something is interfering with the neurotransmission between his brain and his hindquarters, but at such a young age I would be flat-out astounded if degenerative myelopathy was the cause [and the only true diagnostic method for that is examining the spinal cord post-mortem].

This vet  is located in OKC, at Blue Pearl Specialty hospital, and is a board certified surgeon, with a special interest in spine disorders [he's a Dachshund owner, so go figure], and is said to be quite experienced with such issues.

I still think that from a expense point of view, in the long run you'd probably be less out of pocket with a referral from your present vet to OSU than you would be just dealing with the local vets..

Just so you'll know who the players are  .... Mars Pet Care owns Blue Pearl

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/bluepearl-join-mars-petcare-owner-banfield-pet-hospitals

Banfield Pet Hospital, which was acquired by Mars Petcare in 2007, today comprises more than 900 hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico. It employs more than 3,200 veterinarians. 

 

Oct 09, 2015
By dvm360.com staff
DVM360 MAGAZINE

Mars Petcare and BluePearl announced today that BluePearl, a national provider of companion animal specialty and emergency care with 53 locations in U.S. states, has agreed to join Mars Petcare, one of the largest pet nutrition and pet health providers in the world. 

Once the transaction is completed, BluePearl will join Mars Petcare alongside Banfield Pet Hospital, enabling Mars Petcare to provide a continuum of high-quality care across the entire companion animal healthcare sector, company leaders say.

 

Bubba, I agree that big-time commercial vet care is not the best idea, however, that doesn't mean that every vet who works in a specialty hospital like that is incompetent. I have some I love that are in places like that and they don't really like it any better than I do. It's harder now to have your own practice.

Nick, he could have been injured before you even got him; please follow up thoroughly on this and let us know what is found. CareCredit is your friend...