Legs giving way

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Hi all,

I have a 7.5-year-old male Staffie cross who went very out-of-sorts about three weeks ago.

I returned from work to find he'd been sick everywhere. He also wouldn't/couldn't move from the sofa and began growling if I approached.

His temperament has always been excellent - never a hint of aggression - so this was a flag that something was wrong.

Eventually coaxed from the sofa by chicken, I noticed he was limping heavily on his front left.
The vet ran some blood tests and also prescribed an NSAID, saying he suspected elbow dysplasia (dog is overweight), and to reduce his weight.

Over the next few days, the dog slept about 22 hours each day, refused to eat much, but his water consumption increased massively to roughly treble his normal intake. He was also sick frequently.

His lameness became very pronounced but would disappear completely every couple of days.

This was then followed by collapse in his other front leg, and extremely uncoordinated movement in his rear - like he was pushing backward as though on roller skates.

He was trembling/shaking continually throughout the day, didn't appear to "recognise" familiar faces and, when he did get up, would half-complete what he was going to do - eg get into his basket but, instead of turning around to see the whole kitchen (as he would normally), would sit facing the cupboard door for minutes, before turning round.

He also began to walk into things, as though temporarily blind.

I also noticed a small, hard white lump on the top of his head - between his ears. I can't explain it more than that, other than it's rock solid and growing out of his skin.

Another trip to the vet and more tests, including one for Cushing's, (negative) and a urine test for UTIs. The vet didn't think the white lump was significant.

The tests came back normal aside from being at the upper threshold for blood sugar, and cholesterol slightly elevated out of range. Thyroid function (T4 test, I believe) showed he was above the midpoint on the scale fairly comfortably.

He began standing facing walls, doors and was utterly disconnected from everything.

The vet advised small walks. 100 metres into one, he fell over - all four legs gave way and he had a glassy, vacant stare but remained fully conscious and did not fit.

Back to the vets, where I asked about tick borne illnesses and symptoms, but was told it wasn't tick season and the dog's rectal temperature was also normal (around 102 degrees).

The vet recommended Zylkene for anxiety. The dog has, until now, always been very confident and outgoing - isn't fazed by fireworks etc, so certainly isn't predisposed to being anxious.

Back home, the dog reacted very badly to anyone approaching him, and continued to sleep excessively.

He refused walking. His limping had all but ceased at this point, though he would just fall over, with various legs simply giving way. He would walk without limp, albeit looking like he was a bit drunk, then just keel over.

He also began to pee and poo anywhere in the house, which he's never, ever done before.

I noticed his neck is extremely rigid - like the muscle is cramped solid (like a brick wall to the touch), and his nose is discharging a lot of clear mucous, which dries white.

Back to the vets. In the vet's waiting room, his legs (differing ones) gave way three times while standing waiting for half an hour.

The vet insisted it was elbow dysplasia and that was that.

I took the dog home and rested him for a week. He's begun to perk up a little but has lost significant muscle mass and has begun to cry if he rolls over onto his back. His legs have stopped going out from under him and ALL signs of limping have disappeared, but his neck remains as stiff as a board, and he's walking in a "drunken" manner still.

The nose discharge has become heavier, though still clear.

His sleeping has reduced to about 12-14 hours a day but he's still "not himself" and keeps having freezes during movement and vacant stares.

His temperament has not improved, sadly - he'll sit and stare then, if you look back at him, he'll growl. He also growls if humans are eating. This is totally out of character and has never been seen in him before.

I'm going to a different vet tomorrow as I'm not happy with a diagnosis of elbow dysplasia. It surely doesn't cause all four limbs to sporadically give out, an ataxic gait, deep personality changes, and prolonged bouts of mental absence?

Sorry for the long post but as an experienced dog owner (five previously), who has a well-trained, sociable animal who was, up to three weeks ago seemingly in perfect health, and was a total pussycat, I'm both stumped and getting a bit desperate.

Any ideas, anyone?

Thanks.

Lovely video. Tyson thought so too. Tried to climb onto my lap to find the source of the sound. Good memories.

Hey there, this reply is a few years late, so I hope your dog is fine now! I just wanted to share my experience with the 5 year old staffie I adopted almost two years ago, just in case it helps someone.

She had similar symptoms from the get go - I first thought it was just her quirky personality: not eating anything but bananas and peanut butter, gagging at the sight of raw meat. Not being able to actually get the food into her mouth properly. Lethargy and what I thought was her pining for her owners ( she was picked up as a stray). Then her legs giving way especially after she had been to the park/ been over excited, getting lost in corners (what I know now, is a partial seizure). Oh and so incredibly accident prone! - I was taking her to vet every week to stitched up for something - I bet they started thinking I had Baron Munchausens or something!

After a ton of tests , and finding the right vet, and eventually an MRI, we found that she had an injury to her C1 vertebrae, which was making it difficult for her brain to drain its spinal fluid - so she has hydrocephalus. Its almost a year since she was diagnosed, and she'll need to be on meds for life, but she's a different dog now

Her quality of life has improved a hundredfold, and she's a GREAT ambassador for her breed..she just has to stay away from the chickens lol

Heidi

Hi & welcome to the Forum Heidi. So pleased you found what was causing the problem. Being on meds is a darn site better than the alternative.

When you get a min, pop along here and say hi to everyone, we'd all love to hear your story:-
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions