7 month old, hind leg concerns

My 7-month old Staffy seems to have some trouble with his hind legs. Our home is all wood floor and from day one he's been slipping and sliding around. I thought nothing of it. Recently I noticed some of the things I associated with the flooring happened in the yard too. It almost appears that he walks on his tip-toes, or that his legs lock up and stay straight. He also falls sometimes in a way that appears as if his legs give out or are too weak. We went in for some x-rays today, which didn't show anything to be concerned about. However, we all agreed that he is walking oddly. We discussed possibly worse case scenarios, including neurological , spinal and even degenerative myelopathy. We are going to a specialist for a consult in a week to hopefully rule these things out.

Seeing as how he is still so young, all these possibilities seem unlikely. I'm a worrier who happens to also be a dog lover. I work from home most of the time and have particularly bonded with my little guy since I've been with him almost 100% of the time the 5 months we've had him. Needless to say I'm concerned and with the appointment still a week away I thought I'd turn to the internet seeking some reassurance--only to find the internet is a scary place!

I'm wondering if anyone else has had any experiences similar to ours with their staffy pup? Any insight, stories or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Concerned Papa

Hi ya, welcome to the forum from Flo and me

Wow, sounds like there's a lot of concern going on there, and I understand why completely. You are correct that the net is a scary place and will throw up all sorts of nasties that are probably completely irrelevant.

I'm going to be honest, the specialist is the only one that will get to the bottom of what's going on, that's why they specialise. Who have you been referred to if you don't mind me asking and have you been advised of what they are going to do to investigate?

I'll be honest, I'm not sure. Lucky for me, our breeder is also a vet tech. She's who I went to for the x-rays and she set up the appointment for us. I believe it's a neurological specialist. She's a lover of the breed and I'm very lucky to have her as a resource, she's even going to the appoint with us!

No experience or words of wisdom other than to wish you lots of luck with the specialist, and my fingers are very firmly crossed that it's something that can be easily addressed.

Hi, welcome to the forum.

It's difficult to hazzard a guess without seeing what's happening & how he's walking etc.

Does he have strong thigh muscles? What sort of exercise does he get? The stiff walking could be joint problems, but I would have thought they'd show up on the x-rays. Walking on tip-toes is often a sign of pain/discomfort, but doesn't help when you can't see where the pain is coming from.

A lot of dogs don't like lino or polished wood, so maybe he needs a couple of rugs?

Good luck with the specialist, please let us know how you get on.

Really nice to know the breeder is going with you and is helping with things. Fingers crossed it's something that can be addressed easily, do let us know what you find out.

Do let us know how things progress its also nice to see the breeder care so much for the puppies

Quick update: we've ordered a DNA kit that will test for L2HGA and several other inherited genetic diseases. It looks for diseases common to the breed and other similar breeds. We just want to be thorough and rule things out, hopefully. Neuro consult appointment Friday...

Can't do any harm and if anything, put your mind at rest that it's not something inherited hopefully. Do let us know what they find on Friday and fingers crossed its an easy cure.

Hello all. I wish I had some better news to share about our little guy, but it appears to be cerebellar ataxia. We will have to wait a few weeks for the test results, but the doctor was as certain as you could be without the results. I felt it was important to share incase this post can help someone else. I am thankful that we at least know what the issue is and now we can focus on making his life as great as it can be for the time we have left with him, which is hopefully at least a good 3 - 5 years.

Since the appointment was just this morning emotions are still high, but if I had one thing to share it would be to make sure both potential parents are tested for this before breeding. Something like 40% of Staffies carry this recessive gene and you just don't want to play with those odds.

I appreciate those of you who wished us well. We'll be ok and our boy is gonna have one hell of a time while he still can!

How very sad, I'm so sorry to hear this . Thinking of you at this emotional and tough time.

This must be a very distressing time for you all. I'm assuming that all tests for spinal issues have been ruled out as they can have similar traits. I don't think any words will ease your feelings right now but he is loved and I have a strong feeling that you'll make every day a good day for him.

So sorry to hear this. Enjoy every day with him x