Could my dog's limp tail and spinal pain be lumbosacral disease?

I'm sorry to hear that Mayhem hasn't been feeling well. The signs that you describe - reluctance to use stairs, pain on manipulation of the tail, not pooping (likely due to pain while posturing/squatting), lethargy, and a decreased appetite - are all most suspicious for a sign of back pain. This could be a result of a soft tissue injury while playing, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), fibrocartilaginous emboli (FCE), among others. Regardless of the cause, it sounds as though Mayhem is quite painful and would greatly benefit from an urgent trip to the vet for an exam and pain medications. Do not give any pain medications at home (including aspirin), and only give medications prescribed by his vet as most human pain medications are not safe for use in dogs. I hope that he feels better soon!

Poor Papas! I'm sorry to hear that he's having this problem. Based on your description, it does sound like something may be wrong with his back - he may have a "slipped" or herniated disc, or may have injured himself somehow. Lumbosacral stenosis or even something like a spinal tumor would also be possible causes. Unfortunately, it's not possible to tell what the problem is just by looking. I would recommend taking him to the vet today for an exam - he/she can palpate his spine and check his reflexes to help determine what might be going on, and may also recommend x-rays or other testing if needed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lucy. I am sorry to hear about her recent troubles. How frustrating! There is a muscle known as the iliospoas that wraps around from the lower back to the pelvis. If this muscle is strained, it is extremely painful. This can be detected on a physical exam, but would not show up on an x-ray. Other problems can be related the spine itself such as disc disease. The most common cause of rear limb lameness is a torn cruciate ligament in the knee. Has she had stifle x-rays? More rare conditions are autoimmune joint disease or a tick borne infection. Both of these are typically accompanied by a fever. You may consider a referral to see an orthopedic specialist if you are having trouble reaching a diagnosis. I hope this information helps!

Difficulty walking is a situation that always warrants a visit to your veterinarian. We could have a musculoskeletal injury or a neurological issue, such as a herniated/slipped disk in the spine compressing the spinal cord. Your vet can do an examination to see if there are neurological deficits and may also recommend an x-ray to help determine the cause of the trouble walking, and if it is related to the swelling of the tail. Limber tail doesn't normally cause a swelling of the tail, but can cause the tail to be carried strangles, where it will stick out for an inch or two and then hang down limply. If the tail is truly swollen I would be more worried about an injury and x-ray may be needed.

Arthritis is definitely a possibility. You could start him on a joint supplement, like Dasuquin and see if that helps. Your vet could also take an x-ray to evaluate for arthritis and then start him on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, like Deramaxx, Previcox, Rimadyl, etc. NSAIDs help relieve the discomfort associated with arthritis.

This presentation could be due to a neurological lesion affecting nerves innervating the legs (please tell us which leg you think is affected to have more specific answers). I would recommend a neurological examination and eventually further investigations (EMG and MRI/CT might be needed). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Legally, I am not allowed to give you a diagnosis, but based on the x-rays you posted, I suspect that your vet told you that Sly has significant hip dysplasia and arthritis in both hips. I'm sure that came as a surprise to you since Sly is only showing some limping after resting. Dogs are very stoic and do not show us pain as we would expect. Since you have just started Sly on a glucosamine and chondoitin sulfate supplement, you certainly could wait and see how he does on that, but I suspect you will need to add some additional supplements or medications to resolve his limping, so don't be afraid to talk to your vet about those. We frequently use fish oil, MSM, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and many other drug combinations for arthritis. I also highly recommend physical rehabilitation and acupuncture. Although we expect our dogs to cry in pain, most dogs with arthritis pain act exactly like Sly and only limp after getting up. Our goal with treatment is to get them to the point that their pain is so well controlled that we don't notice them limp at all. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.