My 4-year-old Pinscher suddenly can't use her back leg. What's wrong?

Two things come to my mind when I hear about rear legs giving way suddenly. I will address both separately. 1) Luxating patellas. This is a fancy name for loose knee caps. The groove the knee cap sits in is often shallow with smaller breed dogs, especially with the Yorkie or Maltese. The knee cap can slip in and out of place on its own quite readily in some dogs. It typically is not painful but can develop arthritis with time and this causes more irritation. What typically happens is the dog goes to step on the leg, the knee cap is not in place and they cannot place weight normally. Sometimes they do not place any weight on it, almost like a little skip, or they hold the leg up. The knee cap typically goes back into place on it's own or the dog kicks backwards and this puts it back into place. The arthritis can be managed with joint supplements or anti-inflammatories but typically the knee cap problem can only be fixed surgically and is only warranted in pets with severe trouble. 2) Bone injury -- without a known trauma, such as a fall or being hit by a car, a fracture is less likely. This causes the area to weaken and can suddenly become painful. It may not break but can be difficult to walk on. If this was the case, I would expect your dog to be painful if that area of his leg is touched. If you feel up and down his leg with pressure, does he seem painful? Do you feel any areas that are swollen?

It is very likely she has a condition called patellar luxation. This is where the ligament in the knee goes in an out of the socket. She can have this surgically repaired if it becomes a chronic issue and impedes on her quality of life. Otherwise joint supplements (i.e. Dasuquin) may be able to help reduce some inflammation and pain in the joint itself. Have your vet do a simple physical exam and check the knees. Patellar luxation is detectable by a physical exam and doesn't require radiographs to diagnose. I wish you well at the vet. Best wishes with Mindy and take care.

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!

It may be. She may have a soft tissue injury or some slight swelling at the knee which is causing the patella to luxate even though it has not been a problem in the past. Your veterinarian can most likely determine if that is the case by a physical exam. If her patella is loose and moving around, it is usually pretty easy to detect.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bob. You could be correct with your assumption. Small breeds often have patellar problems in one or both knees due to anatomical problems with their knees. The other concern I would have is a cruciate ligament injury. Another possibility would be other soft tissue injuries or injuries to the bones of the leg. This can be assessed by your vet when you take Bob for an exam. Your vet may want to sedate Bob to fully assess the knee and take x-rays. I think you can probably wait but if his pain level increases to the point of him not eating, then I would advise that you take him today or this weekend. Once a diagnosis is made, a sound treatment plan can be implemented.

She may have torn her cruciate ligament, have a problem with her knee cap, have a fracture, etc. Since she seems to be in pain, you should take her to your vet today for an orthopedic examination. Your vet can take an x-ray, if needed, to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. An anti-inflammatory and pain medications can be prescribed to help relieve any pain. Hope she feels better soon!

She could have some arthritis in her hips, a loose knee cap, or a strain/sprain. You could have your vet examine her to determine the cause. Your vet can take an X-ray, if needed, to help diagnose and the determine the best way to treat. She may need an anti-inflammatory to treat.