Why is my dog having trouble standing and walking all of a sudden?

Disclaimer: This article, its content, and its related references do not constitute veterinary advice and should not be considered a substitute for veterinary care. If your pet is showing any symptoms that could indicate a medical emergency, please seek immediate emergency care.

Sudden paralysis, weakness in the hind legs, circling, and incoordination are serious symptoms in your dog that warrant emergency care. It’s important for dog owners to be able to recognize these symptoms and seek veterinary care right away. Read on to learn:

• How sudden mobility issues can look
• Conditions that can cause difficulty walking in dogs
• How difficulty walking is diagnosed and treated in dogs
• When difficulty walking is an emergency

Your dog’s nervous system, musculoskeletal system, heart and circulatory system, and inner ears all play a role in your dog’s ability to stand and walk. Any injury or disease affecting these structures can cause a dog to have trouble getting up and moving around. Osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, vestibular disease, and injuries to the legs or spine are common causes of sudden weakness or paralysis in dogs.

Diagnostic tests are needed to determine the cause of the symptoms and develop an effective treatment plan. Some conditions can be successfully treated while others may be untreatable or have a lifelong impact on your dog’s quality of life. Some chronic conditions can be managed at home to minimize the symptoms or progression of the disease.

A dog’s sudden inability to walk can be described in different ways:

• Collapse: Falling and being unable to get back up
• Ataxia: Poor coordination when walking
• Circling: Pacing or walking in circles with an apparent inability to stay in a straight line
• Weakness: Moving slowly and struggling to stand
• Limping: Walking abnormally, unevenly, or with difficulty due to favoring one or more legs
• Paralysis: Inability to move or feel sensation in one or more limbs

“Characterizing a dog’s difficulty with standing and walking can help pinpoint the cause, since specific symptoms are associated with different medical conditions,” explains Dr. Jo Myers, a veterinarian on Vetster. “Some health conditions are also more or less likely depending on a dog’s age.”

A dog suddenly having difficulty walking may also show other symptoms, such as:

• Dragging their toes on the ground or knuckling (proprioceptive deficits)
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Leg or joint stiffness
• Back or joint pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Abnormally twitchy eyes (nystagmus)
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

A sudden inability to walk occurring with any or all of these symptoms is considered an emergency that needs immediate veterinary attention.

Weakness, changes in gait, collapse, paralysis, and difficulty walking can be caused by a wide variety of conditions and injuries. Health issues affecting the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, heart and circulatory system, or inner ears can result in a dog’s sudden inability to walk or stand normally.

Traumatic injury

Traumatic injury can cause sudden paralysis, limping, or weakness in one or more legs. Causes of these injuries include:

• Being hit by a car or other moving vehicle
• Being thrown from or jumping from a moving vehicle
• Being in a car involved in a motor vehicle accident
• Getting attacked by a larger dog or other animal
• Falling from a high place
• Accidentally getting hit by sports equipment, such as bats, balls, and rackets
• Getting stepped on, slammed in doors, or otherwise injured while underfoot

Even seemingly minor injuries can damage the spine or spinal cord, or the muscles, bones, or nerves in a limb. Other, more serious injuries affecting the head or chest can cause additional symptoms. Injuries can affect one or more limbs at a time.

Toxins

The ingestion of various toxins or poisons can lead to weakness, ataxia, and sudden collapse in dogs. Many common household items and medications can be hazardous to dogs and result in these symptoms, including:

• Cannabis
• Xylitol
• Macadamia nuts
• Herbicides and pesticides, including some flea and tick products
• Antifreeze (ethylene glycol)

It’s crucial to keep medications, chemicals, and hazardous foods out of reach of dogs. Keeping a list handy of toxic food items may help in remembering what a dog can and cannot ingest. It’s important to seek immediate veterinary attention if you suspect your dog may have been exposed to any toxic substance, and getting help before they show symptoms improves the odds of a good outcome.

Neurologic conditions

Ataxia and paralysis can occur due to a number of neurologic disorders. Conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, or nerves can affect walking, standing, balance, and coordination. Neurologic conditions that can cause these symptoms in dogs include:

• Intervertebral disc disease and inflammation
• Degenerative myelopathy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Cauda equina syndrome (lumbosacral stenosis)
• Spinal or brain tumors
• Meningitis
• Coonhound paralysis (polyradiculoneuritis)
• Stroke

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a very common cause of sudden hind-leg weakness or paralysis in dogs, especially breeds with long spines, such as dachshunds and corgis. Some neurologic conditions are progressive and have symptoms before collapse or paralysis. However, if these symptoms are overlooked, it can appear as if a dog suddenly can’t walk. Various neurologic issues can also cause paralysis or weakness in parts of the body other than the hind legs.

Musculoskeletal conditions

Conditions that affect the bones, joints, and muscles of the legs can result in difficulty walking. Examples of musculoskeletal problems in dogs include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Elbow or hip dysplasia
• Ligament rupture (CCL, similar to a torn ACL in people)
• Luxating patella
• Joint infections
• Bone cancer

Osteoarthritis is a very common joint disease in dogs. Symptoms of musculoskeletal conditions are generally gradual and progressive, so they don’t usually start out with sudden difficulty standing and walking.

Heart conditions

Heart conditions in dogs can lead to weakness or collapse, making it hard for a dog to stand and walk. Heart conditions in dogs include:

• Congestive heart failure
• Heartworm disease
• Congenital heart defects

Conditions involving the heart often have additional severe symptoms, such as fainting (syncope), pale or blue/gray gums, and difficulty breathing.

Other health issues

A variety of other health conditions can result in difficulty walking or standing in dogs, including:

• Infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease
• Idiopathic vestibular syndrome
• Various cancers and tumors
• Anything that causes anemia

Idiopathic vestibular syndrome (IVS), also called vestibular disease, is a very common cause of sudden loss of balance and circling in an otherwise healthy dog. Vestibular disease is especially common in senior dogs.

A number of health conditions can cause anemia, and severely anemic dogs are often so weak that they have a difficult time standing and walking.

A thorough physical exam and diagnostic testing are necessary to make an accurate diagnosis because there is such a wide variety of conditions that can cause a dog to walk or stand abnormally. Diagnostic tests may include:

• Physical and neurologic examination
• Diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, or MRI scans
• Blood tests
• Urinalysis
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Spinal tap

Specialized tests may be recommended if a specific condition is suspected after the vet has ruled out common conditions. It’s important to get a definitive diagnosis from a veterinarian in order to obtain proper treatment.

Is sudden paralysis or hind-end weakness an emergency?

It’s important to seek emergency vet care anytime your dog experiences symptoms such as:

• Sudden paralysis
• Weakness
• Collapse
• Ataxia
• Circling

Prompt attention is recommended even if your dog shows no other symptoms or seems normal after they have collapsed. Diseases and injuries that cause limping (lameness) as the only clinical signs are unlikely to be life-threatening, but it’s still best to talk to a vet right away.

An effective treatment plan will vary depending on the underlying cause of a dog’s loss of mobility. Veterinary treatment may involve:

• Emergency stabilization in a hospital
• Hospitalization for IV fluids, medication, or monitoring
• Oral or injectable medications
• Surgical intervention
• Blood transfusions
• Palliative care
• Humane euthanasia

The severity of conditions that cause hind-leg weakness in dogs varies drastically. Minor injuries may heal on their own. Some conditions can’t be treated or may severely impact a dog’s ongoing quality of life, and humane euthanasia or palliative care may be recommended. Some seriously ill dogs need stabilization in a hospital before diagnostic tests and further treatment can be performed. Chronic conditions or conditions that require surgery may benefit from physical therapy and other at-home treatments with a vet’s guidance.

Can canine paralysis or weakness be cured?

The prognosis depends on the underlying condition and response to treatment. Some injuries, health conditions, and diseases can be treated while others cannot. Other issues may become chronic conditions or have a permanent impact on a dog’s ability to walk.

Talk to a vet immediately if your dog shows signs of weakness or paralysis in their hind legs. An online vet can help determine how urgently your dog needs to see a vet. Signs that your dog needs immediate in-person care include:

• Collapse
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Paralysis
• Pale or gray gums
• Rapid or difficult breathing

If you’re concerned about your dog’s mobility or the sudden development of symptoms, an online vet can quickly help evaluate the situation and help determine how urgently your dog needs care.

Why can my dog suddenly not walk on their hind legs?

Sudden paralysis or weakness in your dog’s back legs can be caused by a wide variety of injuries, toxin exposure, and health conditions. It’s important to seek veterinary care right away, as many of these causes are medical emergencies.

Why is my dog suddenly dragging their back legs?

There are many conditions that cause paralysis or weakness in the back legs, affecting how a dog walks. Conditions and injuries that affect the muscles, nerves, spine, and other parts of the body can result in dragging or knuckling of the back legs. It’s important to seek prompt veterinary attention if your dog suddenly can’t use their back legs properly.

What diseases affect a dog’s back legs?

Injuries, tick-borne diseases, neurologic conditions, musculoskeletal issues, and exposure to certain toxins can result in weakness or paralysis of a dog’s back legs. Prompt veterinary care is recommended any time a dog has trouble with their back legs so the problem can be accurately diagnosed and appropriate treatment recommended.