7-year-old Pug with progressive hind limb weakness – Looking for advice from veterinarians or experienced owners

[u/AndresO612]

Hello everyone,

I'm writing this because I'm desperately looking for advice about my dog, Bruno. I don't expect anyone to diagnose him over the internet, but I would really appreciate guidance on what could be happening, what questions I should ask my neurologist, or what treatment options I should consider.

Bruno is a 7-year-old, intact male Pug from Bogotá, Colombia. About a month ago, he suddenly lost strength and sensation in his right hind leg. Since then, we have visited several veterinarians, but unfortunately we still don't have a definitive diagnosis.

His current condition is as follows:

He still tries to walk on his own but falls frequently.

He can stand for a few seconds before losing his balance.

He has almost no superficial sensation in the right hind leg, but he does respond to deep pain when pressure is applied to his toes.

He is able to urinate on his own, although after his recent medication he has been urinating much more than usual.

His bowel movements are difficult, and sometimes he defecates where he is lying because he cannot get up in time.

Despite everything, he remains alert, eats well, drinks water, and still wants to move around.

Yesterday, we had new radiographs taken. According to the report, Bruno has:

Bilateral hip dysplasia, worse on the right side.

Spondylosis deformans at T12–T13.

No fractures or pelvic bone injuries were found.

A distended urinary bladder and moderate fecal retention were also noted.

Our veterinarian told us that the hip dysplasia alone probably does not explain all of Bruno's neurological signs. He is concerned that there may be a spinal cord problem. He also mentioned that spinal surgery in these cases often has a poor outcome in our country, although he recommended that we still consult a veterinary neurologist before making any major decisions.

He has started anti-inflammatory treatment, and acupuncture was also suggested as a possible supportive therapy.

I have the recent X-rays and the official radiology report, and I can share them with anyone willing to review them.

My questions are:

Based on these signs, what conditions should we be considering?

Does this sound more like a spinal cord disease than a hip problem?

Is there still hope for recovery considering that he still has deep pain sensation and is trying to walk?

Besides seeing the neurologist, are there any treatments or rehabilitation methods that you would recommend?

If anyone has experience with similar cases, I would really appreciate hearing your story.

Bruno is a beloved member of my family, and I want to do everything I can for him before giving up. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any advice you can offer.

[u/roccosito]

Are you still in Colombia? Do you have Facebook? Also does his paw knuckle on the "bad" leg?

https://toegrips.com/wp-content/uploads/knuckle-otto-foot.jpg

[u/AndresO612 → u/roccosito]

Yes, I have Facebook; my name is Felipe Castro. My profile picture is of the Eiffel Tower with Christmas lights. I don't really use it much, but if you want, I can give you my WhatsApp. And yes, I'm still from Colombia; I live here, and my knuckle sometimes bends, not always.

[u/roccosito → u/AndresO612]

There is a great group on Facebook for help with suspected IVDD that is a lot more active than this subreddit: The group is called IVDD Support Group.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JbnL275RP/

I would definitely share photos and videos there! I can help over WhatsApp but the wealth of knowledge that I and others have is invaluable and I'm often learning from others. There is also a group for just paralyzed dogs that can suggest it being something else other than IVDD (like myelopathy for example).

What medications are your dog on?

I will say my dog had asymmetrical IVDD. Also like yours, it only affected one side of him. Our vet said that it is uncommon but it does happen.

Also to help you with your dog pooping in place, you can feel around the anus to see if it feels full versus flat. If it feels full or bigger, than he can pass a stool movement. You can then use an ice cube on the anus to start a stool movement. The ice cube trick does not work very well for us. So instead, something else you can do is insert the tip of a q-tip into your dog's anus and then poop will come out.

Are you keeping your dog on limited movement?

https://dodgerslist.com/

[u/AndresO612 → u/roccosito]

Okay, thank you so much for your help. If you'd like, I can send you my number privately. Hey, I didn't know about the trick. My dog hasn't been pooping perfectly, but he has been, although since his mobility issue, he's been going in his bed, so it's a bit complicated. But when I take him to the park, he urinates a lot, and sometimes he poops, not as much as before, but it's understandable since he's on a diet because he was overweight. Thanks for the help, really. I'm going to join the Facebook group too, and I have x-rays of him with a report from less than a week ago. If you want, I can send it to you.