puppy Arched back at 6 months old

[PParmar1993]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum but was looking for some advice for my 6-month old husky! He is very playful, enjoys walks and is very strong! However, since he was around 5 months of age, he started to show an arched back. This was accompanied with pretty severe muscle tremors (severity: 9/10). We took him to the vet and, after examinations and blood tests, we were told that his new food may not be suitable for him (we had weaned him onto his new kibble completely the before these symptoms occurred). So we were told to put pup onto a gluten-free diet, which we did and the tremors have reduced drastically but haven’t gone away completely (they’re around a 2/10 now). Our pup’s arched back is still present and I’m not sure what this could be. I’ve been scouring the internet constantly for over a month and I’m still not sure what it could be. The veterinary surgeon thoroughly examined his back numerous times and she could not feel any signs of trauma and/or abnormalities. Our pup isn’t that keen to sit anymore, and it can take him a bit longer to do so, so I’m concerned about what this could be. We have used a harness on him since he was very young to avoid straining his neck. But Reading up about IVDD makes me wonder if this is what it is because the usual age of onset is 3 years. Does anybody have any ideas? I have attached some pictures of what this back arch looks like. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you 

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Has he had any scans or xrays of his spine?  

[PParmar1993]

Hello! 

No he hasn’t had any yet as this is very expensive and he will need to go under anaesthetic. We are planning to have these X-rays taken when he is castrated once he is fully grown. But I’m concerned that what if this is a degenerative or time-sensitive issue? Have you heard of this happening in such a young puppy? 

 

Thank you 

[PParmar1993]

Hello! 

An update on this issue...

So pup has had X-rays done and nothing showed up on them. His back hasn’t got any better - in fact, the arch seems to be a bit more prominent at the moment. My guess is that more advanced imaging may be required. :( 

Has anyone had any issues with their dog (or dogs of people they know) where the back is arched in this manner? He sometimes protests when you ask him to sit and seems to find it more comfortable to either lie down or stand. 

Would be great to hear other people’s experiences. I am a first time dog owner so this is all very scary, baffling and new to me...

 

Thank you in advance 

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Did they xray his hips etc too? 

[PParmar1993]

Yep, he was X-rayed for his neck, knees, hips and various angles of his back. Nothing showed up 😕. Very concerned it’s neurological in nature 

[2Huskyfun]

Poor guy... 

My boy will arch and walk around with his back arched for a few after taking a long nap or if he is not feeling well. (Total drama queen and forces the arch) But it never stays.

Have you looked into  acupuncture? 

If it is not showing up on x-rays it can be a pinched nerve. 

[PParmar1993]

Oh how interesting! It’s been months for my pup  he can stretch it and it’ll look normal, but this is usually when he’s super alert  

We havent looked into acupuncture yet tbf. I’m not sure if it is just a pinched nerve because of the other symptoms he’s shown (i.e. shaky legs/doesn’t want to jump into the car/climb stairs). Also the vet has physically examined his spine a number of times and he doesn’t flinch when she does this. 

Thank you for your reply! That’s quite helpful, I’ll look into the pinched nerve just in case. 

[2Huskyfun]

Is your vet a Holistic? 

I ask because normal vet seem to take for ever to diagnose things.

I would check the food. Could be getting too much or too little of something. Do not take your vets word for what type of food to feed. Do your research.

I had a female highbred that passed away from a nerve disorder. I had to take her to Davis to be diagnosed by a Holistic vet. (Not the same symptoms as your pup).

If your pup is not wanting to set or do stairs, there is something they are missing. Definitely look into  chiropractic or acupuncture. 

[PParmar1993]

Thank you for your advice. In terms of his food, we have done a lot of research ourselves and have literally spent the first 4-5 months we have had him in getting that right. He’s now on a grain-free diet (grains tend to trigger acne for him), and gluten and wheat free (these foods seemed to exacerbate his muscle tremors). 

I’m sorry to hear about your dog  how old was she? Which nerve disorder did she have? 

We are definitely going to push to find out what this issue is - next steps will be getting a third opinion (we’ve already had two). He can still be quite boisterous though so that’s a good sign! 

Thank you for your advice everyone. From a worried first time dog owner, it means a lot. 

[2Huskyfun]

I did a whole story on her and posted some pics last year. I have no idea what I posted it under. LOL

Long story short... she started to not be able to move her tail. It then it moved to her back end.  Paralyzing each body part as it spread. She never felt any pain.

I forget what it was called but it was such a rare condition that I had to drive her 6 and 1/2 hours each way every visit in order to figure it out and try to keep it from spreading.

It took about 9 months for her to go from happy healthy to deciding it was time.

We were never able to figure out if it was a genetic thing or if it was do to the condition she was in before I rescued her.

 I got her when she was a pup and she was about 10 years old when she passed.

Good luck and hopefully you get answers soon.

[PParmar1993]

Oh that sounds so upsetting and stressful for the both of you!  

I guess it was a relief to know that she wasn’t in any pain, and that she lived to a really good age. 

Yeah, my husband and I aren’t giving up! Because he’s so young we hope that his age will help. Fingers crossed...I will keep you all updated as soon as we know more. 

In the meantime, thanks for the support.  makes a big difference 

[Luna-tic]

I think what you need is a spinal CT. Symptoms sound very similar to my border collie Murphy. We got him at about 7 and certain movements made him yelp but other than that he was fine. However as he got older it became more of a problem, he didn’t sit, he was either up or down. His back had an arch to it too. Eventually when he was 12 he was getting out of the stream he slipped. Long story short he exploded a vertebra, the first vet didn’t spot it, he was off his back legs by then. Long story short he ended up having a CT which showed the problem and he needed surgery. I suspect he’d had a weakness there for a long time and the twist getting out of the brook finally finished it off. The surgery went very well, he recovered after about 4 weeks but then one morning he went off his feet again and this time he’d had a stroke at which point we decided it was the end of the road.

Xrays are unlikely to show these type of injuries, CT or MRI will, neither is particularly cheap but if it finds the problem it’s worth it, at least ask the vet what the chances are. Murphy never seemed to be in any pain except for when he tweaked it.


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[PParmar1993]

Oh that’s so useful, thank you. I’m sorry to hear about your dog. Was Murphy able to sit at all? My dog can sit and sometimes he’s fine doing so, but other times his legs wobble as though he can’t hold his weight up properly. He can also stretch his back so it looks as though he has no arch, but this is only when he’s hyper vigilant or stretching in an exaggerated manner. When examining him, the vet does feel along the spine and he doesn’t flinch when she does this. Was this the case for you also?  

I will definitely mention it to the vet and see what they say. I think we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that we will need further scans to find out more. 

Thanks for your advice! It’s useful to hear other people’s experiences. 

[Luna-tic]

He did sit but his back was always arched and he couldn’t seem to sit for long. I wish we’d been more proactive in finding out what the issue was but he never complained or seemed to bothered. He didn’t seem to have any especial sensitive spot on his spine.

 

I asked his previous owner a couple of times but apart from saying he met a guy at a service station who took 5 mins to sort him out he just wouldn’t disclose what was wrong.

 

He was such an easy loving great boy who never fussed it was a really bad day when we had to make the decision but a dog who can’t walk isn’t a dog any more.

 

 

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[PParmar1993]

That sounds very similar to mine tbf...sounds like quite a bad back trauma occurred? Thinking about it, I can’t pinpoint anything that happened around the time that he started to arch...

Bless him, it sounds like he wasn’t able to live a fulfilled life at that point though, so I agree. You did the kindest thing for him. I hope I won’t have to make that choice 😔. 

[Luna-tic]

I’m not sure he would have needed trauma, as a pup just overdoing something can have consequences that may not be apparent straight away. For example before the CT the vet was explaining it could be a shattered disc or a spinal stroke. The stroke will heal on its own more or less whereas a disc won’t and the quicker it’s seen and dealt with the better chance there is of it healing. With Murphy because the vet pushed the decision on to us it was nearly a month before he had the CT.

I hope you’ve had some progress with him and I wish him a quick recovery.


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[Luna-tic]

Hi there, have you got any further with your pup? I hope he’s ok.


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[PParmar1993]

Hi all,

Sorry to have been so absent the past few months. I recently started a new job so life has been a lot busier. 
 

Pup update...not a lot has changed. My poor baby has had lots of tests done - an MRI, lumbar puncture/spinal tap, bloods and an ultrasound. The initial blood test, done under anaesthetic, showed a reduced level of cortisol levels. Addisons was suspected at that stage, but when the ACTH bloods were done (the only diagnostic test for Addison’s), cortisol levels were normal. So this was ruled out. The neurologist saw a slightly slower signal speed down his hind leg than he would’ve liked, but it was not significantly lower than normal so this wasn’t seen to be the issue. He doesn’t like to sit but can do so while protesting. All of the other tests came back as normal. 
 

For ages now he has also had chronic diarrhoea. So the vet recommended we put him on a homecooked diet with fish and butternut squash/sweet potato and see how he gets on for at least 6 weeks. Fast forward about 2 months and he has been brilliant on the homecooked, but it’s not financially sustainable. So we are slowly switching him to a combination diet (dry+wet (or homecooked if wet doesn’t suit him)). Fingers crossed...

In terms of his tremors, he has had very little since changing his diet. However, they do still occur randomly (sometimes quite severely but with no obvious trigger). His hunched back, if anything, seems worse than it was and we are now wondering if he sustained an injury during his very early days that may have caused some trauma in the form of muscle/leg weakness etc. He has always been a bit clumsy and had lots of bumps when small (some quite bad but he never seemed bothered, would always shake it off and move on). 
 

We are going to look into therapeutic options - most likely either see a physiotherapist or take him to a hydrotherapist. Apart from the diet helping with his stools, we are still none the wiser to his other health issues despite going to one of the best specialist centres in the UK. 
 

Does anybody have any recommendations for chiropractors/physiotherapists/hydrotherapists within or around Birmingham? Would really appreciate some contacts as I’m not quite sure where to begin...

 

This feels like our last chance to actually find out what’s wrong with my dog. He’s almost a year old and loves to play, but he can’t play for long before he gets fatigued. My husband and I would love to get to the bottom of this so he can live his life to the fullest. 
 

Many thanks once again 

[2Huskyfun]

This is a long shot but:

I personally had a chance to work with a vet that specialized in back and leg injuries in HORSES.

 My gelding was kicked in the shoulder and had a perfect horseshoe break in his shoulder and I was advised over and over to  euthanize him. I did my own care until I found her. He healed awesome and never had issues.

During the summer she let me tag along to help her (work off payment for my boy) Mostly worked with jumpers that threw out their backs or had hip issues.

First, swimming. No walks or runs. Swim everyday starting with a few minutes a couple of times a day to (Horses- 1 hour 4 times a day) 

Horses were kept in a stall lift when not being worked to keep all weight off them.

Spongy bed. You can make it yourself for cheaper. Get memory foam and fabric and sew it together. 

Physical therapy. We have human masseuses that also message dogs. Cheaper then animal physical therapist. Watch what they do and repeat it yourself. 3 to 4 times a day at home. You can also find videos and books on this.

My girlfriend swears by  acupuncture. Her old dog has hip dysplasia and she is all about it. There were only one or two horses we used this on. ( muscle soreness) The vet didn’t do this for serious injuries.

It took my personal horse 8 months before he could be lunged or turn out or do anything.

I did cooked for my two 💰💶💴💵💰 LOL My boy has GI issues and food intolerance. He had a blowout so I went back to kibble. Instinct Limited Ingredients Turkey. 

When mine have serious diarrhea I found what works best is skipping a meal and then doing small amounts of kibble every 4 hours until there is no poop. Then start slowly upping the amount. 

Hopefully this will relieve some discomfort until it is all figured out. 

Please keep us posted.

[PParmar1993]

Thanks so much for the reply! That’s really helpful. We are eager to try swimming definitely but we need to find somewhere reasonably priced and fairly close, especially if he’ll need to go that often! I’m so glad you were able to rehabilitate him! 
 

He does have two beds, and they are both orthopaedic (not memory foam - one is spongy and the other is flatter but still has some sponge in). Annoyingly, he prefers to sleep on the laminate flooring! But he does spend a few hours overnight on them so I guess that’s something. 
 

limited ingredients is good - but we had no clue what was causing his issues as he was on quite a limited diet before as well. Touch wood...fish helps his gut (hopefully it continues that way). Hopefully, in time, he can have other things again. 
 

What kind of physical therapy do you do with them? 
 

I will do! Hopefully together we can help my playful pupperoni

[2Huskyfun]

For my two I do message therapy twice a day. 

 I also stretch them out after cool down. 

You should be able to research message and stretching. Even the basic technique will be very beneficial.

Look into small above ground pools. The cost is upfront but will be cheaper in the long run and more convenient. A friend of mine put hers in the garage so she could use it year around. 

Also talk to your vet about possible coat issues from getting wet that much. Make sure he dries completely after each time (mildew or overly dry skin can cause issues). 

[PParmar1993]

Thank you, I’ll look into this over the weekend and try and start as soon as possible! He’s not a big fan of being touched in certain areas but he has to tolerate it when he needs drying etc. 

I am concerned about him getting wet too much and having to dry him...what do you do? I’m worried his fur will go brittle or it’ll cause skin problems as I’ve seen it happen in malamutes. But we can’t towel dry him fully - he only gets completely dry with a hairdryer. 
 

We have nowhere indoor that we can put a pool and we live in the UK where we don’t get the best weather so might not be able to do this ourselves!

[robke]

for drying look into a dog blower is better to use for a dog as the temp does not go up that Hugh as an hairdryer which is better for the dog also they blow harder so faster as wel...

[2Huskyfun]

I don’t dry mine. 

I am in high desert. Very very dry here. Only 2 inches of rain a year if lucky. But in the winter the base only gets a foot or so of snow while the Hills will get 6 feet. 

Mine play in pools and sprinklers almost daily during the summer. And go in the hills to play in the snow when the pass is open. The girl doesn’t get baths and I only wash the boy during shedding season. (He ends up chewing so badly he swallows his hair and it causes soft blockages) I don’t have to dry them, they dry pretty quick on their own.

However, my girl has an intolerance to grass. I use  witch hazel to wipe her down.

 I hope that you find someplace convenient and that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I would suggest the tub but he is too big. LOL

O how about soaking in epson salt? It’s no dangerous if he licks up a small amount of water. (Give him loose poops) and it relaxes the muscles. Maybe on bad days you can do that.?.