[aidemine]

I have just gotten a little 8 week old pup but unfortunately he is having some problems...
he will be walking and playing just fine, like any normal puppy and suddenly he will lose control of both of his back legs,,,almost as if he was semi paralyzed or something...he is not in any pain and he eats and plays like any puppy should, its just this thing that affects him every once in a while.

I cannot take him to the vet because we really do not have any around where I live.
Does anybody have an idea of what is wrong with him...

 

[Makaella's Mom]

There will be many, many other people on this forum who know more than I do about this but the first question I would ask is did you get the pup from a breeder? If so, did you get papers? I would think he's way too young for hip dysplasia but most breeders would have done x rays.

There is a neurological cause as well as a hormonal based disease that can cause that but he's much too young. Can you talk to whomever you got him from to find out if that has happened in the line before - unless you rescued it...

I'll do a little research but others here will probably know right away.

 

[Makaella's Mom]

OK, well here's a start. Do a search here up at the top on hip displasia and go to Getting My Pup (or something similar) by Barking Mad. Scrolling down the thread you will come across a discussion of puppies and how much to exercise them and a mention of hip displasia.

My dog (which was a large breed and more prone to hip problems than beagles) had a bone spur on his spine that was interfering in the electrical firing for messages to his hind end and his legs gave out too. My other Malamute had Cushing's Disease but the fact that the pup is soooo young is confusing. How hard is he playing???

 

[aidemine]

here in Romania I really do not know of any real professional beagle breeders...almost everything is imported over from western Europe which means that puppy mills were probably the origin of the of little guys.
I do not know much about the history of little Copper but i do know that his father was a pet shop dog, which again probably means that either his parents or his grandparents were brought over from some puppy mill or another. Its the way things are here.
I did some research on the internet and the only thing I could find that matches the problem and the puppy being so young is something called funny puppy............
but unfortunately, no vets, so I really have no way of telling for sure....but it might be hit dysplasia, I guess I did not consider that because Copper is only 8 weeks. thanks for the quick response

 

[Murphys Dad]

Get your pup to a vetr. hospital very soon. I could be spinal issues. These could be the early symptoms.

 

[Makaella's Mom]

Murphy & Summer's Dad is not only the founder of this site but very knowledgeable about these things. I know you said you don't have access to a vet but is there any way at all???

In the meantime here's another site you could look at http://www.merckvetmanual.com. You will never know for sure until you can get a vets opinion but on this site there is info on spinal cysts and other spinal problems.

If you absolutely cannot find a vet give us very, very detailed descriptions of what it looks like, when it happens - details - does he show pain in his spine when you apply pressure, does he lose focus in his eyes, what exactly is he doing when it happens - look for a pattern or type of activity like jumping, running, rolling over, etc. Do his legs bow or turn out when just standing still. Give everything you can think of. I will ask my vet for what the most likely causes might be-keep in mind he cannot diagnose without actually seeing the pup so you will only be given directional info. (I am going to go to work for this vet later in the summer/fall so they will be happy to help me help you)

Can you video tape his play and send an mp3 or clip of it?

Hope to help...

 

[Murphys Dad]

Beaglemom had a good idea about videotaping it and posting here (or emailing one of us). Maybe we can have a vet look at the video.
In my very unprofessional opinion, it seems to be spinal, which will require a vet how ever you look at it. There has to be a vet in Romania somewhere. Even if there is a dog shelter you know of, they must have a vet there or at least can put you in touch with one.

 

[Vness]

Unfortunately they have to do all these tests at a general hospital to rule different conditions out before referring you to a specialist. My Marco started showing symptoms at 8-9 weeks of abnormal walk and I didn't know he had Hydrocephalus (fluid in the brain), I wish I would've known earlier. I looked everything up online including the funny puppy syndrome. It might be many things. Good luck