Expert: Charlotte Sherrell, DVM - 7/5/2010

Question
Dear Dr. Sherrell,

Thanks for reading.  While I was in another room, my Min Pin was resting on the back of the couch, and suddenly I heard a thud.  She started crying horribly, apparently she had fallen.  I ran to check her out, and she was dragging herself on the floor by her left legs.  I feared she had broken her right legs, but as I checked them out, she seemed to feel no pain at all - they were just completely limp.  After I calmed her, I touched her legs again to see if I got any response, and when I was sure they didn't seem hurt, I tried to stand her up, and she just began to fall over, with her paws dragging underneath her.  

I started to get ready to run her to the emergency vet, but then her rear leg started to gain some strength, and after about 10 minutes, her front leg was back to normal, too.  Could both legs have fallen asleep on her?  Or do you suppose something worse is going on?  

She turned 10 in December and was spayed as a puppy, if that's helpful.  She's never had a single health issue except for a couple bouts of constipation.

Thanks for any light you can shed!

Jessica

Answer
Jessica -

You should have your pet seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.  It seems as though she must have had some neurological damage - she might have damaged one of the vertebrae in her back.  It is better to have her examined and find out for sure that she has not developed a problem.


Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM