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Cephalexin and lameness in rear legs?

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  • Cephalexin and lameness in rear legs?

    Greetings. We've had our 7.5 month old Dane Miles on Cephalexin for the past two weeks, as he'd developed an angry muzzle and chin. His skin has cleared up wonderfully, but in this same timeframe, he's developed an awkward sway, and clumsier-than-usual rear legs.

    He's falling when he goes up or down uncarpeted stairs. Loses his footing when he spins or turns quickly, and usually it's because he had his back feet to close together or crossed them. His gait when walking involves an s-curve. He was always clumsy, but this is insane.

    It has gotten so bad that we took him in to the vet Sunday fearing Wobbler's. They've reassured us that it most likely is not the cause. They don't feel we need a neurological specialist at this point. They pointed to his panosteitis and fast growth, saying "he's a clumsy teenager". However since Sunday, he has gotten even a touch worse.

    In a nutshell:
    - Miles is a big boy, growing fast -- so he has had several bouts of panosteitis, including the back legs. He currently has a pretty big pano lesion on his left femur, so we know that's a pain. He was on Metacam and now has a different, ie opioid, painkiller instead for those flare up times.
    - The vet ruled out Wobbler's via spinal exam, palpitation, movements, and what he saw in xrays done on Miles' hips, legs and lower back.
    - He's not uncomfortable sitting, or in pain. He's eating normally and is not "out of it" in any way (beyond being a Dane!). Still wants to play and chase the cat, just keeps falling down.
    - We've contacted his breeder to see if any of his littermates had issues with legs or Wobbler's.
    - His back quarters are unable to get him back up or support his squat to pee very well. But his front legs/shoulders are just as strong as ever, and his neck is fine and has full range of motion.
    - He's on the same high-quality food his breeder started him on, and it's got a good balance of protein, calcium and phosphorus -- we're not concerned about it.

    Given the timing of the Cephalexin and his unsteadiness, we're inclined to look at whether the two are related. I found one or two articles/posts referencing this as a side effect, particularly in "esoteric" breeds, ie Great Danes and Bernese Mountain Dogs.

    I have a call in to the vet to discuss again, but they were rather dismissive of the possibility on Sunday -- just said they'd not ever heard of a link. Now that I've read more, I'm worried it is related. We'll look to stop the Cephalexin for the next week and see if he improves. I just hope that if it IS related, we're not too late figuring it out and the damage is reversible. We want to see Miles into month 8 in full health and vigor.

    Has anyone else heard of Cephalexin causing an unsteady or "wobbly" dog?

    [And yes, if it's not the Cephalexin, we'll be getting a neuro consult as soon as possible. He fell three times on his short walk this morning. It's sad to witness, but also, he's already 113 pounds, so we're not going to be able to help him up much longer.]
    Last edited by McMarshal; 03-14-2017, 07:37 AM.

  • #2
    I've never heard of Cephalexin causing those symptoms but I'd take him off of it. You can rub yellow Listerine on the muzzle and chin. It usually clears up skin problems there. Be sure you are feeding a low protein kibble. If not, change to something other than what you are feeding.

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