About 1 in 4 dogs seen for non-neurologic problems had postural reaction deficits

The dogs came to internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, ophthalmology, cardiology, dermatology, oncology, or dentistry services between May and July 2025. Owners reported no seizures, no behavior or mentation changes, and no abnormal gait or posture. Of 323 dogs examined, 277 met the inclusion criteria.

Dogs were excluded if they were taking gabapentin or trazodone, had cranial nerve deficits, had previous orthopedic surgery, or had orthopedic disease other than osteoarthritis. Dogs with osteoarthritis stayed in the study. Two veterinary students and a rotating intern, trained by a neurology resident and blinded to each dog's age, graded hopping and paw replacement.

Because dogs of different sizes have different life expectancies, the team used fractional lifespan (FL): age divided by estimated lifespan based on height and weight. Dogs were grouped as adult (FL 0.5 or below), middle-aged (above 0.5 to 0.75), or senior (above 0.75).

Prevalence was 11.8% in adults, 27.1% in middle-aged dogs, and 39.0% in seniors. Adults differed significantly from both older groups, but middle-aged and senior dogs did not differ significantly from each other.

Of the 72 affected dogs, 65 had deficits in the pelvic limbs only. All had normal spinal reflexes, and only one had increased limb tone. The authors said age-related changes in receptors, muscle fibers, and central processing may play a role, but they could not rule out subtle spinal cord lesions.

After accounting for age, neither sex nor chondrodystrophic breed status was independently linked to deficits. The authors noted that chondrodystrophy was inferred from breed rather than genotype, and that excluding dogs with past neurologic episodes may have left out some affected chondrodystrophic dogs.

Hopping appeared more sensitive than paw replacement. In 43% of affected dogs, hopping was the only delayed test, while paw replacement alone was delayed in 4%. The authors recommended checking hopping in all four limbs when screening older dogs.

They suggested an FL of about 0.5, roughly where adulthood gives way to middle age, as a practical point to add postural reaction testing to wellness exams. Because the examiners' training was similar to a general practitioner's, the authors argued the results apply to primary care.

The study had limits. It used a teaching hospital population, did not formally test agreement between examiners, and was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether deficits get worse, stay the same, or resolve over time.