Lumbosacral stenosis is a common cause of lower back pain and hindlimb weakness in large breeds, causing significant suffering that is often misattributed to behavioral problems or normal aging.
Lumbosacral stenosis causes chronic lower back and radiating leg pain that owners frequently misattribute to behavioral change, 'slowing down with age', or disobedience. A dog reluctant to jump into the car, who cries when lifting the tail to defecate, or who resists lower back touching is often treated as lazy or difficult rather than assessed for pain. The tail-chasing behavior seen in some affected dogs - pursuing apparent sensations in the tail and hindquarters - is frequently labeled as obsessive-compulsive behavior and treated with behavioral interventions while the neurological root cause goes unaddressed. The chronic, daily pain of compression neuropathy significantly diminishes quality of life over months to years of undiagnosed or undertreated disease. When owners report 'my dog just seems uncomfortable' without being able to identify a specific problem, lumbosacral disease should be high on the differential list.