Dr. Dan Christian specializes in small animal medicine, with special interests in behavior and nutrition. He has been instrumental in establishing animal behavior residencies for veterinarians at leading veterinary schools and developing innovative programs with veterinary organizations in the United States. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association. During his professional career, Dr. Christian earned the American Association of Feline Practitioners Award. He has also appeared as a guest on television and radio pet health programs nationwide, and to has authored numerous articles for pet health magazines.

Q: I took my cat to the veterinarian and he got an antibiotic injection in his leg. Right after that, he stared dragging the leg where he got the injection. Now he has lost control of it. It looks like there's nerve damage and no muscle control. It's hard for him to walk with that leg and he hardly moves at all. He even doesn't want to go to the litter box because of it. What do you think is wrong?

A: It seems clear by your description of the history and your cat's current state that a nerve in the leg was irritated by the injection. There are some medications that have a preferred route of injection, some under the skin, and others in the muscle. At times, the injection into the muscle will irritate the nerve in the area, causing a temporary muscle fatigue. "Temporary" may be defined as an hour or several days, but the leg will eventually regain its normal strength and movement 100 percent with no residual effects.

You should make your veterinarian made aware of the situation, and he or she may want to examine the leg to make sure this is, in fact, what happened, because as there are some other situations (abscesses, injuries) that need to be ruled out.