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No muscles in back legs?

Share advice for keeping your aging dog happy and healthy

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oops theres a- wall there!

Barked: Tue Jul 24, '12 8:09pm PST


	I have an old dog that came to our house as a stray. She was completely emaciated to where when she laid down every single bone popped out She is a lab/golden cross (from what we can tell) so she is a decent size dog. Since she wondered up to our house she has gained back all her weight (woot woot!) But she seems to have no muscle tone in her back legs, we've had her nearly a year now. When she stands her back legs are a little shakey and if you really look at her good she doesnt seem to put all her weight on both legs at the same time. Is this just an older dog thing? Her front half looks awesome! But her back legs just seem to be... crippled? They aren't she walks just fine. But she has her issues. poor dog, was just wondering if this is a age thing I've never owned (as an adult) an older dog

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Akita Pals- Always.

Barked: Tue Jul 24, '12 8:19pm PST


	Just curious have you spoken to your vet about it? Given her breed I would also suspect hip problems that cause her some pain. Perhaps a nice once over and talk with the vet could help in finding if there is an issue,what it is,and how best to deal with it.

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oops theres a- wall there!

Barked: Tue Jul 24, '12 8:43pm PST


	yeah we're prolly just going to have to take her in, we did to get her shots when she was emaciated, but now that she's gained all her weight back we are just worried they are going to tell us it would be best to put her down I know we are being selfish and just need to take her in. She doesnt seem to be in pain with anything but we don't know we are just humans. We honestly didnt think she would make it this long and we just wanted to give her a better home for her to rest. Her issues are way more than just her back legs, that was just something I've been wondering about.

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Semper Vorax

Barked: Tue Jul 24, '12 11:29pm PST


	There are always ways to help, there are carts you can get, or water therapy. She's a lab, she might like a good theraputic swim.

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Penny, I- Miss You- Sooo Much

306716

Barked: Wed Jul 25, '12 8:48am PST


	I have not tried them but there are also some really neat looking harnesses that go on the back end so you can help support the back end while the dog walks. My mother's German Shepherd lost a lot of muscle tone in her back end when she got very old. She had arthritis in her hips and didn't put her weight on them so lost muscle tone. Medicine for the arthritis helped for quite a while. My mom's young dog also lost muscle tone because she had surgery on both knees, one after the other, and didn't put her weight on them properly. For physical therapy I had to walk her very slowly which forced her to put weight on each leg and gain muscle & bone strength. If you take your dog to the vet, you might discover that there is some problem that can be helped. Dogs are good at hiding pain and vets are good at detecting it. If it is arthritis, some meds for pain & swelling coupled with slow walking or water therapy could help a lot.

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Akita Pals- Always.

Barked: Wed Jul 25, '12 8:57am PST


	Thank-you Penny for all of the helpful and hopeful suggestions,thank-you as well Taggert. OP these are a few examples why a trip to the vet is a good thing,you may have far more options than you think. As long as her heart,lungs,and vital organs are doing okay,her age and a little or even alot of weakness in her back end can be treatable and allow her to live a much better and pain free life for awhile yet. It doesn't have to be a death sentence. It can actually help her have a much better quality of life for as long as she is able to continue to enjoy it.

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When the night- closes in I will- be there

Barked: Wed Jul 25, '12 12:52pm PST


	Sabs back legs shake periodically as she is getting older. I know she has HD and arthiritis. Several short slow walks through the day, swimming once a week(would be more but holy expensive), diet supplements and a soft bed to sleep on have done wonders.

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Member Since
01/03/2012

Barked: Wed Jul 25, '12 3:26pm PST


	Swimming is the best for building muscle with no impact. My 10yr lab mix had knee surgery last year, he had zero muscle tone in that leg. His leg was like a flabby turkey neck! He never swam before, after he got clearance from the vet we started swimming. The difference in his whole body was amazing, he has muscles he never had before, he is actually in better shape now than he ever was. Find out exactly what you are dealing with before starting anything then you can decide what would be best. Cindi

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Wed Jul 25, '12 4:45pm PST


	On 22% protein kibble Sassy had no trouble keeping muscle on her rear as a youngster. As a senior I increased her protein to 28% and she stayed on her feet to her last day in spite of having some sort of nerve problem the vet called degenerative myelopathy. Quite dramatic the difference in strength. I remember she got a foot stuck in the ditch some gardeners like between the sidewalk and the lawn and couldn't get out and the following year she pulled it out just fine! Senior dogs may have trouble utilizing nutrients so a good senior food is quite high in protein. Pain control could help too. Sassy just got a human version with chodroitin/glucosamine/MSM. On it she was jumping on the 18" high window sill her last year not that that was a good idea. Getting down hurt! Thank you for being the old girls' angel.

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oops theres a- wall there!

Barked: Wed Jul 25, '12 6:03pm PST


	Thank you everyone! Never even thought of changing her food! As for getting her to exercise that's another story haha! I've taken her on a walk before and before we even got to the end of the street I though I was going to have to pick her up and carry her home. Swimming pool might be a good start though. The poor girl doesn't do anything but sleep, and when we do try to play with her (usually she just likes to be left alone or petted) she can only jump about 2 inches from the ground if that! She has comfy beds throughout the house that she loves and have noticed a difference since we brought her inside months and months ago.

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