Back leg weakness in older dog
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| It could be one of two things causing the weakness, arthritis or his spine is out, slipped disk or somehow a bit of inflammation on the spine. Another thing could be a pull to his Cruciate Ligament.
Is he a Jumper? Has he been turning sharply or had a fall or anything you can think of that might contribute to the weakness in the backend? Has this been progressing slowly or has it just happened? If it has just happened then my tip is injury of some sort. Did the vet go over his entire body feeling from the neck down and extend the legs both front and back for any sore spots? At the moment keep up the anti-inflammatories and keep him quiet and contained, that is no running around,no doing stairs out on a lead to potty and preferably a soft surface like grass to walk him on to go outside and on a lead outside for awhile, no free play or running around outisde on his own and see if there is an improvement there for him as the medication kicks in with total rest. If not then back to the vets for re-checking if there is no improvement. You can also try supplements for you older dog if you are not already using them, chondroiton/glucosamine supplements help the joints and hips, not a short term remedy but something you can give the dog each day to help as they age.  |
| Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I really do think it has been gradual. He had a history of paralysis in his back legs as a puppy and when he got over that he reacted to things that caused him stress (fireworks, sirens, thunder etc) by circling and howling madly and then sucking on his flanks. I found Coulson when he was 1 yr and 10 mos old at a breeder's. He has had many years of tlc and massages when he is upset and had improved his anxiety behaviour greatly. He has been on a food with glucosomine and chondroitin for about 3 years. I agree he needs his rest. Is it normal for dogs with these afflictions to be very depressed and withdrawn? He has totally lost his wonderful fun-loving and affectionate personality. I so wish I could read his mind. Thanks for your help. Yes, we have a good vet who did do a complete check on him last week when he had his shots. Nice to have your input. Thanks again |
| He may be experiencing pain as well as weakness. Was this issue discussed? It might be that there is a pain med that can help. Sometimes the first try isn't the 'right' one.
Dogs often have a high threshold for pain and especially when a pain has increased gradually, your guy may have just become used to discomfort and now it has increased enough that it is affecting his ability to enjoy his life. At 9 he could still have some good years left--not just years, but good ones. If his hips were x-rayed when he was a puppy, and not since, the evaluation was done when he was too young to properly evaluate his hips for long term prognosis. An OES should be at least 2 to be able to give a good evaluation for hips (not just for that moment in time, but long term....) |
| I wouldn't rule out dysplasia as well, if he did have his hips done it would of been way to young for a proper evaluation. Tgir is correct around 2 is the ideal age for x-raying the hips after there growth plates have closed. Even a spinal problem with his history as a youngster, degeneration of the spine, spondalosis which is a type of arthritis in the spine can interrupt the signals to the backend and like any type of arthritis can be painfull.
It also does not rule out some for of old age hip degenerative dysplasia as well, that is the activity of the dog over it's lifetime and just general wear and tear and degeneration on the hip joints as they enter the elderly age bracket. Yes dogs can get depressed and withdrawn, like people if they are in pain and feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes too it might need a different anti-inflammetry to try and ease his symptoms. I tried with my elderly girl a few from Rimadyl to Metacam to find one that worked for her.
Total rest is a must at the moment and give that a week and if no improvement back to the vets, might pay you then to have the hips rex-rayed again to rule out a degeneration there and also it might give you a better idea of what you are dealing with wether it is in the joints/skeletal like arthritis or dysplasia or wether it is a muscular/tendon problem. Most important thing at the moment is TOTAL REST to see if there is an improvement in him in the next several days combined with the anti-inflams the vet has prescribed. . |
| Our 6 year old OES, Baxter, is also going through something like this. Once we ruled out hip dysplasia, we were able to come up with a treatment plan.
Baxter tore his ACL when he was a year old. We thought that he had healed, but now believe that he was using his front legs to compensate for a weaker back leg. Working with our vet, the treatment plan has included physical therapy (your vet should know of one in your area), acupunture and Deramaxx. We had the physical therapist come to the house to do a full evaluation on Baxter. She came up with a treatment plan that consists of different exercises that we do twice a day. This takes time, but we have seen a definite improvment in his leg strength! The acupuncture treatments are also helping. These started out at twice a month for two months and we are down to once a month now, and will be continuing to decrease the frequency as his leg gets stronger. I've noticed that the improvement after the acupuncture treatment is lasting longer and longer (and yes, I can see an improvment in Baxter's movement after each session) As for the Deramaxx, Baxter was on it daily to start but we are now down to every other day. Or....we use it if we know he's going to do something that may strain the muscles - such as playtime with a friend. Note: none of this fixed him overnight - it is a long process to build up the legs muscle mass. But, these treatments seem to work for Baxter. Good Luck Jennifer, Baxter and Cassiopia |
| Our Winson suffered from the same sort of thing. He has had two torn ACL's as a pup that we fixed with TPLO procedures, but I think that contributed to the stiffness later in life.
Now, I just take him on walks and no longer let him play like a crazyman, he takes Metacam when needed, I give monthly Aqequan shots, I give him a Glyco-Flex tablet once a day and I do some daily massage exercises our doctor suggested. He is a different dog - no more stiffness and seems happy. When we lived in MT, we were near a water therapy center and that was so awesome for him - if you have access to one, I would really think about that if you can - Good Luck. PS - There are several different pain meds out there. We have tried a ton of them. Metacam has worked really well for us and doesn't upset Winston's stomach. |
| Thank you all for the excellent advice. He is resting well today and we are keeping away from stairs. I think the pain meds may be a good idea and I will mention it on our visit to the vet tomorrow afternoon. He still isn't eating but I think that's all part of his "woosie" personality. Things have to be perfect for him to eat usually. He was purchased from a breeder who had "top dog in Canada" as well as "top sheepie" so I know he was well checked for dysplasia when young but the early paralysis worries me as maybe it is something to consider and I think we definitely need xrays. Other than that, I guess just lots of cuddles and understanding. Up until recently he was getting very stiff getting up from a lying position but in every other aspect he was still a puppy. He is our third sheepie but this is the first time we have encountered this amount of difficulty in the legs. Thanks again all of you and I will report back on the old boy as soon as we know something concrete. All of your advice has really helped us in understanding Coulson and suggestions for the vet. javascript:emoticon(':D')
Very Happy |
sheepienuts wrote: I know he was well checked for dysplasia when young but the early paralysis worries me as maybe it is something to consider and I think we definitely need xrays.
What was the paralysis attributed to? Kristine |
| Not sure what the paralysis was attributed to when he was young. It was before I knew him. His breeder said he couldn't walk for about 6 weeks and then he was fine. They took him to the Vet teaching hospital at the University of Guelph but nothing was diagnosed as far as I know. As I mentioned before, he has always been suffering from separation anxiety, and nervousness to loud noises. I think this was attributed to him being kept on his own in a sheep barn away from the other dogs. We have had him for 8 years and with lots of love plus a firm hand he has become a pretty happy puppy and much more content than his bad beginnings - up until now that is.
Thanks for caring. Irene |
| Tasker is 12.5 and has had significant back end difficulty for about a year now. We are doing the medication trials but so far haven't found anything that works that doesn't give him diarrhea. His xrays show significant arthritis so we are giving him supplements and trying to keep him moble.
I avoid stairs and Doug lifts him in and out of the car. We are putting a new porch on our house this summer and are going to put a ramp for Tasker. It is tough to watch him getting up and down. I used to make both boys "sit" for their treats. Now Ty has to sit but Tasker doesn't! |
| Thank you again, all of you for such good advice. Unfortunately, after a harrowing and very emotional day we have had to leave dear old Coulson with the emergency clinic as he has been diagnosed with Addisons disease. His red blood cell count was less than 50% and if we took him home tonight he might not have made it through the night. They are giving him an IV to bring down his high Pottasium level and oxygen to help him breath and bring up his red count. All we can do is pray and wait. He is such a trooper! They call this the secret disease apparantly because it is so hard to diagnose and spot. He just seemed to lack energy and was very listless. This happens a lot to him when he has a little thing wrong with him such as temporary diarrhea. Anyway, today I felt there was something in his eyes that looked wrong and off I went to see two vets and two different clinics. We are exhausted but hoping that all will be well in the morning. Keep your fingers crossed everyone. Thanks again.. I will be checking in later this evening. I think I need some comforting. Warmest regards to you all. Irene and Coulson |
| I am sorry.
Keepus posted! |
| Our thoughts are with you and your dear boy. |
I am so sorry about your news. We are here for you and Coulson.  |
I'm so sorry you guys are having such a rough time  . Let us know how he's doing and we're always here for a hug if you need one |
| Thanks again everyone. I was wondering if any of you have had experience or know of sheepies who have been afflicted or diagnosed with Addisons?
Irene |
| I'm sorry I can't help since I know nothing about it but here is a link to a group named addisondogs, it's not OES specific but maybe it will give you some answers.
http://www.addisondogs.com/ |
| Irtene, Joan (my spouse) has human Addison's disease. I'm sorry you're having this problem but the great news is IF Addison's is the only problem, inexpensive daily medications will probably bring Coulson around like a new dog very quickly!!! |
| Sorry to hear about your baby, Addisons in dogs can be treated well with the right medication. I had years ago a friend who's addisons in one of her OES was diagnosed as a young dog and he lived a enriched and full life finally passing at 12 with the proper medication. You will find a huge improvement in him when he is on medication to help the addisons.
Best wishes I am sure your boys will spark up heaps when he is on the proper medication to help the condition. 
Good to finally have a definate diagnosis as to the back end weakness and his depression and now you will have an action plan to follow with him
Addisons can be treated well with the help from your vet and they can have a full and enriched life with the condition. |
sheepienuts wrote: My 9yr old has been suffering from weakness in back legs. He has trouble sitting and when going to lay down. He takes quite a long time to settle and during the last few days he really does not want to go on walks and refuses to go up stairs. I took him to the vet and she gave me an anti-inflammatory which seemed to work the first few days but now I'm not so sure. Anyone out there that has had a similar problem? I would love to hear back. He was of course tested for hip displaysia as a puppy. Thanks, I'm getting worried as he is sooooo depressed and non responsive. I have the same problem with my dog the same age (German Shepherd)and he is also suffering from the same symptoms, as I live in Karachi Pakistan there are not very good vets and if they are they are very expensive. Please help me as I am very worried, what medication should I give him? |
| My OES Boomer Blue is 13 years old I noticed he was losing muscle mass to his back legs and his hip bones were very prominent, today on his walk he collapsed his back legs started trembling and he began walking with his back paws turned out like a duck to stabilize himself , I was trying to figure what was wrong when he collapsed he could not/ would not get up I had to carry him 100 yards to the house he recovered a little but his rear end was almost on the floor like his back legs were creeping, he is laying down now my vet thinks it's degenerative myelopathy I will start doing range of motion with him to help ;( |
Guest wrote: My OES Boomer Blue is 13 years old I noticed he was losing muscle mass to his back legs and his hip bones were very prominent, today on his walk he collapsed his back legs started trembling and he began walking with his back paws turned out like a duck to stabilize himself , I was trying to figure what was wrong when he collapsed he could not/ would not get up I had to carry him 100 yards to the house he recovered a little but his rear end was almost on the floor like his back legs were creeping, he is laying down now my vet thinks it's degenerative myelopathy I will start doing range of motion with him to help ;( Trembling is also a sign of pain. Before giving in to a diagnosis of DM, you should try a week on paid meds to see if it helps. Talk to your vet and good luck. |
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