Rear leg weakness in senior dog
Submitted by summer on July 29, 2010 - 2:14pmMy almost 9 year old bullie has been having weakness in his rear legs. He sometimes stumbles when he first gets up from a nap. He had x-rays done about a year ago that showed that he does have some arthritis in his hips. Also, recently he has been having occasional "pee in the bed at night" problems. Could these two ailments be connected? He has also started barking at every little sound lately. Are these just typical signs of aging bulldogs?
We do have a vet appt. tomorrow. We don't have lots of money for expensive procedures, but certainly don't want him to be in pain. Please let me know if anyone has any recommendations of questions to ask. Thanks!
I'm wondering if
There may be arthritis involved in trhe spinal column? PT and massage therapy might prove beneficial. I would also ask about cold laser therapy.
My Kano was having back leg weakness and pain. She was diagnosed with severe arthritis. I do range of motion exercises with her along with warm and cold packs (the dog is livin' the life) that the rehab specialist recommended. I also stopped crating her (her stiffness was always worse in the AM). She showed a great deal of improvement.
Olivia
Arthritis
Thanks for this information. We will ask the vet about spinal column arthritis when we take him in tomorrow. Glad to hear that your dog is improving!
Sounds Like the typical aging process
Are you using a joint supplement? Maybe a little loss in hearing, too.
Aging
Thanks for your prompt response! I think you are correct and it is aging of several "parts" at the same time. He can't take glucosomine chondroitin because he is allergic to shellfish. He might have some hearing loss. Seems like he is really freaked out by certain sounds just recently. Lawn mowers and vacuum cleaner always made him nuts, but now even the sound of running water makes him bark. We just had him at the vet's office 3 weeks ago, but we wanted to see if there is anything else we can do to help him. He is a very stoic dog. He never complains or flinches when the vet gives shots or other obviously uncomfortable procedures. I hate to think that he is in pain. He still eats well. The vet told us to start feeding him less to put less weight on his hips, and we are trying to do that.
What about Glucosamine Sulfate?
Does that have shellfish in it? Just plain old Glusocamine Sulfate...I give my girls 1000 mg in a capsule form daily with a tablespoon of plain, fat free yogurt for calcium and to help digestion. I just drop the capsule in their feed and mix the yogurt in, they gobble it all right down:-)
Amy and Sophia
Glucosamine Sulfate
Yes, I asked the vet about this when he was taken off of GC after his allergy testing. She said in his bloodwork allergy testing that his allergic reaction to shellfish was so severe that she would not recommend any type of glucosomine. He also has a severe allergy to cow's milk and beef.... so yogurt is also forbidden. Thanks!.
You can also check out
Deer antler velvet. I believe that also has joint protective properties. I think I read that someplace... lol
Olivia
What about MSM
n/m
Thanks. I'll check out all
Thanks. I'll check out all these suggestions with the vet.
The peeing in bed at night can be remedied with Proin.
The other is possibly arthritis related and you can do a multitude of things to alleviate those symptoms. Deb and Olivia have mentioned some very good things. Sounds like natural aging to me.
Best wishes to you:-)
Amy and Sophia
Peeing
I will ask the vet tomorrow about the Pronin. I never heard of that. I love this forum. Everyone is so helpful. Thanks so much!
I may have misspelled it....
It is Proin. It works wonders:-) Best of luck to you on all fronts!
Amy and Sophia
Thanks!
Thanks!
thyroid?
what about hypothyroid? Occasionally the rear can go if not on meds.
sorry, I meant hyperthyroid
N/M
Actually I think you were correct with Hypothyroid
Rocky was hypothyroid since he was 6 and his back legs did get weak no incontinence we cought it early.
I think hypothroidism is more common in Bullys than hyper.
Jo Ann
Back from the vet....
The vet looked at x-rays and did a complete exam. She said he has nerve damage in spine which causes some weakness in his hind legs, but does not cause pain. She said at his age (9) she would not recommend surgery. She did recommend that he lose some weight. As for the nighttime peeing, she said that could be aggravated by the nerve damage. She said to let her know if it becomes more of a problem and she could write for a medication to help.
I was really glad that we took him in. I was especially glad to hear that he is not in pain from those back legs!
Thanks to you sweet folks who responded to my questions!
You might want to look into accupunture.
and Chiropractics. Many vets do this now. You might have to call around to find a vet that does this.
Jo Ann
my old kelpie has the same issues...
my 12 year old girl gabby had a similar issue.. her back legs started thinning out and getting weaker... her legs would slide as she stood up to her food bowl, and her knees didnt seem to bend as much anymore when she walked. when she would wake up, they were very stiff, as if they were still asleep..she rolled her foot when she walked too.
we thought it was arthritus and old age, and it actually turned out to be a couple of messed up vertabrae, pinching her nerves on her spine.. no arthritus at all - just her muscles getting weak from not being used properly.
nothing we can do about it, too old for surgery and of course there would be no gurantees if that would even help.
the dr. actually perscribed rimydal,which i thought was just for arthritus, but it worked wonders... you can totally see the difference within a couple of days... its not a cure, it just help her have use of her back legs better.
i found that daily massage helps alot , especially when they wake up from naps or before the park.. this way it gets the blood flowing and muscles warmed up some ( i think).. a good full body scratch seems to help too... especially around her spine area!
good luck with your bully! :)
sincerely, christine
Thanks for your response
I hope your Gabby feels better also!