Osteoarthritis of the hips and knees may eventually lead to hind leg weakness. This may cause your dog to have difficulty rising or walking and you may notice his or her hind legs collapsing. Additionally, arthritis may affect the front legs, back, and other joints.
Take short walks with your pup, keeping the pace slow and relaxed, to help slowly rebuild muscle. Swimming is another low-impact activity that's especially helpful for weak hind legs. Water supports your dog's weight, allowing him to move more freely than he can on dry land.
Sudden onset of collapse can be secondary to a variety of disorders including spinal cord injury, orthopedic disease, or systemic illness. This sudden hind-leg weakness may be a sign of a disease that requires prompt attention from your regular veterinarian. Or even a trip to the emergency room.
Sadly, most dogs with degenerative myelopathy eventually lose control of their legs, bladder and bowels completely, and need to be put to sleep. The average life expectancy of a dog with degenerative myelopathy is 1-2 years from diagnosis.
Many mobility issues can cause a dog's hind legs to give out and collapse underneath them suddenly. For example, a dog's back legs can collapse due to an injury, leg weakness in an older dog, arthritis, or a more serious health condition such as Degenerative Myelopathy.
If your dog is truly unable to walk, you must take him in for a veterinary examination immediately. A dog's inability to walk is indicative of a very serious underlying condition. Joint disorders are easier to treat than spinal cord issues, though all are challenging.
He has lost interest in all or most of his favorite activities, such as going for walks, playing with toys or other pets, eating treats or soliciting attention and petting from family members. He cannot stand on his own or falls down when trying to walk. He has chronic labored breathing or coughing.
If he is having a hard time walking, or he is staggering and wobbling on his feet, this back leg weakness may be a result of muscle atrophy, pain, or nerve damage. Other signs that can alert you to this condition are a reluctance or inability to stand, lameness, or paralysis in the legs.
Cardiac problems
Another potential cause of weakness in back legs of dogs is cardiac problems. The heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, and if it is not working properly, the body may not receive enough oxygen. This can lead to weakness, fatigue, and even collapse.
Lack of mobility is a life threatening disease – dogs who can't get up or walk anymore usually are euthanized. This is the stage we are trying to prevent by intervening early. At this stage, the pet may resist, cry or even scream when the joint range of motion is tested.
Keep Your Furry Friend's Bones Healthy
Canines can get wobbly hind legs as they age, causing pain and increasing their risk for accidents. Back leg weakness in senior dogs stems from various causes, with symptoms that can develop abruptly or gradually. But there is still a lot you can do to prevent these conditions.
Walking is a great way to strengthen your dog's back legs. If you're walking your pet, keep it slow and short. After all, a long walk could end up doing more harm than good. You could take your dog for a swim or try stretching your pet's hind legs for more strength.
Regaining full use of their back legs is possible, but the severity of the injury, whether it impacted the spines, nerves, or muscles, how quickly the dog receives treatment, and the location of the injury or spinal damage. While some nerve damage can resolve over many weeks or months.
When muscle atrophy in dogs is caused by inactivity, it is often possible to reverse the muscle loss with exercise and adequate nutrition. As dogs get older, their nutritional needs may change. They may also become sensitive to certain nutrients.
Degenerative myelopathy is not a painful condition and, as a result, affected dogs are generally well and keen to exercise, despite their disability. A German Shepherd Dog with degenerative myelopathy – the hindlimbs are weak and inco-ordinated, and the toes of the right hind paw are being dragged.
Yes, dogs with Degenerative Myelopathy should stay as active as possible. Keeping a DM dog active can actually help slow down the progression of the disease. Physical therapy and regular structured exercises, including walking, can help dogs with DM maintain muscle strength and minimize their risk of muscle atrophy.
Canine degenerative myelopathy (DM) was previously known as chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy (CDRM) and is a progressive degenerative spinal cord disease. Ultimately it is a fatal disease with devastating consequences for the dogs and can be distressing for owners caring for them.
Severe Osteoarthritis (STAGE 4)
A dog often becomes restless when standing and may be reluctant to stand or move. Other signs include consistent severe lameness, weight shift and abnormal limb loading.
Occasionally, a dog may give a small cry as the injection is given – as with all anaesthetics, there is a brief feeling of dizziness as the drug takes effect. Unconsciousness follows within seconds, often before the injection is finished. Death occurs within a couple of minutes when the heart stops beating.
Pets are 'scared' and look around for their owners in dying moments, 'broken-hearted' vet reveals. "broken-hearted" vet has revealed how frightened pets search for their owners who have chosen to leave the room when they are put down.
The doctor will listen carefully to your pet's heart to ensure it has stopped before pronouncing him or her gone. After that, there is no danger of your pet waking up. This is a very common fear for pet owners.
If you begin to notice your dog exhibiting some unusual behavior such as falling over it could be due to various conditions including injury, stroke, poisoning, or an infection.