Ddog having trouble with his back legs

[VampireTheBuffetSlayer]

My dog is 16 and has arthritis. A few weeks ago he didn't want to go for walks and seemed to be having more problems with his back legs, not being able to support himself going up a few steps for example. I took him to the vets and she said his arthritis had got worse, prescribed Pardale and I put him on YuMove instead of the other joint supplements he was on. He's been a lot better since, until this evening. Suddenly he fell against DP's legs and couldn't get up. He wasn't struggling to get up, he just sat there for a while. I went into the kitchen, which has a slippery floor, he followed me in and his back legs just went out from under him. He couldn't get up. I picked him up and put him back on the carpet and he seemed better. It hasn't happened again since. What's going on with his legs, does anyone know? My last dog was a German Shepherd cross, which Ddog isn't, and he lost the use of his back legs and had to be pts. He's otherwise very healthy for an old boy.

Bumping...

Could be degenerative myelopathy. Happens in a lot of dogs & is just one of those things unfortunately. 16 is a really good age for a dog of any breed tbh!

Have a look at the Canine Arthritis Management website and their FB pages. It’s an excellent source of info on what you can do to help your dog, but also guidance on what options the vet has available. I would have thought, unless he has other issues that preclude them, at the very least he should be on anti-inflammatories. There are also other medications and some can be taken alongside each other to manage pain better.

CAM advice is to keep them off slippery floors (I have runners as a dog walkway around my kitchen). Muscle weakness can lead to feet/legs slipping and there’s appropriate info on exercise as well.

Omega oils are also really good. If you have a look at the CAM page on supplements, you can see which have evidence that they work for arthritis and which aren’t worth buying.

My boy is a large breed, just shy of 15 and a half. I started my research on the aforementioned page and now have him on Riaflex, Green Lipped Mussel, Omega oil and Turmeric for dogs. I introduced each one at least a month apart and monitored the effects, if there was no discernible difference, I dropped that supplement. He was originally on Yumove, but has improved quite dramatically since I put him on the above.

He is a good age, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything that can be done to make him more comfortable. I would have a read of the CAM info, then go back to your vet for an informed discussion. Explain about the leg collapses, so they can do an appropriate examination to rule out anything else and then discuss more appropriate pain relief, maybe physio/hyrotherapy/acupuncture, if that’s something you would consider and regular monitoring.

@StormcloakNord

Could be degenerative myelopathy. Happens in a lot of dogs & is just one of those things unfortunately. 16 is a really good age for a dog of any breed tbh!

This is what I am worried about

@moosemama

Have a look at the Canine Arthritis Management website and their FB pages. It’s an excellent source of info on what you can do to help your dog, but also guidance on what options the vet has available. I would have thought, unless he has other issues that preclude them, at the very least he should be on anti-inflammatories. There are also other medications and some can be taken alongside each other to manage pain better.

CAM advice is to keep them off slippery floors (I have runners as a dog walkway around my kitchen). Muscle weakness can lead to feet/legs slipping and there’s appropriate info on exercise as well.

Omega oils are also really good. If you have a look at the CAM page on supplements, you can see which have evidence that they work for arthritis and which aren’t worth buying.

My boy is a large breed, just shy of 15 and a half. I started my research on the aforementioned page and now have him on Riaflex, Green Lipped Mussel, Omega oil and Turmeric for dogs. I introduced each one at least a month apart and monitored the effects, if there was no discernible difference, I dropped that supplement. He was originally on Yumove, but has improved quite dramatically since I put him on the above.

He is a good age, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything that can be done to make him more comfortable. I would have a read of the CAM info, then go back to your vet for an informed discussion. Explain about the leg collapses, so they can do an appropriate examination to rule out anything else and then discuss more appropriate pain relief, maybe physio/hyrotherapy/acupuncture, if that’s something you would consider and regular monitoring.

Thank you Moosemama, that's a really helpful reply. My vets practice don't seem to have much experience beyond the obvious, so maybe I need to consider changing.

Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your dog's struggles with arthritis. I'm currently doing some research to collect owner experiences of arthritis treatments in the hopes of improving the welfare of future arthritic dogs. If you wouldn't mind completing my survey, that would be amazing. Here's the link: rvc.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/owner-experiences-of-nsaids

Best of luck with your dog and thoroughly recommend the CAM resources.

CAM also have fB group Holly's army