Muscle loss in back legs

[Christina77]

Bella is now 13 and has successfully lost 3 kilos which has taken some strain of her arthritis in her joints but she is now suffering from some muscle loss in her hind legs.

 

I still walk her short distances on the property and on next doors property but because of roaming dogs and some of these are lost pig hunting dogs it hasn't been safe to go further . 

 

I don't have access to water therapy treatments.

 

Is there anything I can do or give her that will help build up some muscle ? She occasionally slips onto her bum as her left rear leg is the worst , our house now has carpet runners throughout so she can walk better indoors and outdoors she's doing fine but when she veers off the carpet it will occasionally happen

 

She is on Turmeric golden paste , and Pernase powder . 

 

I have Previcox tablets ( pain relief) for her but when I picked the last lot it was $50 for 10 tablets , not something I can keep doing however much I want to .

 

Would anyone have any suggestions as to what kind  of pain relief might also help ? She was on Cartrophen injections but they don't seem to make a lot of difference now .

 

Any help greatly appreciated , I need to be better informed before I head of to my vet

[Tassie]

It's hard when they get older, isn't it.     There are some conditioning exercises you can do with little or no equipment that will help build up muscle (by the way, it's worth measuring the circumference of the mid thighs before you start .. to see if there is a difference side to side, and also as a baseline. Start the exercises gradually, and concentrate on good form, rather than doing a lot, too quickly or with poor form.   And of course stop if the dog is fatiguing, or painful.

 

These are some of the things I've learnt from online courses, and have found beneficial with my dog, including a 15 year old.

So -  walking backwards .. using the hind legs, not rabbit hopping back .. starting with just a step or two, and building up. on a level surface first, and then up hill when the dog gets stronger.

Standing square with a nice level topline for a short period at first, and on a level surface at first, then on an unstable surface .. like an old chair cushion or air mattress or pillow.  Start with say 10 seconds, and see if you can lengthen the time.   This will help to strengthen the core muscles rather than specifically the hind legs, but is important.

Puppy sit ups .. sit to stand to sit etc.   Again, slowly and concentrating on good form.   Small number of reps at first.

Down to stand to down etc.  .. fold back down, and aiming to be able to come up to a stand without changing the position of the feet .. think of a level action.   (This is quite a strong exercise, so you might want to wait till you have some muscle strength.

Low cavalettis .. stepping over/slow trot through, not jumping.

 

By the way .. well done for the carpet runners..  They make a huge difference in keeping the dogs safe.

[Scottsmum]

It's really tough when they get old

Try getting in touch with @Jumabaar https://www.primalpaws.com/ - if she's not likely to be in your area soon she can possibly recommend someone closer. 

 

 

[ness]

Second talking to Primal Paws. Could you consider a cheaper pain relief medication then Previcox? Not sure what side dog you have but I get a larger dose of Rimadyl and buy them 60 at a time through an online pharmacy and it works out much cheaper for me. 60 of the larger tablets last my girl 120 days.

 

[Papillon Kisses]

Carpet runners are great.

 

I'd ask whether there are other pain relief options that are less expensive ($10/tablet wowza!). Do mention the supplements in case there's an interaction.

 

And I third seeing if you can get an apppintment with Dr Jaime Jackson @ Primal Paws to get a better understanding of what's going on and to prescribe some rehab/prehab exercises to suit.

 

All the best with your girl.

[Panto]

Hey @Christina77

 

How are you getting on with your girl?

gentle massage and movement during quiet time is also great. As is using a gentle massage egg (or the base end of an electric toothbrush) on the back paw pads to get nerves firing and talking to the spine is something we did. 

Building the muscles by swimming (aided with a life vest) was also very helpful for overall health - swimming was one of her favourite things and the life vest meant she could do it long enough with enjoyment withuot struggling and no longer enjoying it. 

[macksmum]

Hi, I too have an old dog who is losing muscle. I can only share what I do but like you I am always looking for further suggestions.

 

I also have a younger dog and don't want to take one out without the other, my old darling still enjoys wandering around reading all the news that has been left in the park. My husband has built a cart from and old pram for him, which is a blessing, so that when I take him for a 'wander' ( that is all we can do) I can easily give him respite by putting him in the cart when he gets tired. It also helps me and my younger dog  to get a good walk.  

 

I would love to give him regular hydro-therapy but cannot afford it. So, I have  recently bought a child's swimming pool so that I can walk/float him, giving him a more gentle exercise than walking and or swimming.

 

What I have learned putting up one of these, is that you need a clean base cover to put the pool onto as the weight of the water and him walking can push the little bits of grit/stone, on the ground, through the pool floor and cause a leak. The depth is also important as your dog needs to be able to float and support his/her body weight, creating a less strenuous exercise rather than swimming. The pool also needs to be kept clean to prevent slipping, which you can do with a filter.

 

As he is little I only need a smaller pool which does not require a filter (and never are supplied) so I have discussed with the local pool people what is the safest cleaning product to use.

 

I use a ball in a sockette tied to the end of a stick to encourage him to walk around the pool, that way I can monitor how much exercise he is getting and build on it and he gets more fun.

 

Hope this is useful take what you want and discard the rest

 

Thank you to the others who have mentioned Primal Paws, I will be researching this more

 

Happy caring.

[Danois]

Check at Sacha at The Balanced Canine - she has conditioning programs using equipment which are great for this type of thing.

[Papillon Kisses]

@macksmum if you have your pup walking around in a circle, make sure he walks around the other way too for an equal amount of time.

[macksmum]

Thanks for your concern Pappion. I do:)