Guest DianaJH Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 (edited) Tucker is my 12 year old male grey. His hind legs are getting weaker and weaker. He cannot hike one leg long enough to finish peeing. Yesterday he was barely running to get a toy and his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. This has happened before, but seems to be more frequent lately. He is still able to climb the stairs but goes cautiously slow and refuses to go up them in the dark. In general he is slowing down physically and prefers to lay on the couch more than anything, besides his morning walk. We go for a walk EVERY day, rain or shine and he LOVES it! I have given him glucosamine for years. The vet says he does have some arthritis in his lower back, but overall is in good shape probably helped by the gluc. (that was at his vist last summer) Is there anything I can do to strengthen his legs? Massage? Exercises? ANYTHING? It breaks my heart to see this STRONG regal male weakening. Thanks for you advice! Diana (and Tucker) Edited November 12, 2008 by DianaJH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygang Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I truly believe accupuncture would help.... Also a friend of ours took her old grey to hydrotherapy and he seemed to improve rapidly - but speak to your vet first to make sure. Sending best wishes for your boy.... Quote Run free our beloved Sir Snowy, Pip, Queenie, Sadie, Tess & Rosie until we meet again......I would rather feel the thorn than to never see the rose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ss556 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Alan is 11 and has had the same problem this year. I have taken him for acupuncture several times this year and it has helped. I massage his back legs when I can. I find that short walks are better for him as well. Good luck with Tucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencers_Greyt Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 (edited) Spencer has a spinal problem that made his back legs collapse under him. It was horrible. What made the difference was weekly sessions of accupuncture - I can't say enough about it! He's able to lift his leg now without falling over and although he's still weak, he's NOTHING like he was before! Edited November 12, 2008 by Spencers_Greyt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Chondroitin. Fresh Factors (or Joint Health) is the best I've used Going on now they have a buy 2 get 2 free. Springtime When they get read bad I (meaning my vet & I) add pred. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyandHollyluv Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Diana - I am so sorry about Tucker. My Indy, who will be 11 in December, has mild LS (a confirmed dx and I have the bill for the very expensive $$$ MRI to prove it!). No evidence of arthritis, and on glucosamine as well -- but is also getting weak and wobbly in back. Alan's Mommy - how often is often enough for acupuncture to be effective? Is it expensive? How long is the session? I am considering that as well, although I'm not so sure Indy will take kindly to be poked with numerous needles??? Thanks! -- Meg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 We have one who is turning 8 with significant back end weakness. Our vet referred us to a sports-rehab vet who does accupuncture, chiropractice, and Chinese herbs. It's not that expensive, and we're getting really good results fast. First two treatments were weekly, the next will be in two weeks, then three weeks if results are holding, and ultimate goal is to treat every 3-4 months. It's not clear what area you live in, so I don't know if you have access to a vet like this. We've also now started Schiff glucosamine with MSM, available at Costco and only a little expensive. This vet recommends human-grade rather than canine-grade products, as does our regular vet. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meakah Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I truly believe accupuncture would help.... Also a friend of ours took her old grey to hydrotherapy and he seemed to improve rapidly - but speak to your vet first to make sure. Sending best wishes for your boy.... I agree...I was going to suggest acupuncture and hydrotherapy. I don't have experience with hydrotherapy but I know of others that have had great success with it. As for acupuncture....I have first hand experience with Koda and myself...and both of us improved TREMENDOUSLY. I can't recommend it enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ss556 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 IndyandHollyluv - email me and I can give you details. Your PM isn't enabled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest caiteag Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 (edited) Have him checked for Lumbosacral Stenosis. There are medications that can help if it is LS. There is an excellent article by Dr. Suzanne Stack about LS in greyhounds and you can find it HERE. Please print this out and take it to your vet. You do not have to go to the expense of an mri or other big scan to diagnose LS. Also, I re-iterate what others here have said, look into acupuncture. It wasn't really an option for my bridge angel, Quinn, who had LS.. but it CAN really help. Actually, I just emailed a friend about this for her greyhound.. so I am going to copy some of the things I told her right here. 1) do NOT limit exercise. Do what your grey can handle.. you want to keep his muscles as strong as you can keep them. 2) Watch his weight... any excess weight on a grey with LS just makes the condition worse. A healthy weight for another grey might be too much weight for an LS grey to be carrying around. 3) Use supplements. Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitan, Omega 3s can all be very helpful. We tried Quinn on fresh factors and didn't see a huge difference, but we may just have been too late on that score. I know they really help other dogs. 4) Do KNOT hesistate to medicate for pain with LS. We used depo-medrol shots and they control pain while they are the most effective, but as they start to wear off, some pain will return.. watch for signs of it and medicate accordingly. There are a variety of pain meds out there and your vet will pick the right one for your grey. The longer you can go between depo-medrol shots the better... they do slowly lose efficacy but Quinn's first 2 sets of shots lasted for 6 months... after that they went down to 5 months, 3 months, 2 months and eventually they stopped working. I hope this is helpful to you... good luck. Edited November 13, 2008 by caiteag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sassifrass Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I have a similar problem with my 13 year old Faye. She suddenly lost the use of her back legs about 3 months ago. I took her to the Evet immediately and honestly thought I would wind up putting her to sleep. She stayed at the vet for three days and came home on 10mg of prednisone twice a day. After about three days at home, she regained the use of her back legs and was able to walk without a sling and even to rise from a lying position. Unfortunately, because of this we discovered that she has osteo in her pelvis. Faye will stay on the pred. for her remaining days because it really seems to help her with her walking. We never got a diagnosis whether the hind weakness was a result of the osteo or because of something else. Faye is still weak in the hind end, although she can walk fairly well unassisted. I have found that, as long as I keep her moving, she does fine. If I stop during the walk to talk with someone, she will start to collapse behind and, if I don't get her moving, will go into a sitting position and have to be lifted to her feet. Not sure if this helps, but the pred was certainly a wonderful "quick fix". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest turbospeed Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Another recommendation for acupuncture. I have many friends that have senior greys and it has helped sustain their lives and improved their quality of life. Also, check on the internet for the Greyhound Gang, and email Claudia privately. She can offer you lots of good suggestions. Best Wishes, Turbospeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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