Weak Rear Legs...can Anything Help?

[Guest gritsnc]

Boris has been getting a bit weak in his rear legs for the past several months. Since his dental Tuesday though, they really seem weak. Do you think it's still from the surgery or do you think the anesthesia made things worse? He's really been struggling to get up off his bed at times and has also been limping some.

 

Should I worry? Someone at work told me that sometimes anesthesia can make a previous problem worse in the elderly and that it was probably the same with elderly animals. Does anyone know if that's true?

[rascalsmom]

There are a LOT of us dealing with this problem. My male dog, Buddy, has recently had a lot of issues, just search my past topics and you can follow the progress of what has worked for Buddy. The neurologist is pretty sure it is lumbosacral stenosis. LS link

[IndyandHollyluv]

This is for Boris.

 

I don't know the answer to your Q (although I'm sure it's possible the older they get, the longer the recovery), but my Indy (born 1997) just had a dental last fall, shortly before his 11th b'day. All went well and he has mild to moderate LS and slight disk protrusion. It always seems to take a few days for my hounds to re-charge their batteries after a dental, but I would suggest calling the vet's office (if you haven't already).

 

By the way, I took Indy for his first acupuncture treatment in November and he will have his fourth in two weeks. I am totally amazed by how much it has helped. Worth looking into if there is a vet in your area who offers the service.

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

My Spencer is dealing with hindquarter weakness too. He recently had to have anesthesia to get stitched up from a fall and it definitely affected his weakness along with his injuries. I have an appt. with the vet tonight. I would suggest reading up on the articles that have been posted here and the other posts about what people have done to help their dogs with this problem. For me, acupuncture and prednisone seem to be the only things that help. Good luck and keep us posted! There are a bunch of us in this together!

Edited February 19, 2009 by Spencers_Greyt

[Rustyroo]

My Rusty, he's 13, had a dental last September and he took a long to come "out of it". It was probably a good three days and he also has lumbosacral stenosis. Our vet recommended giving him a capsule of Vitamin E. It won't make it go away, but will prolong the effects.

[Burpdog]

Joint Health & Fresh Factors from Springtime Inc. help a lot:

 

Springtime

[MaryJane]

It could as simple reason such as when your dog was under anesthesia and moved from the operating table to the post-op cage, a leg might have gotten banged a little or maybe when he was still groggy he got himself into a contorted position and really didn't move himself out of it. These could explain a day or two of stiffness in an older dog but, I believe it's been a few days since the dental so I would have thought that it would have been worked out by now.

 

You mentioned a limp, if he has pain in one of his rear legs that could explain why he is having trouble getting up. Seniors have a tough time using only three legs to get up from a laying position, they also have a tougher time than the younger guys getting around with a limp.

 

How bad is the limp? Is there any swelling on the inside of the legs? Is it one leg or both rear legs? Has it been getting better or worse?

 

If it doesn't get better, he's probably going to need an x-ray. Depending on who you use for a vet, they may be able to do it very gently without anesthesia and without "contorting" the leg too much.

 

 

 

 

[Guest dwolfe711]

Yep - accupuncture helps. I was never a believer but had some friends who took their seniors for accupuncture. When we got Apollo he was 11.5 and had problems getting up and down. We got a few pounds off him first and put him on the arthritis supplements and switched him to raw feeding but he was still struggling. Seeing how well it worked for my friend's grey, I finally decided to give accupuncture a try and Apollo got immediate results - after his first appt in the vet's parking lot, he jumped into the van without assistance for the first time since we had him. He seems to be energized - he gets up and down easier - and he runs and plays more. At first he went once a month and then every other and now he's at three months between appts. He is obviously feeling much better -

 

We're now seeing some rearend weakness in Allie and I'm going to make an appt for her today - I think she can also benefit from it - at 14y10m we want to do all we can to keep her strong and healthy - she will celebrate birthday #15 on April 8!!

 

I don't understand how it works but it definitely has worked for Apollo and my friends' greys - and that's all that matters to me!!

 

Donna

[Guest ArtoftheGryhnd]

We had terrific results with Acti-flex 4000

 

Horse formula (though now I see they have a dog formula -- haven't tried that.) Will work within three days. If you don't see a difference, stop using it. I'll find the dosage if anybody is interested.

 

Someone passed this info on to me at Dewey one year. Absolutely prolonged Kelly's life...

 

[Guest gritsnc]

I just wanted to give an update to let you all know that Boris is doing MUCH better! He's still got lameness at times with his rear legs, but that was there before and I know it's age related.

 

As for his teeth, they are amazing! It's so nice to not have my house reeking of stinky smell and even nicer to see his gums pink and not bright red.

 

He's spending the night with grandma and grandpa tonight....his favorite place in the world.

[RobinM]

We are true believers in acupunture. Both Teddy and Beau go and it has help tremendously.

 

Polli, my tripod has rear end weakness and I would love to give her acupunture, but because of the osteo, we were told not to.

 

I am wondering if now that the chemo is finished, we can... hummm.

[Guest crazy4greys]

Try acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments. It does help!

[brandimom]

Boris has been getting a bit weak in his rear legs for the past several months. Since his dental Tuesday though, they really seem weak. Do you think it's still from the surgery or do you think the anesthesia made things worse? He's really been struggling to get up off his bed at times and has also been limping some.

 

Should I worry? Someone at work told me that sometimes anesthesia can make a previous problem worse in the elderly and that it was probably the same with elderly animals. Does anyone know if that's true?

 

 

I am so sorry to hear about the weak rear legs. My grey, Brandi, five years ago got weak rear legs but she had only been off the track for about 6 months. Took her to holistic vet right away and he did the acupuncture/chiro and she has been on supplements ever since. They don't know why her legs were weak. Think something neurological went wrong. I think the acupuncture will keep your grey walking. Also prednisone has helped. We wish you the best.

[dbullwinkel]

We had terrific results with Acti-flex 4000

 

Horse formula (though now I see they have a dog formula -- haven't tried that.) Will work within three days. If you don't see a difference, stop using it. I'll find the dosage if anybody is interested.

 

Someone passed this info on to me at Dewey one year. Absolutely prolonged Kelly's life...

 

My guys take arthrisoothe gold liquid; which seems to help them. This is the link.

http://www.calvetsupply.com/product/Arthri...tis_Supplements

 

I am interested in looking into the actiflex; although the ingredients are nearly the same, except acti-flex has collagen and arthri soothe has green lipped mussel. sometimes a change is good! can you tell me how much you give an average size grey? both of mine are around 75lbs. I saw the k-9 formula, but it seems the horse formula would last forever since a much smaller amount is needed. Thanks for the info!

Edited February 26, 2009 by dbullwinkel

[Guest vahoundlover]

Another vote for acupuncture. It made a world of difference for Boss.

[Guest ArtoftheGryhnd]

I used the horse formula of Acti-flex 4000 with a dosage of 8 ccs daily. (4ccs x2 a day). Greyhound Kelly was about 76-78 pounds.

[greyhoundgang]

Anesthesia for a hound is never something to take lightly. The way a hound is moved from table to floor can have significant effect also. As hounds age, rear end weakness, from their days of racing, from living in a crate, from the shape of their bodies is almost a given. However, there are inexpensive, natural things you can do to prevent, put off, and help.

 

1. Joint Supplements - given preventatively, before you can see the signs of aging will help. Greyhound Gang offers Get Up & Go supplements. All pure, all powder, least inexpensive you will find, and proceeds help hounds. A truly win-win situation. These unsolicited testimonials attest to all that and more. Make sure with any supplement you buy that it is tested, high quality, that you give 1500 mg a day of each supplement.

 

2. Acupuncture - a holistic vet trained in acupuncture can do wonders for many things that ail both you and your hounds. You can find a list of them around the country here. At Greyhound Gathering - Kanab, we'll be having a talk and demo on acupuncture for both people and hounds.

 

3. Exercise - Daily and in moderation for that hound

 

4. Rugs on all slick floors

 

5. Providing help getting in and out of cars - particularly SUVs and Trucks

 

6. Herbal & holistic supplements - can naturally help with the affects of anesthesia, and so many more things. consult with a holistic vet.

 

All this and more information is in the Gang's booklet - When I Am Older.