my 14 yr old dogs back legs are weak she has a lot of trouble walking & keeps falling. What should I do?

Question

dog is 14 years old. Her back legs cross when she tries to walk then they give out and she falls down. We have tried arthritis medicine it makes her feel better but then she falls a lot more

Answer 1

Take her to the vet - it sounds like a neurological problem, not arthritis.

Answer 2

Dog Back Legs Weak

Answer 3

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RE:
my 14 yr old dogs back legs are weak she has a lot of trouble walking & keeps falling. What should I do?
dog is 14 years old. Her back legs cross when she tries to walk then they give out and she falls down. We have tried arthritis medicine it makes her feel better but then she falls a lot more

Answer 4

I recommend talking to your vet about it. Maybe they can suggest something. If it is a larger breed dog then 14 is old and the arthritis must be bad. There is not much out there to get rid of arthritis, most of its just pain relievers but when those stop working then there really aren't any other options.
One request, don't let your dog get to the point where it can't walk anymore before euthanizing. Animals feel pain too and if you can imagine how painful it must be having arthritis so bad that you can't walk.
I hope everything works out and she can feel better.

Answer 5

i would consult a vet, he might recomend a certain surgery that could help, but it would be very costly, i would suggest keeping her off her paws for a while untill you see the vet, unfortunately if the surgery does not work, there is nothing you can do except take drastic measures, here is how...

it takes a vet to do this so PLEASE do not attempt this yourself, amputate her hine legs, get a doggy saddle and adhere it to a skateboard type thing, make sure her back end is in the saddle, she will be abble to get around alot better and painless. but this costs alot also.

but before you do anything, talk to a vet, he might even have some more info that i did not know, after all, i am only a trainee. but i know almost everything there is to know about animals, but a vet would be more suitable.

Answer 6

She's old now. her joints aren't as strong. Take her to the vet and have them perform X-rays. Maybe there's a bigger problem than just arthritis. if it's a problem thats causing her a lot pain and there's not much you can do about. maybe you should think about what's best for her. I know how difficult that decision is to make, considering I just had to put my dog to sleep last april, but it was for the best and even though I loved and cherished her, I couldn't bear to see her suffer. I hope it doesn't come down to that for you. Good luck!

Answer 7

She's old and her time to go is coming. I know it's very hard to have to face the fact that she might have to be put down pretty soon. My boxer got to the point where when he started falling and dragging his back legs I had to put him to sleep. As long as she's in no pain and her quality of life is good make her as comfortable as possible. The vet will probably tell you to give her an asprin once or twice a day WITH FOOD.

Answer 8

take her to the vet she probably does have a serious case of arthritis and something else if the vet cant find anything else wrong with her then you should think about putting her down but untill you get her to the vet keep giving her the arthritis medication and keep a very close eye on her.

Answer 9

Is she a large dog? I had a mastiff that I had to put to sleep because of dysplasia and arthritis, and she was only 2. She had surgery twice, and took a lot of medicine. Take her to the vet.
Good Luck

Answer 10

You should take your dog to the vet before something bad happens because in dog age you dog is 98 years old which is a ripe old age. Take her to the vet and see what the vet has to say, make sure you keep her comfortable...it might be the heat.

Answer 11

Call up the vet and get him to come to your house. Now. This is a serious issue, and you need urgent help. There is no way that you can treat this problem yourself, and no body on YA is going to be able to help you, either. With the problems that you have described my guess is that your wolfhound has something wrong with her brain. My cousin had very similar problems with her dog when she was older. Your dog may need to be euthanased shortly, or she may be able to recieve medication for this, but either way you need a vet and you need a vet now.