Back legs

hi,

I took Brandie to the vets to have her back legs looked at because she is very stiff after she's been laying down and she has trouble with stairs. The vet said it could be the start of arthritis, but it wasn't too bad so I have to watch her and see if losing a bit of weight helps or if the weather effects it.
But she also said she had wasted muscle and I've never heard of this. Can anyone explain a bit about it? Is it the same as arthritis? Was she born with it? Is there anything else I should or shouldn't be doing?
Sorry for all the questions but I worry a lot

Losing weight should help Brandie feel better. Muscle wastage is just that, as dogs get olde and a bit less active. their muscle mass reduces, its this muscle mass that helps dog stay fit and active, so any reduction will be seen in things like Arthritis etc.. You could try some homeopathic remedies such as "Synflex" its excellent for helping arthritis in older dogs.
http://www.synflexforpets.co.uk
Dawn.

Wasted muscle usually happens when it`s not being used, it doesn`t get used so it wastes away. How old & what breed is Brandy, is she overweight?
If she`s in pain then she won`t be using the muscle, how much excercise does she have?
Muscle tone can be built up again but very gently, swimming is great for this You could ask for xrays to be done to see if it is arthrirtis cos being honest thought muscle wastage happens over a longish period of time
You should ask why the muscle wastage & best way of treating her

Thanks for the replies. Brandie is about 4 years old. I've not had her that long though so I don't know how long it has been a problem. She seems happy to go for long walks, but doesn't do much running. She was a few Kg overweight but now only needs to lose a few pounds.
What kind of exercise should she be doing? She is a collie x german shepherd.
I will look for somewhere she can go swimming

I agree with Christine, normally muscle wastage takes some time to develope, once the dog is more pain free, you can very gently increase the exercise, to develope the muscles again, usually gentle exercise, helps loosen arthretic joints, I know personally if I get dailey walks out with my dogs my arthritis is a lot better and less painful, if I dont do anything for a few days I tend to "seize" (sp)up.

Mo

Hi Brandysnap your dog should not have wasted muscles at four years old, what are you feeding her ? Also regular daily walks even if not very long are far better for dogs than the odd long walk, it keeps the muscles tone Keeping her weight down is also very important .

hi brandie - GSD do have problems with their back legs so it could be hip dysplacia, athritis or some other problem - swimming is definetly the best way to build up her muscles woithout causing any jiont damage or pain. M<y staffie has hip dysplacia and he is 4 - we swim at a special pool every week and he is coming on brilliantly - where last winter he could hardly climb the stairs on a bad day, he now charges up and down them.

I would perhaps insist on an xray as this is the onyl way we found out about bruno's hips...

4yrs is pretty young As has been said smaller walks are better than long ones & keep her away from stairs if you can. She`ll soon lose the couple of extra pounds shes carrying, being overweight puts more stress on the joints aggrevating the arthritis.
The 2 things are different, muscle wastage caused by not using them & arthritis by wear & tear of the bones which can be old age/heredtry/genetic etc Swimming is your best bet for both conditions, nice n gentle exercise & their are also supplements you can give her for helping the arthritis, the syn-flex suggested is very good. But if it was me I`d probably ask the vet where & to what degree she has it & that`d mean xrays

Yep agree iwth the others, muscle wastage at 4yrs is not normal, they must be a reason for it, I assumed Brandie was much older.
Dawn,.

I will ask the vet about how bad it is then as she has to go back and be weighed soon. Hopefully she will be an ok weight again. She is fed on Chappie.
At the moment she has 3 walks a day. Is that enough? How long do you think each walk should last?
Someone told me it could be caused by someone kicking her in the past. Is that true?

I'm glad your dog is much better Brundog