Bad legs, what sort of therapy?

Eddy's legs are quite bad lately and we have had to stop his morning walks and just take him for a short afternoon walk.

Thing is, he still wants to go out but once he's out he wants to go home obviously, it's not fair on Takara so we're having to take them separately but I know he wants to go with us.

He won't eat if he's not in the same room as Takara, but if he is, she stands over him while he's eating and then he ends up leaving some for her so isn't getting his full tablet -glucosamine and chrondoitin-

I thought about hydrotherapy but he was terrified of the bath and has never offered to go near water. He even walks around puddles

So, what can I do as therapy? I can't afford a lot right now but would want to do anything possible, how do I learn how to massage his legs?
I think we might get one of those beds for arthritic dogs too...

Eddy is still very much his normal self, loves life and definitely isn't ready to go yet, I won't let him suffer obviously, but I won't forgive myself if his legs go and there's something I could have done for him.

Thanks :smt001

You don't say how old and I am sorry if you have said in the past but I do not remember. Do you know why he is not wanting to go on his walk, is it joint pain or don't you know why?

Hi Lottie I think Eddy is quite elderly isn't he.
I am afraid that in elderly dogs muscle tone in the back legs is one of the first things to become weak. If you think about it the back legs are the ones that do most of the work.

If it is 'an age thing' you can't do a lot about it (I know Eddy already has glucosamine) . Do you think he may have arthritis and be in pain? I know it can be difficult to diagnose arthritis in dogs but if he has it some pain relief may help.
Other than that the kindest thing is to keep the walks short and let Eddy walk at his own pace, walking on soft ground will be less strain on old joints too

Sitting on the floor and gently massaging the legs with both hands is I think soothing to an old dog and as with humans it helps to increase the blood circulation to the area.

Regarding Hydrotherapy you would really need to discuss Eddies suitability with the people at the centre.

Hydrotherapy = click here

Have just put my old girl on to (hide your eyes those of a sensitive nature) Rimadyl, and she is like a new little person, keen to get into the field, busy hunting, rushing up with the others and taking her place in the hustle and bustle of daily life, ok, I know it may shorten her life but she does not know that and I am happy to see her enjoying what life she has left. It may take her from me sooner but that is not important to me it the quality of her time left that I hold dear.

I agree Pita I think you need to look at the whole picture with elderly dogs and if necessary substitute 'quality' of life for 'quantity' of time...

thanks guys,

Yes, Eddy is doing well for his age - he's 11 and a half and his legs don't give him gip all the time, but when he gets carried away and forgets how old he is, it takes it out of him obviously.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why he doesn't want his walks - I'm not sure if it's the cold weather which he doesn't like and which is making his legs worse. He has a coat but obviously it doesn't cover his legs...

Other than that, he's a happy, sensitive and healthy little soul who is very happy to be here it just pains me to see him when his legs hurt.

Don't get me wrong, he's not always like it, he's very well usually, but it just seems to be coming on a lot more now. I knew the time would come, and I was well aware when we got him that we wouldn't have as much time as we wanted with him, and just by looking you could see his legs were bad, but they got so much better and then it all seems much sooner rather than later.

He chased after a husky the other day in the park and was running around -and keeping up- with the husky and Takara for a good while so he's not ready for the scrap heap yet, but again - after that he was dragging his legs.

My friends GR is nearly 14 and has arthritis in her back legs- Sharon gives her some sort of meds from the vet and it works wonders- we were on the beach this morning for an hour Ill find out what Mitzi takes- I know its adjusted for the time of year and whether her legs are stiff or not.

Maybe he associates going for walks with feeling sore afterward so does`nt look forward to the next outing ?
If he will tolerate one, maybe a full legged coat might help keep his muscles and joints warm on cold days ?

http://www.barkingmadclothing.co.uk/...cts.asp?cat=12


Has he had athritis or anything else related diagnosed ? [ If you`ve already said I missed it sorry ]
I`m actually wondering if he is having a lactic acid problem which can affect a dog especially of senior years from bursts of activity if the muscles are not warmed up first. It causes similar to cramping in people with the throbbing / soreness after exercise.

Something which might help could be the warm up and cool down massage commonly used on Agility dogs before and after competition [ as few venues have a warm up ring to let the dogs do a few low jumps before going from vehicle to full speed competing then back to vehicle, so a cold start and hot finish on muscles and joints when done without massage first, if you see what I mean ].
Its not a massage involving any pressure, [ could be harmful if not experienced in pressure type massage ], it just involves stroking a dog in particular directions to get circulation going and prevent lactic acid build up before exercise then cools down afterward and helps disperse any residual lactic build up in very prone dogs.

Some info here

http://www.philotus.co.uk/health/massage.html

If you open this next url and type `lactic acid` in the search box, [ cos when I try copy pasting the url for the results it does`nt work, doh ], it will give you various helpful links to have a look at

http://www.agilitynet.com/_vti_scrip..._page.htm0.idq

You might think it silly for me to suggest something which is good for highly active athletic dogs but if you consider a comparrison, an older dogs exercise going from relaxing indoors in the warm to out walking and running in wintery air is going to be more physically extreme to the body than to that of a young fit dog running at a competetive level.

As with all things, please check with your vet that its something ok to try for your lad first. While it only involves stroking in set directions on the body, it should not conflict with any already existing condition he may have and the vet should be able to say if any of the techniques you`ll see in the search page from the link given should be avoided.

HTH :smt001

Thanks, have to go now and haven't read the full message but actually I never thought of lactic acid build up - it seems quite obvious now

Will have a look when I get back - thanks guys

patch - could it still be a lactic acid problem, even if Eddy walks to the park. It's not like we go by car and then he has a spurt of energy, he does get warmed up by walking to the park, and cooled down walking back.