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The health of your dog’s back legs is crucial as they maintain their correct posture, mobility, and quality of life. Back leg weakness may hamper the dog’s optimal health, as it may face discomfort while climbing stairs, playing, running, or even walking. It may even experience challenges while getting up from a resting position if the hind legs are weak.
Here’s the good news – you can enhance your dog’s joint health and muscle tone through physical rehabilitation techniques, including physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. These have been proven effective in strengthening a dog’s hind legs, thus improving its optimal health.
Common Factors Affecting a Dog’s Back Legs
Let’s understand the physiological structure of a dog’s hind legs. The key components that support movement include the femur, fibula, tibia, and several joints, like the knee (stifle) and the hip. These limbs are further supported by ligaments, muscles, and tendons, which contribute to the overall stability and strength of the dog’s back legs.
The common reasons leading to back leg weakness include:
- Injury
- Degenerative myelopathy
- Arthritis
- Intervertebral disc disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Vertebral instability (also known as wobbler syndrome)
- Hip dysplasia
- Botulism infection
- Cushing’s disease
- Toxic poisoning
- Lumbosacral stenosis
Diagnostic Tests and Assessments for Back Leg Strength
If you notice certain odd signs that indicate your dog’s back leg weakness, take it to the veterinarian. The common signs and symptoms of weak hind legs include:
- Lameness or limping
- Walking difficulties
- Loss of balance
- Lack of coordination
- Pain
- Swelling
- Difficulty while standing up from the resting position
- Staggering or wobbly while walking
- Instability
- Slow or abnormal gait
- Paralysis (partial or complete)
- Reluctance to jump or move
- Weight gain
- Licking at the joints
- Collapse
- Lethargy being active
Vets employ multiple diagnostic tests and assessments to determine the strength and functionality of your furry friend’s back legs. Some of them may include:
- Gait analysis to assess the difficulties or asymmetries in movement
- Imagining techniques like MRIs or X-rays to assess the health of the soft tissues and bones
- Specific physical tests to examine muscle strength and joint mobility
The above tests help the veterinarian to get an idea of the underlying cause of back leg weakness. It will further help the specialist to determine the most effective rehabilitation techniques or other methods of strengthening the dog’s back legs.
Customized Treatment Plans
Your veterinarian will be able to design a customized treatment plan after examining the specific problem areas of your dog. Your vet will create a tailored treatment program based on your dog’s unique health needs and assessments.
Additionally, the hydrostatic pressure of water can help reduce swelling and improve circulation in affected limbs. This therapy particularly benefits dogs with arthritis, hip dysplasia, or post-surgery recovery.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy for dogs involves a series of customized exercises to improve their back legs’ flexibility, strength, and mobility. They include range-of-motion exercises, in which the physiotherapist moves the dog’s joints gently in their comfortable range. It enhances the dog’s mobility and minimizes muscle stiffness.
There are other strengthening exercises, too, including standing on uneven surfaces, balance boards, controlled and monitored walking, or stair exercises. These physiotherapy exercises help improve your pet’s muscles that support knee and hip joints.
Some specialists may also use different techniques, like massage, which helps enhance muscle tone and function and minimize tension. They may also employ ultrasound therapies to improve cellular healing.
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, or specialized water exercises designed for dogs, involves walking on an underwater treadmill or swimming. These are great rehabilitation techniques that work on improving back-leg strength. The buoyancy of water minimizes joint stress, making them more mobile for exercise while reducing the risks of further injuries.
Furthermore, these water exercises exert water resistance that forces the dog’s back leg muscles to function smoothly when they become active on land. These hydrotherapy sessions also help boost hind leg strength and muscle mass.
Besides, water creates a hydrostatic pressure that aids in improving blood circulation in the affected legs and reducing limb swelling. Hydrotherapy is designed to benefit dogs suffering from arthritis or hip dysplasia while also hastening post-surgery recovery.
Using Supporting Devices
Some therapists or rehabilitation specialists also use certain supportive devices, including slings, harnesses, or orthopedic braces. These therapy instruments play a crucial role in healing instability or leg weakness. These tools work by supporting your pet’s body weight to enable it to move more freely with little to no pain.
Slings and harnesses are used specifically for dog owners to assist their furry friends with physical therapy sessions or during walks. Orthopedic braces, on the other hand, offer targeted support to particular joints, like the hip or knee.
These devices help stabilize the affected areas and promote smoother movements in a controlled and safe environment while helping with recovery and preventing further injury. Therapists can use a combination of the above to strengthen and improve the mobility of the dog’s hind legs.
Diet Chart
Dogs with back leg weakness may be advised to follow a well-balanced diet, which includes all the vital nutrients to maintain healthy joints and strong muscles. For instance, pet nutritionists may advise you to include high-quality protein foods in your dog’s diet chart to promote muscle building and repair.
Furthermore, you should include sufficient vitamins and minerals to support joint health and muscle tone. On the other hand, including fats can provide the required energy while supporting your pet’s overall health.
You can rely on trustworthy supplement brands as they can fill the nutritional gaps in your dog’s daily diet. Chondroitin and glucosamine are commonly recommended pet supplements supporting cartilage strength and joint lubrication. You can also include omega-3 fatty acids in your dog’s diet and ensure they are derived from rich sources like fish oil. These “good” fats have great anti-inflammatory properties.
Additional Therapies and Alternative Treatments
To boost the dog’s back leg strength, the veterinary care team may include the following additional therapies and alternative treatment options.
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a highly effective ancient Chinese medical practice wherein the therapist inserts thin needles into one’s particular body points to boost pain relief and healing.
- Massage: Massage therapy can be clubbed with physical exercises to stimulate blood circulation and muscle tone. Some massage techniques involve petrissage (rolling and kneading) and effleurage (long and sweeping strokes).
- Chiropractic Care: In chiropractic care, the specialist adjusts the joints and spine to promote healthy nerve function and joint alignment.
- Laser Therapy: Laser therapy mainly uses light to minimize inflammation and pain, thus stimulating tissue repair.
Conclusion
Dog owners go through tough times when they see their beloved pets suffer, either physically or mentally. They can implement the above techniques by consulting with a specialized veterinary care clinic to improve their dog’s back-leg mobility and flexibility. Apart from therapy exercises, owners need to take care of their dog’s nutrition to improve outcomes. Dogs will love this transformation, wherein they can be more active and feel more energetic.
