Why is my senior German Shepherd losing use of her back legs?

Question

My 15 year old long haired German shepherd has almost lost the use of het hind legs . Is this bad news .??? Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 65 lbs

Juliana, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry tou and Shiamsa are dealing with this. It is definitely concerning that she is losing the use of her back legs. Given her breed and size there are several different things that could lead to loss of strength in the back legs. These include: hip dysplasia/arthritis, degenerative myelopathy (condition where dogs will progressively loose feeling and function in the back legs), intervertebral disc disease (they can get pain and inflammation affecting the spine from a "slipped disc"). I would have her evaluated by her veterinarian to sort out which problem could be going on. There are a lot of pain management options available that could really help if this were arthritis or even a disc issue. So to answer your question, it is bad news of course but there may be medications your vet can prescribe that help her significantly.

Why is my senior German Shepherd losing use of her back legs?

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