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My senior dog has weak legs after vet anesthesia. What's happening?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 14 years and 5 months old | 34 lbs

I took my 14 year old dog to the Vet today to have his anal sacs flushed out and medicated. Upon pick up, my dog’s hind legs have become severely weakened and he can not stand up for more than 5 seconds. He was extremely lethargic and has now become more alert, but he isn’t still having major problems standing because of his weakened hind legs. What is happening?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on December 10th, 2018

I would tend to think that anesthesia is playing a major role causing the signs you are describing. This can be quite common, especially in older dogs. I would recommend to monitor him for the next 8 hours and if no improvement is seen by then another check up would be required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I am assuming the procedure was done under anesthesia, it's possible your dog did not recover properly, maybe he should have stayed at the vet a little longer. i strongly recommend that you contact your vet right away, he needs to know about it and will decide what needs to be done next.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I would tend to think that anesthesia is playing a major role causing the signs you are describing. This can be quite common, especially in older dogs. I would recommend to monitor him for the next 8 hours and if no improvement is seen by then another check up would be required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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