My dog's back leg is weak, she struggles to walk and loses balance. What's wrong?

Question

My dog gets very anxious around other people, so we cannot take her to the vet because she appears aggressive. But lately she's been having a problem with one of her back legs. It doesn't seem to want to move properly, and keeps crossing her other leg when she walks. She has trouble going up stairs and has some difficulty getting up from lying down. She doesn't seem to have good balance, and she occasionally falls. It doesn't appear that her leg is in pain though. Do you know what this could be? Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | spayed | 8 years and 4 months old | 90 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Poor Sadie! Hip problems can be common in large breed dogs like GSDs, and that may be causing the issue with her back leg. It could also be there is a problem with her spine leading to nerve damage to the leg. She really does have to see a vet for this problem, and I would take her into one today. Vets are trained to deal with aggressive dogs.

My dog's back leg is weak, she struggles to walk and loses balance. What's wrong?

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