Skip to content

Back legs collapsing

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • My B girl is 13 years old and has developed osteoarthritis in her front leg for which she is being treated successfully. However, in the last two months her back legs seem to have lost their spring. She finds it difficult jumping up on the couch or the bed and sometimes she falls backwards when trying. She also finds it difficult walking upstairs. Her gate is affected and she slopes from the back when standing - even her tail unravels! The vet does not seem overly concerned. But I was wondering if you might know of this condition and might be able to recommend something.
    Best wishes from Australia

  • This is often something an acupuncturist Veterinarian can help you with. If your vet doesn't offer this treatment, he might be able to recommend you to one who does. Once a week or so to start with and decreasing quite soon to monthly and then, just boosters from time to time.

    I am a great believer in this alternative for old folks.

  • It would be worth checking thyroid levels. Our 12.5yo basenji was having similar, but not as severe sounding, issues going up stairs or jumping up on the chair. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism and medicine for a few months solved all those issues. We too thought it was just old age but then noticed some bald spots on his tail and ear tips and got his thyroid levels checked. The vet said he was likely deficient for long enough that it started affecting his neuromuscular system.

  • One thing that might help is to buy / build ramps. My vet told me that going up and down stairs, along with jumping on and off furniture is not good for an older dog. So whatever you can do to minimize that should help.

  • Has a complete set of blood work been done? Electrolytes may be off. Ionized calcium (which is not often checked) may be out of range. Tick diseases may lead to neural issues. Previous ‘old’ damage or minor defects of the vertebrae, discs or spinal cord may become more significant with age. A good chiropractor or, as previously mentioned, acupuncturist may be able to help. If you feel that it really is not due to aging, a visit with a neurologist might help.

Suggested Topics

  • Legs seizing up

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    3k Views
    D
    @zande My last two B’s didn’t even need to go to the vets to be whining, even pulling up at a strange place is enough for them to presume it’s the vets lol. But others have said they actually enjoy, relax and enjoy it.
  • Please we need advise on broken leg

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    senjisillyS
    My old girl Ella had a shattered rear leg from being hit by a car. My options were amputation or surgery. I opted for surgery. She did have a plate inserted but that was because she had bone pieces removed and the plate was there to connect what was left of her leg bones. We had casts, lots of casts. The vet told me to keep her quiet, not let her roam around, absolutely no stairs, and to wear an e-collar if not well supervised. Ella did not listen to the vet. I blocked the stairs with a baby gate but she managed to jump it while wearing the cast which went all the way up her leg. She perforated her e-collars to where I could use them as colanders. I also had to find a high calorie food (not high protein but high calorie) because the veterinary surgeon said she would need twice the caloric intake in order to heal quickly. I ended up hand feeding her a mix of kibble and canned food. She healed fast and well. Ella ended up with a slightly shorter rear leg but she could still run like the wind. She lived 11 more years and died at age 14.5. I have seen photos of the halo type device on one of the Facebook groups, "Basenji". You may have to join the group but here is the link to the post https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1904813413071092&set=gm.1407068002664730&type=3&hc_location=ufi I am sure you can contact the owner of this dog, Maria Eriksson‎, but please remember that English is not her native language as the "Basenji" group is international.
  • Spindle Cell cancer on Luna's leg…

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    4k Views
    R
    Hi jetred, From your post a year ago… this is exactly the type of information I'm searching for, "I know this might not be survivable for her but I can't find any advice on how to get a dog through cancer, what to look out for, when is she truly in pain, what spindle cell does over time and when is enough for her and time to set her free." So I am wondering, what was your plan with Luna? How did you make decisions? What information did you learn that you think is important to know about the spindle cell cancer disease process? I have a 15 yr old girl (aussie shepard mix) who is in good spirits, enjoys slow short walks, putting her nose in the wind, eating, etc all normally. We've had two surgeries already to debulk the tumor on her rear leg. One in 2013, and the second recently in June from which she recovered well for her age. Though it returned quickly (3 mos) and larger this time. It's now an open lesion. I am both astounded and perplexed at how she acts pretty normal given this! My vet (who is a new vet to us as I just moved) initially discussed end of life decisions and then also offered amputation as an option to consider. I would so appreciate any thoughts you have and/or hear more about your story. Thank you.
  • Diarrhea is Back

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    20
    0 Votes
    20 Posts
    5k Views
    tanzaT
    @Patty: Your pictures may be too big in resolution… try to re-size them to a smaller size and then re-posting? For the record, the Purina pro-biotics are called Forti-Flora, by prescription use only (but GIVEN to me by my vet for Lola)... Not so, I have purchased Forti-Flora via the internets for quite a while. So not just by prescription
  • Back problems/ defecation issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    5k Views
    W
    oh yes hes on metacam now for pain but also because it is supposed to help with the swelling of the discs when he comes off that in a week we have to wait for a few days then we will put him on steroids to ease the swelling of the discs i guess right now the crucial thing is to make the discs go back to the size they should be so they dont infringe on the spinal cord or nerves which would be really really bad for sebastian
  • 0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    No, I meant it takes about a week to get the test and usually 2 to 3 weeks for the results once they are received back at the lab. Please read my post about breeding on the other thread