My pet is losing muscle in hind legs and hair. What's wrong?

The most common reason that we will see symptoms like you are describing of a loss of muscle in all legs, but being more affected on one side would be a problem in the nervous system. Most commonly, we will see problems in the neck that affect one side more than the other. I would start with having your veterinarian examine Trick again and perform a full neurological examination. Depending on their findings, the next step may be a consultation with a neurologist. If Trick is only 4 years old, then it is certainly worth doing additional testing to determine what is doing on and if additional treatment could help prevent further muscle loss. Although we can certainly see muscle loss from arthritis, it rarely involves all 4 legs and is not often so asymmetrical that you can tell that one side of the body is worse, so I think it is worth consulting with a neurologist. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Princess! It's important to determine why this is happening in order to be able to treat it effectively. Muscle atrophy in the rear legs can occur due to arthritis, neurologic disease, an injury of some kind, or a metabolic disorder such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism. I would recommend taking Princess to the vet for an exam - he/she can do x-rays, blood work, or other testing if needed to help determine what is causing the muscle loss. Many of these issues are treatable once a diagnosis is made.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These are general signs that can be seen with a lot of conditions. It could be due to a neurologic condition or perhaps an orthopedic condition causing some kind of pain or discomfort. If this continues, I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to start with a good physical examination and possibly diagnostics to get to the bottom of this so that therapy if any can be started. Have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There are several things this could be including: degenerative myelopethy (usually a gradual onset), a blood or cartilage clot in the spine, or a spinal disk problem. We cannot rule our cancer either, unfortunately. I’d recommend getting in to your vet (tomorrow ideally) as a good physical exam and further questioning can narrow this list down dramatically in some cases. Best wishes to you and Phoebe!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures you provided, it would appear as though Lily may have a skin infection. I would recommend the following products to see if this helps. If there is no improvement, Lily may also need oral antibiotics. These products can be found online quite easily. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine shampoo 2. Miconhahex + Triz spray 3. Essential 6 spot on

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a neurologic condition such as a herniated disc. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this and treat him accordingly. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing sounds as though Frankey is suffering from a neurological condition. Without examining him it is impossible to say for sure. He may have a protruding disk in his spine that is compressing the spinal cord leading to this paralysis / weakness of the hind end. I would also be worried that this could be a degenerative muscle disease leading to the weakness. Frankey may need to go on a course of steroids long term to treat this and the condition may not resolve, it may continue to worsen despite treatment. If you are able to get him seen by a veterinary neurologist, this would give you a good second opinion. I hope this helps and I hope that Frankey gets better soon!