My Rottweiler's back legs are weak. What causes this and how to help?

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!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms are possibly related to arthritis in the spine or hips. Please, take Roxi to your local vets for an appointment. Full clinical examination should allow making the diagnosis and adequate treatment can be started. It possibly will be a course of anti-inflammatory medications.

It sounds like the leg may be pretty painful if he's limping and won't bear weight on it (or let you touch it). Possible causes can include anything from a soft tissue or bone injury (such as a sprain or break), something stuck in the foot or between the toes, tumors or growths affecting the bones or joints, or even a nerve issue causing the leg to not work properly. I would have Rambo examined by your vet ASAP, especially if he is very painful and can't walk on the leg.

At this age dogs usually suffer from painful arthritis of the hips. The pain makes them use their hind legs less and therefore the muscles atrophy. You should take Ryder to your vet for an exam, and mention the weakness in the hind legs. Your vet can prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication which will help with pain and should make Ryder more happy to get up and exercise. This will train his leg muscles and it will be much easier for him to get up and walk.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Mitch is having hindlimb weakness. Weakness in the hindlegs in older dogs can be due to a variety of reasons, including arthritis, back discomfort, or an underlying neurologic issue, among others. Anti-inflammatories, pain medications, and supportive care (such as hydrotherapy and acupuncture) may all be beneficial options. I would recommend discussing what the best overall treatment plan for Mitch would be with your regular veterinarian, or seek a second opinion if you want further advice. Good luck!

Yes, you are correct. With good nutrition, slow to moderate growth rate, controlled exercise and maintaining a normal weight she should improve and be normal when she's grown up. Please limit jumping and explosive movements, excessive rough housing and I recommend feeding a large breed dog food. She's a beauty and should be fine. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

It's difficult to say exactly what's going on without examining him, but it could be due to a couple different things: 1) Arthritis - we usually see this in older dogs, but he may have had some growth abnormalities that caused him to get arthritis early. The best thing you can do for this is make sure he stays thin. A fat dog will be more prone to problems. Here is a link to a short article that explains how to keep your dog thin: https://www.petcoach.co/article/tipping-the-scales-10-tips-to-fight-pet-obesity/ 2) Damage to nerves in the neck - Larger breed dogs are prone to nerve damage in the neck. This can cause them to not walk properly and lay around more than normal. This would have to be diagnosed by a veterinarian and require more specific treatment. Either way, I think it's best to have a vet doctor do an evaluation of Duke to see what the problem may be. They can also advise on the best treatment for the problem. I hope that helps.