My senior dog's back legs are unsteady after being sick. Is it age?

This presentation could commonly be caused either by a neurological damage of the nerves of the back legs (usually from spinal cord), caused by a stroke or a intervertebral disc extrusion/protrusion,or potentially by severe arthritis and osteo-arthrosis. A check up and appropriate medications (anti-inflammatories) would be ideal and essential to understand the underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

What you are describing sounds like it may be seizure. This can happen at any age from getting into something or having a change in their nervous system or brain. At her age, it is safest to have her checked by a vet to make sure there are metabolic reasons this was started. If it is a seizure then there is medicine they can start to help prevent further ones and control it

At her age, we definitely want to take changes like this seriously. If she's eating and drinking, breathing 10-30 breaths per minute while resting, able to get up and move around, and has normal pink gums, it doesn't sound like an emergency, but I would recommend a vet visit in the next few days if she doesn't go back to normal.

Going stiff in the back legs is not expected and is very concerning. I recommend to have her seen by her veterinarian today. Infections or toxins could cause both of the symptoms and these can be very serious. Just like with humans, getting an accurate diagnosis and early treatment gives a better prognosis. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, sorry to hear about Johnny. There could be several things wrong with him. It could be a problem with his joints, either at his knees or his hips. Dog can get severe arthritis, especially when they are older like Johnny is. They can also tear important ligaments in their knees which makes it harder for them to walk. This can also be associated with a back injury, or some sort of severe muscle pain, and this can also be a tick borne diseases. Ideally Johnny should be examined by your veterinarian to ensure he is not in severe pain and needs medications. Johnny may also be experiencing complications from heart disease or weakness from bleeding into his belly, these would be more concerning for an emergency and should be seen by a veterinarian today. Finally, even though he is drinking, Johnny may still be dehydrated or much worse, he could have something in his GI tract either a FB or a mass or something infectious that is causing him to feel quite sick. These potential causes also warrant a visit to the emergency veterinarian today. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few conditions that can affect a dog's ambulation such as a back injury or an injury to the legs per se. Sometimes weakness in the hind limbs can be caused by things like dehydration. Vomiting can be indicative of conditions such as gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal obstruction, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite and diarrhea can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. He could be weak on his hind end from not eating before and/or from dehydration so that could be connected. I recommend that you have Kip evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!