It sounds like your Staffie has hip dysplasia which is causing rear leg weakness.
It sounds like your Staffie has hip dysplasia which is causing rear leg weakness. The muscle wastage is because hip dysplasia can be painful, which causes a dog to shift the weight that would normally go through their hind legs onto other parts of their body (have you noticed her shoulders and front legs simultaneously becoming more muscular?). It sounds as if she’s also starting to show signs of general back and back leg weakness.
If your dog is starting to lose power, there are a few options that may help:
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A hip brace to help the dislocation - The hip is a ball and socket joint. Hip braces are specifically designed to hold the ‘ball’ at the top of the leg bone into the ‘socket’ of the hip joint. These braces can really give a dog suffering from hip dysplasia relief from the pain of hip dislocation, support, and improve mobility.
Hip Braces are here: https://zoomadog.co.uk/collections/dog-hip-braces
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Pain Relief - Arthritis can be incredibly painful for your dog. Ensuring that your dog’s quality of life isn’t being adversely affected by pain is important. Winston’s Pain Formula can help to manage your dog’s pain. HEALED Pain Relief Wraps are another approach to pain management. You leave the wrap on the affected joints for ten minutes at a time.
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A dog wheelchair - A dog wheelchair can seem a big step into a new world, and you might be thinking that a set of wheels seems a big choice. However, we find that many owners whose dogs are suffering from a combination of rear-leg weakness, arthritis, and hip dysplasia do ultimately end up getting a wheelchair for their dog. Wheelchairs are designed to take the weight off the pelvis (via the leg rings), so that the rear legs aren’t bearing very much weight. This means your dog is using their front legs to get around. So as long as your dog has healthy, strong front legs, mobility can be easily restored by a wheelchair.
Dog wheelchairs are here: https://zoomadog.co.uk/collections/dog-wheelchairs
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Get rubber anti-slip boots - Anti-slip boots can be very helpful for dogs around the house, particularly for if your house has slippery tiled or wooden floors.They will give grip to your dog’s paws, meaning they won’t slide around so easily and give your dog a bit more control, particularly if getting up from lying down on the floor.
Read how dog wheelchairs can transform your dog's life
Read more here: https://zoomadog.co.uk/collections/dog-wheelchairs
