Back leg shaking.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Rudy is having problems with his back leg shaking.

A lot of the time when I have a patient who has a shaking leg, I can't find a cause. However, in a senior dog, a shaking leg is often a sign of some pain somewhere in the leg. The most common area for there to be pain is the stifle (knee), but it could be anywhere.

Ideally it would be good to have your vet examine Rudy and take some xrays of the hind legs if they feel that that is a good plan. You may find that he has arthritis or there could be another cause.

If this is arthritis then there are a number of medicines that can be helpful. The only ones that I have found to be effective are prescription medications that you get from your vet.

There are other possibilities for shaking legs. Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease) can cause legs to shake, but it would be unusual for just one leg to be affected.

If this were my case, and if your budget allowed for it, I would likely be taking some xrays and doing some senior blood testing. If nothing obvious was found, or if I saw signs of arthritis then I would do a trial of a few weeks of a medication such as Previcox, Rimadyl, Daramaxx or Metacam to see if it makes a difference.

I hope that helps, but let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

I'm glad he is feeling better. I'm cautious about using aspirin regularly though as it can be hard on a dog's kidneys and stomach. If there is improvement with aspirin then you would find significant improvement with a prescription strength product. It's definitely a good idea to talk to your vet about this.