u/Humble-Lab-3950

Has anyone tried a brace like this to provide more stability in their dog’s hind end? My 16 year old has lost a lot of strength in his hind end due to muscle mass loss. He can still walk well and even jumps up on the couch yet, but he has a hard time just standing still as his hips sink down to the floor quickly, then he has a hard time pulling himself back up.

Are these meant to be on 24/7 or more just for when he is going to be active? Like when I take him on walks or places where he is going to be moving around a lot.

We go camping a lot in the summer and he struggled with mobility last season as he is moving around a lot more than normal. Thinking this may be good to put on him when we are camping.

I’ve had him on daily Dasuquin for the past 5 years, but I am going to call his vet and get him started on a pain medication too for his arthritis.

Thank you!

This is my sweet 16 year old boy Albert! As with any old dog, his back end strength is deteriorating quickly. I’m just wondering if there is anything more I can add to his life to help with this?

-I have been giving him daily Dasaquin since he was about 11 years old.

-I switched his diet to Purina Pro Plan Senior about 2 years ago. Mainly because his old food is no longer sold in stores, but the Pro Plan is a little higher in protein and calories. His appetite is great, but he has lost 5 lbs in the last year and I can tell it’s muscle mass in his back legs. I’ve increased his food portion slightly. He has never been overweight.

-He’s always been a very active pup! We used to run long distances together, but I retired him from running around age 10. Now I just take him on short 1 mile walks. We don’t get out much in the winter, but now that it’s starting to finally warm up, hoping to get him out 3-4 days a week again and maybe this will help? He does have a lot of room to roam during the day as we have a dog door that goes into a fenced in area outside.

- I’ve thought about putting him on a daily pain medication but not sure if it’s necessary? I brought it up to the vet but he wanted to do $350+ bloodwork on him first. I get it, but at the same time, he’s 16 years old. I just want him to be comfortable as I know the end is near no matter what. The vet was willing to give him a small supply of pain meds for as needed and I haven’t had to give him many as he doesn’t appear to be in pain. I know dogs are good at hiding pain so maybe it’s worth it?

-He has no troubles walking and can even still jump on to the couch with some good effort and concentration! It’s the worst when he is just standing as his hips fall to the ground pretty quickly. He then can have a hard time getting back up and he has fallen a few times. I do not let him go up and down stairs anymore as he has fallen a couple of times trying to go up them.

-I did ask his vet if there’s anything more I should be doing for him and he just said “just keep doing what you’re doing”, but I’m curious if anyone has other thoughts to help him gain some strength back!

Thank you!