Dog Not Putting Weight on a Back Leg: What It Means

Start here: what "no weight on the back leg" usually means

If your dog is putting dog back leg no weight on the ground at all, treat it as a signal to call your vet today, not next week. It is not stubbornness, and it is not something to wait out.

Sudden weakness needs to be taken seriously: in dogs with a loss of blood supply to the nerves and muscles of the back legs, those whose signs developed more gradually over more than 24 hours were more likely to survive to hospital discharge than those whose signs came on very suddenly.¹ We cover that in the parent guide, sudden paralysis in a dog's back legs.

One more thing, because owners ask it constantly: you did not overreact by going in.

Why your dog cant put weight on back legs

There is a long list of possible reasons, and only a vet exam can sort them. But it helps to know the two broad buckets.

Something in the leg itself. Rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament, one of the stabilising ligaments inside the knee, is the most common canine orthopedic condition, and it can be diagnosed by feeling for a "cranial drawer sign" during an examination,² meaning the vet checks whether the knee slides in a way a stable knee should not. Hips matter too. In one group of dogs with hip dysplasia, meaning poorly formed hip joints, 74% showed x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis.³ Lumps can also be involved: infiltrative lipomas, fatty growths that spread into surrounding tissue, were most commonly located in the back leg, mostly in the thigh.⁴

In one reported case, a 4-year-old Golden Retriever developed slowly worsening, non-painful weakness in both back legs, caused by a fluid-filled cyst pressing on the spinal cord in the chest region.⁵ A 7-year-old pointer had more than six months of gradually worsening back leg weakness, a limp tail, and spinal pain that kept progressing despite medical treatment.⁶ His case is worth knowing about, because the authors noted that those dramatic and irreversible changes may have been avoidable, or at least reduced, with earlier diagnosis and aggressive surgical treatment.⁶

That is the honest argument for going in early rather than watching for another fortnight.

Dog back leg non weight bearing: one leg or both?

This is the single most useful thing you can tell your vet.

• Both back legs, wobbly, getting worse over weeks. This pattern can point to a spinal or nerve problem: in one dog, gradually worsening weakness in both hind legs along with a limp tail and back pain turned out to be a bulging disc in the lower back squeezing the nerve roots.⁶
• One leg, or a sudden change in either leg. Same day.

One Miniature Schnauzer was seen for a sudden, worsening history of back leg weakness and incoordination.⁷ Within the following 24 hours he went from being unable to walk to having no use of his back legs at all, although he could still feel them.⁷ That is why "let's see how he is in the morning" is a gamble with a back end.

Worth saying clearly: fast change is not automatically the end of the story. Another dog was admitted after two months of progressive weakness in all four limbs,⁸ and at 55 days after treatment showed marked improvement in her gait.⁸ Some causes respond. You need the diagnosis first.

Dog losing weight in back legs: muscle, not pounds

When owners say their dog is losing weight in back legs, they usually mean the thighs have gone soft and narrow while the rest of the dog looks the same. In those dogs the signs could progress to involve the front legs too.⁹

Signs that creep up slowly matter. In the dog with months of gradually worsening hind limb weakness, a limp tail, and back pain, a sample of nerve tissue showed long-standing scarring and shrinkage from ongoing compression, damage that might have been reduced with earlier diagnosis and surgery.⁶

There is also an early, easy-to-miss version of this. In Doberman Pinschers with Dancing Doberman Disease, one hallmark sign is repeated lifting and shifting of the back legs while the dog is standing, along with frequent sitting.⁹ If you are seeing that, photograph it or film it. Vets love a video, because dogs perform beautifully in the exam room.

A dog losing weight and weak back legs at the same time, meaning real body weight coming off as well, is a separate flag and needs a vet appointment on its own merits.

What you can do at home while you wait for answers

Keep it small and boring for a few days. Short lead walks on grass instead of slick floors, no stairs, no jumping off the sofa, no rough play with the other dog. Rugs and runners on hard floors help more than owners expect. There are more ideas in our guide to home remedies for a senior dog whose back legs suddenly become weak.

What you should not do is start anything from the medicine cabinet. Medication and rehab plans belong to your vet, who knows what is actually wrong.

Where a wheelchair fits in

A wheelchair is not treatment. It does not fix a knee, a hip, or a spinal cord, and we will never tell you otherwise. What it does is support mobility while the vet handles the medical side, or once the diagnosis is long term and your dog's back end simply is not going to carry him any more.

The OldPal Rear Support Dog Wheelchair is built for dogs with weak or failing back legs. The padded harness carries weight through the hips and chest rather than the spine, and every strap adjusts. The frame is set so the back legs hang free or lightly brush the ground, and dogs can squat and go to the bathroom while they are in it. The aluminium frame is light, the wheels handle grass and gravel, and each frame adjusts in height within its range.

Sizing is one measurement: rear leg height, from the top of the hip straight down to the toe pad, with your dog lying on his side and the leg at its natural bend. Sizes run from Mini to XL, covering rear leg heights from 3 to 31 inches. Take the measurement with our size guide and fit finder, then choose your size on the dog wheelchair for back legs page.

If you are unsure, send a photo and your measurement to help@oldpalpets.com and a person will answer. Our Fit Guarantee means that if the size does not fit, you send it back and we replace it with the size that does, and return shipping is the only cost. Most orders arrive within 2 to 3 weeks, and we ship to the continental US only.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Dog can t walk suddenly
• Senior dog back legs weak suddenly home remedies
• Dog back legs enrichment
• How to measure your dog for a wheelchair

Sources

Related guides

• Using a Sling for a Dog With Bad Back Legs