Aging Dog Symptoms: Arthritis or Nerve Damage

Old age itself is not a diagnosis. Our practical guide to senior dogs and failing back legs covers the whole picture; this page walks through the symptoms.

What counts as an old dog, and why age isn't a diagnosis

Dogs are generally considered senior from around seven to eleven years of age and geriatric once they reach twelve or older.¹ You can check where your dog sits on our senior dog age chart.

Age is a risk factor, not a cause: simple aging is not a cause of osteoarthritis.² Something specific is happening, and it is worth naming.

Back legs first: the symptoms owners notice most

In practice it looks like slipping on hard floors, struggling to rise after a nap, bunny-hopping with both back legs together, hesitating at stairs or the car, and losing muscle over the hips so the back end looks narrow.

Two signs deserve close watching: knuckling, where the hind paw turns under so the dog walks on the top of the foot, especially when turning, and a sway in the hindquarters when standing still. Both are early signs of degenerative myelopathy, a disease of the spinal cord, and early on they can look a lot like arthritis, so they are hard to tell apart without further tests.³ Scraping the hind feet can also wear the top of the feet hairless and sore.³

Arthritis is the most common cause of weak back legs

Osteoarthritis affects at least 20% of dogs over one year old and 80% of dogs over eight,² and the loss of joint cartilage leads to bone changes, pain, inflammation and difficulty using the affected limb.⁴

Day to day you see difficulty getting up and down, lagging behind on walks, hesitation before stairs or jumping onto furniture, lameness, loss of stamina, reluctance to be touched in some spots and unexpected irritability.² That last one matters: the quiet pain signs get missed. Hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, cruciate ligament damage and old fractures all feed into arthritis, and obesity contributes significantly because of the added force on joints.⁴ If hips are the suspected culprit, see our guide to the signs of hip dysplasia.

With appropriate management, dogs with osteoarthritis can live a normal lifespan.²

The other back-leg causes worth ruling out

• Degenerative myelopathy, a disease of the spinal cord, causes slowly progressive hind limb weakness and paralysis.³ Signs often start in one hind limb and then spread to both.⁵ Most affected dogs do not seem to be in pain, just very weak.³ Read more about how degenerative myelopathy presents.
• Other spinal problems. Spinal injuries, a narrowed spinal canal in the lower back, spinal tumors and infection in the spine can cause the same hind-end signs.³ The dog may need help getting up and going to the bathroom, and accidents indoors are possible.⁶ Sudden weakness or paralysis is an emergency, same day.
• Cruciate ligament injury. Rupture of the cruciate ligament in the knee is one of the most common orthopedic causes behind arthritis in dogs.⁷ A sudden limp on one back leg after a slip may be this, or a simple pulled muscle.

Physical changes in an elderly dog

A greying muzzle, thinner coat, cloudy eyes, new lumps, bad breath, feeling the cold, weight creeping up or falling off: note these with dates and tell your vet. Vision and hearing loss matter because vets check for conditions that mimic brain aging, such as pain, arthritis, seizure disorders, systemic illness, and vision or hearing loss.⁸

Old dog senile symptoms: night pacing, staring and indoor accidents

Dogs may start to develop cognitive dysfunction syndrome, the canine version of dementia, around nine years of age or older, and it is likely underdiagnosed because the changes come on slowly and owners assume they are normal aging.⁸ Typical signs are disorientation and getting stuck in corners, suddenly clingy or avoidant behaviour, wandering at night and sleeping by day, indoor accidents in a house-trained dog, pacing or restlessness, new anxiety or irritability, and no longer responding to known commands.⁸

Act early: diet, enrichment and medication can help slow progression and improve quality of life,⁸ and intervention during mild impairment is considered crucial to slowing decline.⁹ See also our pages on changes in senior dog behaviour and anxiety in older dogs.

Old dog stroke symptoms, or vestibular disease?

Vestibular disease is a problem with the balance system, and its signs usually develop suddenly, often in under an hour: loss of balance and coordination, falling or circling to one side, involuntary darting eye movements called nystagmus, reluctance to stand, and nausea.⁶ Common causes include middle and inner ear infections, and when no cause is found it is called idiopathic vestibular syndrome, meaning the cause is unknown.⁶

Either way it is a same-day vet visit. Signs are often worst in the first 24 to 48 hours, many dogs begin improving within 72 hours, and most recover within two to three weeks.⁶ If your dog does not improve or gets worse, a more serious underlying disorder may be present.⁶ More detail in our guides to geriatric vestibular disease and strokes in elderly dogs.

Symptoms that are never just old age

Call your vet promptly for sudden collapse, sudden weakness or paralysis, laboured breathing, a bloated or distended belly, a big increase in drinking and urinating, rapid weight loss, new loss of bladder or bowel control, or pain that appears overnight.

What helps at home

Provide soft padded bedding, raise food and water bowls to elbow height, put down non-skid floor surfaces, and use a ramp or step for the car and furniture.²

A slender body weight is by far the most critical part of arthritis management.⁷ Swap high-impact running and jumping for controlled leash walks; consistent low-impact exercise builds muscle around the joints and promotes joint stability.⁷ Rehabilitation such as range of motion work, therapeutic exercise and aqua therapy improves joint mobility, muscle mass and endurance, so discuss the options with your vet.⁷ For dogs with degenerative myelopathy, physical therapy has been shown to slow progression, prolong quality of life and preserve muscle mass.³ Booties reduce damage to scuffed paws, alongside rugs or yoga mats on slick floors, a sling or harness to help with walking and standing, and considering a wheelchair to support the hind limbs.⁵

When a rear support wheelchair helps

A cart is for the stage where the back legs can no longer carry the weight but the dog still wants to go. Good signs of readiness: strong front legs, good appetite and attitude, and tiring or dragging the back paws after only a short walk. With degenerative myelopathy, an affected dog should be kept as physically active as possible for as long as possible.³

The OldPal Rear Support Dog Wheelchair supports dogs with weak or failing back legs. The padded harness carries weight through the hips and chest rather than the spine, every strap adjusts, and dogs can squat to go to the bathroom while in the chair. Five sizes cover rear leg heights from 3 to 27 inches, sized by one measurement: with your dog lying on his side, measure from the top of the hip straight down to the toe pad with the leg at its natural bend, then use the fit finder and size guide. Unsure? Email help@oldpalpets.com with a photo and your measurement.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Senior Dog Beds: Firm Foam Your Older Dog Can Get Out Of
• Senior dogs and failing back legs

Sources