Hi all,

I have a 13 year old border collie who in most ways is still fighting fit apart from however her back legs give way occasionally. I know this seems to be a common thing in old dogs but I just wondered if there was any remedies/medicines etc anyone would recommend to relieve her aches and pains (she jumps on and off the sofa daily but a few days back she yelped and could not lift her bottom half up for a seconds but has since gone back to form). She can also be quite stiff if she's been lying down for a long period.
I know there are plenty of things out there to try but recommendations from those who have already tried it would be greatly appreciated.
I love her dearly so any help I can give her I will.

As they age we have always found helping them not to jump up and down off of things is important so we build little steps for them, also we start to limit exercise as they slow down we try to take them to places that will be more exciting for them but keep them walking for shorter periods.
Diet wise oily fish particularly tinned sardines and pilchards seem to help them and they can eat the bones for calcium too. We also give them a vitamin additive like easeflex which seems to help them.

When one of my dogs had problems walking (age 11), he had an x-ray and they said he had arthritis and was put on metacam as pain relief. He made it to the good age of 15.
In the end his kidneys gave out (possibly side effect of medezin), but it was worth it to have him pain free for another 4 yrs.

I think fitness is a bit of a vicious-circle in dogs (and people, I guess).

If a dogs fitness is reduced it won't be able to exercise, it'll put on weight and it's muscles will atrophy, which means it's fitness will be reduced even further.
Rinse and repeat.

The easiest way to break out of that routine is to ensure the dog isn't overweight.

The other thing to bear in mind is that one small setback can negate weeks of gentle progress.
You might spend weeks playing with your dog in the living room (on carpet, where there's good grip) to encourage it to be more active but then it only takes one slip on a tiled-floor or one strain as it tries to jump onto a couch or bed and you'll be in a worse position than where you started.

I recently heard something about "dog exercises" specifically for this sort of thing.
Get your dog to stand up and then support it and lift one hind leg at a time, for a few seconds, so the leg tucks underneath the dog (NOT out to the side, obviously).
Repeat this a few times, with each hind leg, for a few minutes.
The idea is that it will help strengthen the muscles in the other leg and it'll encourage mobility in the leg as it's manipulated.

Not entirely sure how useful that is TBH.
I can't help thinking that 5 minutes of playing with a ball in the living-room, simply rolling the ball to the dog so he'll pounce on it) will probably do just as much good and be more enjoyable.

I don't think 13 is that old for a border collie. Have you had her checked out? Rear end weakness can be due to other conditions.
I have a border collie going on 15 who is very mobile in spite of bronchial and liver conditions. It could be down to luck of the genetic draw or maybe the salmon oil helps. She was also on Cosequin (you can get it online without a prescription) for a while when I wrongly thought she had joint issues. A friend's collie was on Cosequin on the advice of her vet.
Also we go out frequently as she is on diuretics and I think that helps. So more walks but shorter. Though that's as much for my benefit as hers. We went on a very long outing uphill and across the moors the other day and she was just ramped up and wanting more when we got back. It was her mum who spent the rest of the day knackered.
Plus when waking from sleep and she does seem a little stiff initially, I get her to stretch before moving off - yes she does understand 'stretch' and even the command 'and the other way'. I taught her to do this by doing stretching movements while saying 'stretch' and she copied me. We do our stretches together after getting up. What a sight eh? The things you do....

That said, maybe as in humans, some get arthritis or stiff joints and some don't.

i had an old border collie who had back legs weakening and stiff joints. he improved when i got a magnetic collar. it cost about 30 pounds and did help with his walking. but if i had him today id probably get him glucosamine and chondroitin tablets for dogs/ pets. they do help as i give them to my cat who is very old with arthritis.her walking is better now

Thanks all for the replies, lots to go on


She's still pretty nimble for her age but because she's never had any real health problems, I'm like an over bearing mother now she's shown a few minor signs

That being said she's not above having me on. A while back she developed a phantom limp where she would race around on her walk but then when we would be nearly home, always in the exact same location she would look sadly up at me whilst limping (sometimes forgetting which leg) and I would have to make a fuss of her and then miracuiously she was fine! Similarly at home she sometimes develops mysterious symptoms and two minutes later she's pelting full speed down the garden terrorizing anyone daring to walk past.

Now I think about it, there's probably nothing wrong with her back legs.

It's possible it's not her legs but her back. Think slipped disk, sciatica, arthritis. Dogs get those conditions too and just like people, they can present with a limp.

She needs to have a check up to determine the source of the trouble and then you can proceed from there.

OP it is probably worth getting a senior blood panel done to rule out any causes other than just age related wear and tear.

That's true we thought the late molliepops had a stroke but turned out she had hurt her back and after treatment for that she was fine for several years.

Our lovely old boxer will be 13 in July and he has problems with his back legs. He's had an underactive thyroid for years and he takes Soloxin for that and Metacam for arthritis in his legs.

Recently though, we noticed his back paws dragging when on a walk and sometimes he can't stand up straight. He's been to the vets this week and had a full check up. Fortunately it wasn't anthing to do with his spine and his geriatric blood test was perfect (the vet said he'd never seen one so good in a boxer his age, he has the blood of a 4 year old!) so the vet has prescribed Gabapentin to take with the Metacam to keep him comfortable. Its basically just degenerative muscle wastage which happens with age.

Its horrible watching them grow older and more frail

I know what you mean but I always see it as a privilege to share the last years with them and to make them feel as best they can. In the wild animals rarely get to this stage so it's wonderful to be able to be with them as they slow down. Usually find myself getting even closer to them at that time too as I am watching and helping them more.

Yes, you're right, that's a lovely way to look at it. As long as he seems pain free we'll be happy.

I think dogs themselves sometimes feel this too. My girl used to sleep on the bed but could no longer do the practically vertical jump needed from the limited space. She hates being helped - if a dog can look mortified she does - so I constructed a ramp for her. Same goes for country stiles etc. She will actually go into a sort of sulk afterwards. Ditto if she misses her footing anywhere.
So I make sure everything is within her limits.
Though we got a compliment the other day. A farmer asked if she was a working dog. Couldn't bring myself to admit she had never been a working dog so I just said she was retired

Very nice way to look at things