Are there any exercises a dog can do to rebuild some muscle for his back legs?

Question

My dog became a diabetic and when he turned into a diabetic he lost a lot of weight and muscle too. So, it left his hind legs week and that's not good.

Answer 1

swimming. It forces your dog to use his legs and hips but doesn't put as much pressure on his joints as hiking or jogging would. Just make sure you are holding on to him or he has a life jacket on in case his legs give out or he gets too tired.

Answer 2

Walking is probably the best way to start rebuilding lost muscle. Go gentle and easy at first. Just walk him a little bit before you return home. The trick is not to overdo it. Very, very gradually, add to the length of your walks. Don't go during the heat of a summer's day. Wait until dusk or walk in the early mornings.

Answer 3

I have a rescued st. that was severally malnourished. She had very little muscle in her hind quarters. Daily walks and good food really helped build the muscles.

Answer 4

Can your dog play the game "tug"? You know -- he hangs on to a rope with his mouth, and you pull on it? As long as you keep your end of the rope fairly low to the ground, most of his effort in the game will come from his back legs. You might be able to use this game to help strengthen his back legs.

Answer 5

you can teach it to walk. we got a puppy and held a piece of food or a treat in the air and they stand. then you walk with the food. you say walk while it is walking. it helped our puppy build a lot of leg muscle.

Answer 6

best would be swimming.

if the dog is small,its possible to do this in the bathtub.

if its a bigger dog,try to find a place,where they do physiotherapy for dogs or horses:equine hospitals have pools.

Answer 7

some people put their dogs on tread mills.