My Dog Can't Stand Up Or Walk. He Is Having Trouble Raising His Hind End, Can You Help?

• Why can't my dog stand up or walk?

If your dog cannot stand up or walk it sounds as though they have a serious problem with their hips, lower back or back legs and you should take them to a vet immediately, particularly if they seem to be in pain.

Your dog will need to get up very soon to be able to urinate and it will be bad for both you and the dog if they cannot do this without standing up.

• Dogs with standing problems

It is quite common for dogs to have problems with their back legs, particularly in breeds such as Labradors. Pure bred Labradors are known to have arthritis in their hips and this is a genetic problem that has been bred into them after years and years of inbreeding.

This is one of the reasons why pedigrees are not always the best choice for pets. Pedigrees are often the most attractive types of dogs, but they will often have genetic disorders common to their breed. Older dogs, like older people, will also have common problems with their legs and backs, simply because they are getting old.

• How to help your dog

The first thing you should do is get some medication for your dog to ease the pain. It is cruel to allow your dog to suffer from pain, make sure you get some proper pain killers from your vet to make your dog feel more comfortable.

You can also give them cod liver oil tablets, which will ease their joints. Make sure your dog is always somewhere warm and comfortable, as a cold hard spot can make your dog's joints worse and will make them even more uncomfortable.

Sometimes an older dog will struggle to get up in the morning, but will be fine once they are up. If this is the case, try to make sure they do not run around too much during the day, as this will make them even more sore the next morning and will make it hard for them to stand up again the next day.

Just from personal experience with my yellow lab, it may be spinal stenosis (google that or "lumbosacral instability". I believe that surgery is an option but, because my girl was 13 when she was diagnosed, we're doing medication -- Rimadyl and Tramadol. The Rimadyl helped a lot at first, but she's been needing more and more of the Tramadol for pain. Good luck, I know it's horribly difficult to watch; very, very sad.

Take him to the vet. This could be serious

Our dog had the same symptoms and it turned out to be Myashenia Gravis which is a neurological disorder and is easily treated with medication. Hope this helps.