About Muscle Atrophy in Dogs

Muscle atrophy is a type of muscle loss where your dogs muscles start to waste away. Muscle Atrophy typically affects aging dogs and is actually quite common, especially as dogs become less active.

As dogs get older, the types of nutrients they need changes, and they are no longer able to process protein in the same way they used to. Larger breed dogs generally age faster than smaller, which means they are more susceptible to muscle atrophy.

Certain illnesses and diseases can also cause atrophy of muscles. A common one is myositis, which is generally caused by an injury, infection or autoimmune disease. Another common cause of muscle atrophy is degenerative myelopathy, which is a disease that will affect your dog’s spinal cord and limbs.

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How can we help dogs
suffering with muscle atrophy?

Know the Signs

It’s important to know and watch out for the symptoms of muscle atrophy in your dog

Muscle Thinning

When your dog starts to lose muscle, you will see a noticeable difference in their bodies as a result of muscle thinning (like being able to fit your entire hand around your dog’s leg when you have previously not been able to do so).

Weight Loss

If your dog is losing muscle mass it will usually result in weight loss. If your dog is starting to look thinner or feels lighter than normal when you pick him up, it would be a good idea to start weekly weigh-ins.

Weakness

You can tell if your dog is experiencing muscle weakness when its back legs are no longer able to help support its body. If your dog is experiencing muscle weakness, it will usually begin to favor its front legs.

My Dog is Losing Muscle…What Now?