Symptoms of Atrophy of Muscles in Dogs
Atrophy of muscles in dogs can come on slowly due to aging or it can quickly occur, causing a younger dog to look sunken or thinner. Any time you notice that there is a difference in your dog’s muscles, either they look swollen or thinner, you need to have your veterinarian look your dog over. Your veterinarian will need to determine if the changes are normal or if there is an underlying condition that needs to be addressed. Signs of atrophy of muscles in dogs include:
Muscle Inhibition
A compounding problem to muscle atrophy is muscle inhibition. Inhibition is essentially the partial or complete shutting down of a muscle. What this means; the nerves that normally are sending and receiving signals within that muscle are sending distorted messages. It is also possible that they have stopped sending messages altogether. This issue can arise from factors such as swelling, inflammation, joint laxity or instability and pain.
It is extremely common to see muscle inhibition in the quadriceps group after knee surgery in both dogs and humans. It is also observed in the triceps muscle group in dogs after elbow surgery. So when your dog has surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament (ACL), they will get generalised muscle atrophy of the affected limb from pain, and some disuse atrophy due to lameness. They will also very typically have muscle inhibition of the cranial (anterior) thigh muscles due to pain, swelling and inflammation from the initial injury and then the surgery itself.
This results in an imbalance of muscle forces around the joint- so other muscles will tighten and can become overused, in an effort to try to compensate for the inhibited ones. Unfortunately, these safety mechanisms of the body are not the best thing for it. Compensatory patterns lead to joint movement limitations and can cause misalignment within the joint and altered movement patterns. To further the problem, weak muscles become weaker whilst the strong muscles become stronger. Unfortunately, trying to strengthen inhibited muscles is not possible because they are not receiving normal neurological inputs.
Aquatic Therapy (Hydrotherapy)
The benefits of hydrotherapy and underwater treadmills are ideal for breeds that love water, such as Labradors, who were specifically bred to have webbed feet, making them natural and excellent doggie-paddlers. Aquatic therapy, or hydrotherapy, has scientifically proven benefits for dogs, including prevention and treatment of muscle tissue loss.
This is something you can set up with an animal chiropractor but with some basic knowledge of safe practices and helpful exercises, it’s also an activity you and your dog can explore together, without the guidance of a professional. According to veterinarians, this is one of the most effective ways to deal with pain and muscle atrophy in dogs.
A regular swimming pool, dog pool, ocean or lake are wonderful resources to overweight and senior dogs as well as dogs who are in recovery from a surgery because they offer a weightless environment for the pup to move, have fun, and best of all, keep their muscles and joins in motion with little pain.
Help your aging pet fight muscle atrophy
Muscle atrophy is a medical condition when the mass of muscles deteriorates, resulting in muscle tissue loss, sometimes in localized areas and other times affecting multiple. Signs of muscle atrophy in dogs include depression, lethargy, paw dragging, weakness, lameness, and noticeably thinning muscles.
Canine muscle atrophy is commonly seen in senior dogs or those who suffered injury and were on crate-rest for an extended amount of time with little to no activity. There are also several other causes for the this condition, and below is everything pet owners must know about muscle atrophy in dogs. Pinpointing the exact cause of dog muscle atrophy will help you prevent or more effectively treat this condition quickly with better results.