Shaking in rear legs when going into a lying down position

[sech]

Hi, I have a great dane who is almost 8 1/2.  She is very healthy and just had her check up in November.  She is playful and active and loves to go for walks.  She is a lean great dane and always has been at approx 105 lbs.  We have noticed that her back legs shake when she is going into a lying down position and sometimes quite a bit.  She has shaken a bit in her back legs when sqatting to urinate for a while but it didn't seem excessive.  I started noticing the shaking when going  into a down position even more around the time of our older danes passing (perhaps we were so focused on her health issues we didn't notice the shaking...not really sure).  I didn't even think to mention this at her yearly check-up in November.  Could this be something serious?  We are good pet owners and I am sure we should bring her in and try and show the veterinarian what is happening but I just wondered if you could give me any insights first.  Thanks so much.  

[sech]

Dr. Goldman,

Thanks for the information.  We'll make an appointment with our veterinarian to see if any of the above apply to Gracie.

Happy New Year to you too!

Sarah

[Arnold L Goldman, D.V.M.]

Hi,

Your Dane may have a simple common problem - lumbo-sacral intervertebral disc disease with disc degeneration, partial vertebral fusion or other disorders of stability in this area casuing pain. Have your doctor take spinal xray images of the area, examine the dog for muscle mass decrement or pain int he area and then consider a pain relief medication for daily, chronic use for life. While something more serious may be possible, this is th most common reason for trouble sitting and squatting in the dog.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,


Arnold L. Goldman DVM, MS
MedHelp