rear legs

my 7 year old cross ***** is shaking in her hind quarters and is quite stiff and straight legged.

[Myown]

Sounds like arthritus or maybe its her back - hips.  You should bring her to a vet. My dog is large and is also stiff in the morning when she first gets up. She has had problems with her legs - torn meniscus and other problems. She was operated on. I have her on "ArthriPower." It has Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM in it. I got it on line at vitacostdotcom.
Hope your dog feels better soon. Oh, also my vet says to give her massages which I was doing already anyhow. I have no choice,she pokes her nose under my arm until I do it. But I don't mind doing it. She's my little 130lb baby. Actually she just lost 4 lbs, so she is no longer 130, but the vet wants her to lose alot more. It will be better for her legs if she was less weight.
MO

[ace510]

my large dog is having trouble with his hind legs he has trouble walking and sitting and doing his business what could be his problem

[Ghilly]

Seven years old doesn't sound all that old, but since not all breeds have the same life expectancy it depends on the breed whether or not the dog is actually a senior dog at this point.  Senior dogs are prone to all sorts of ailments, just like senior people.  The weather affects them negatively once their joints start to become arthritic and hurt them, and sometimes a dog can have hip dysplasia its entire life and the owner doesn't even know it until the dog reaches the age of seven or eight, and then even slight arthritic changes are enough to cause a lot of discomfort.

It would be best to make an appointment with your vet to have him check out your dog's hips to make sure hip dysplasia isn't responsible for the discomfort she's feeling right now.  You can also start her on a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement.  If arthritis is part of the problem, the glucosamine and chondroitin will help to rebuild the cartilage that wears away because of the arthritis and will make her more comfortable.

Please keep us posted as to what the vet says.

Ghilly