What are good low-impact exercises to build my dog's muscles?

A wheelchair won't help build muscles in Hazel's back legs. I recommend swimming. It's a excellent low impact exercise that helps build muscles. Ask her vet if there is a hydrotherapy center in your area that you can take her to in order to go swimming and build up her muscles. I hope this helps!

Thanks for your question, and let me say that Tyson is a handsome guy. Unfortunately, strength training/muscle building typically requires some type of resistance, which (ask any veterinarian who is certified in physical therapy!) can be difficult to get dogs to participate in. We often use machines like treadmills that are build into tanks in which water can be added, so that we can add resistance to a relatively normal activity like walking on a treadmill. If you can find a place for Tyson to swim once the weather warms up, water provides great natural resistance. I'd also suggest (and I know that this isn't what you asked, but I'm hoping this will be helpful) you look at exactly what and how much you're feeding him to ensure that he's not getting too much. I'd say from the pictures he's in pretty good shape, but maybe just needs to firm up a bit and lose perhaps 2 - 3 pounds.

It sounds like she may have some pain in her hips if she tends to shake her legs when the hips are extended. Consider a glucosamine joint supplement, and keep her at a healthy weight-- short to medium walks are great if she tolerates them well. An underwater treadmill is also a great way to get in some good exercise and keep the leg muscles strong. You can also train her to do "sit to stand" exercises, which are essentially squats. When done regularly, these exercises can be very helpful in building and maintaining muscles of the hips that help keep them comfortable and mobile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i2DofIWDxI Thank you for asking PetCoach!

Dogs with hip dysplasia should be thin to reduce the discomfort so I’m glad you are getting him on a diet. Swimming is the best exercise to maintain his fitness, lose weight and protect his hips from further arthritis. You can also take him to a Rehabilitation veterinarian and they can give you specific exercises to do at home and he can walk in an underwater treadmill to keep his rear legs strong. I do recommend giving an omega 3 supplement as well as a joint supplement to reduce inflammation and improve the joint health. If he’s very painful then getting pain medication from your veterinarian may be needed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sakthi.

More exercise! Long walks or jogs, stairs, hiking, and swimming are good exercises. Also, make sure Sharon is on a good quality, high protein diet to help lay down muscle. I like Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice Formula.

OK, yeah, early arthritis is likely just an educated guess, but a good one for German Shepherds, because they do tend to get arthritis more commonly. It could be a soft tissue injury or something else causing the limp. A 2/9 BCS is rather surprising. Usually a shelter would not adopt them out at that low of condition. It's best to have a vet confirm the BCS, because we do this all the time. I've known many German Shepherds that are naturally around a 3-4 and do great. The scientific evidence shows u that skinny dogs live longer and are healthier, so if she is otherwise healthy and getting good nutrition, then I would not worry too much. She should have food that is labeled for adult maintenance at this time. If you want to get some muscle on her, then it's going to get her exercise everyday. Start by walking her for 30 minutes a day. If she does that OK (not limping or sluggish afterwards) over a week's time, then start to do a 1 hour walk. If she's handling that well over a week or two, then you can start slowly adding in running and agility. For agility, you will need to find a course and probably a trainer. For running, you can either run with her or find a way to make her run - like chasing a ball or playing at the dog park. Again, start slow - like 15 minutes, then work your way up to 1-3 hours a day. It all really depends on how much time you have. However, these dogs were born to work/exercise, so the more you do, the better it is for her physically and mentally (bored German Shepherds tend to cause a lot of trouble). If you find that she is not gaining muscle with the exercise and is still very thin, then you can try getting a dog food labeled for athletes. This has a considerable amount more calories and is usually only given to working dogs (military, police, sled dogs).

You can consider having acupuncture done on Benji, which may help with the pain from the leg muscle. Hydrotherapy (swimming) is good for dogs with injuries as it helps build muscles in a low impact manner and the warm water is soothing. Finally, you can see the vet for pain medications. Please do not give Benji any human pain medications as many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given.