Review nutritional support with your veterinarian. The vet took x-rays which showed her spine is fusing. We no longer let her go up and down the basement stairs because of the trouble with her hind legs. I would appreciate any help you could give me. It is common to have the bodies of the spine show signs of fusion in older dogs.
Radiographs show bone spurs trying to span the disc space between the vertebra.
This generally does not cause the dog to have problems walking. If the dog has pain when walking or climbing stairs, it could be from arthritis in the spine or in the hind limb joints. If the dog has a weak gait or sways when it walks there may be compression on the nerves in the spinal canal or as they exit from the canal. If there is minimal or no relief from the steroid, then you could switch to aspirin. Do this under the guidance of your veterinarian.