Advice please for limp/pain

[Samparr]

My 7 year old MS Reg kept biting at his back leg I thought he had been stung or rubbed against nettles.
The irritation came and went over a couple of weeks but we had a really bad night when he was obviously in a lot of pain- he couldn't settle and cried.
I took him to the vets and had a full set of xrays that show absolutely nothing.
He runs with no problem there is no limp. He occasionally gets up and seems stiff on the leg.
Can anyone help I am at a loss.

[Oscar 12345]

Hi Sam, maybe it is a muscle strain which wouldn't show up on x-rays. Has he been allowed to have some real rest to help recover from any injury? I would also consider putting him on YuMove which is a natural joint supplement that does give good results for dogs if the pain is to do with joints. It takes a small number of weeks to take effect but it really worked for my schnauzer who got stiff back legs. He was a lot older though and Reg does sound young to be having pain in the joints but it is possible and if YuMove sorts it then great and if there is no improvement then no harm done either.

[zeta1454]

Hi Sam - sorry to hear about Reg being in pain. It is of course impossible for anyone but a vet to diagnose the cause of his problem or suggest treatment but just to add to Julie's advice above a couple of suggestions.

X-rays are limited in what they can reveal about certain issues. They will not help, for example, if the problem originates in the spinal cord such as a herniated disc, while issues such as slipping patella (patella luxation) where the knee joint randomly slips out of place causing sudden sharp pain is usually diagnosed by simple manipulation of the leg by the vet. An MRI scan might help reveal issues not shown on the X-rays but that depends on whether you feel that the problem is severe enough to put Reg through more anaesthetic and stress "just in case" the procedure is helpful.

A canine chiropractor may be able to pick up if there is a spinal misalignment or other minor physical issue which can be easily remedied. Pain in one part of the body (such as the hind leg of a dog) may actually originate somewhere else and not be an issue with the leg as such. A professional canine chiropractor will want a referral or at least consent from your vet to undertake an examination and treatment but for certain issues in dogs this is an excellent way of correcting problems without sedation or stress for the dog. It really does depend on the diagnosis of the issue though.

Good luck and I do hope you can discover the cause. Let us know how things go with Reg too