Border Collie Illness / Homoelipathic Vet.

Question.
Max, my one-year-old Border Collie bas a mystery illness which began when he was about seven months old. One day after playing football in the garden we noticed he looked a bit stiff in the evening. 'The next day he became stiff again. He now looks uncomfortable when he is sitting, then has to heave his back end up to stand; as he starts to walk he shuffles his back legs and they cross over slightly.

After several visits to the vet I asked if we could !lave him X-rayed, as he wasn't improving. This showed that two vertebrae were closer together than the others and a slipped disc was suspected. He was given tablets and had to be confined as much as possible. A myelogram to see the disc and nerves showed nothing wrong.

Max was then referred to an orthopaedic specialist who found nothing wrong and suggested videoing Max while he was having a bad attack. When he saw this he suggested an MRI scan, which came back all clear.

After this he improved for a while but has since gone downhill again. What could be wrong with him?  Both the vet and the specialist are baffled.

Answer 1.
Homoelipathic vet
Megan Kearney says:

It is always frustrating when your dog has extensive examinations and tests and no abnormality is found. It is good news that nothing serious has been discovered. I assume that obvious auto-immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis are excluded. It is hard to say what your dog's problem may be without having seen him but one possibility is myofascial pain. Human medicine recognizes this condition as a cause of chronic pain but the veterinary profession has been slow to follow the medics' lead.

Myofascial pain is pain arising from an active myofascial trigger point. A myofascial trigger point
is  tender point in a taut band of muscle which can cause referred pain.

It is estimated that in UK human general practice up to 20 per cent of consultations result from myofascial pain. The good news is that acupuncture is an excellent treatment for it.

Please take your dog to an experienced veterinary acupuncturist for an assessment and treatment. You can find your nearest specialist by contacting the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncture on tel. 020 7937 8215 or the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society on the website www.ivas.org

Answer 2.
Vet Robe.rta Baxter says:

Unfortunately there is little I can suggest that will help you. You've had all the relevant further investigations done and no abnormalities have been found, despite the fact that there obviously is a problem.

Tests have cleared his heart and lungs, limbs and spine, and I can't think of any other tests that would be indicated. You may however, find that acupuncture is useful to help with muscle relaxation and pain relief, and this may be an avenue to consider.

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