Hind legs advice!

My boy is 10 years old is suffering from back pain that shows in his back legs and tail movement (see video attached) I’ve been to many vets in our country couldn’t tell exactly what is the reason (no mri) so they suggested that the nerves in his back are inflamed that’s why he can’t use his tail and back legs as he used to and this makes him lose muscles too Nothing they can offer to help but a NSAID for humans (mobic) and they can’t prescribe it for more than a week every now and then because it will damage the liver and kidney.. So for a week my boy was good but after he finished the dose (7days) he got back again to walk like it shows in the vidoe My cousin lives in US and will come back to visit in August, can you please suggest any type of pain relief that my boy can take on daily basis without harming his liver or kidney, something that my cousin can buy without prescription? If there’s nothing over the counter, do you know if it’s possible that my cousin can go to a vet in his state (Tennessee) and the vet can prescribe something? I’m trying to get my boy the best but I feel so helpless so please try to advice me what can I get him from USA that might help, anything that will help! Please see fb post on the group to view the video of him walking! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/kbz9ED7gAWhAF986/?

Hello - and what a golden oldie.  I am a UK vet, and very aware that prescribing rules may vary from State to State across America; I will answer this question with the UK system in mind.   I can see that he is walking stiffly, but I am a little confused by the overall picture.  The first thing that may need to be established, is whether or not your dog has liver or kidney problems.  If he does, then your vet ought to be able to prescribe other forms of pain releif, sometimes 'off-license,' in order to keep him as comfortable as possible.  If the kidneys and liver are coping well, then the regular NSAIDs licensed in pets have fairly comprehensive research behind them and your vets should be able to help you to make sensible decisions regarding their use.  There are some drugs that can be used to treat arthritis off-license which, depending on other issues that your dog may or may not be at risk of, they may be happy to prescribe.  Again, sometimes a urine test is needed to assess kidney function and sometimes bloods are required to assess the liver before such decisions can be safely made.  Regarding the MRI, I suspect that if your vet has gone so far as to suggest one, they will have done a neurological exam in order to establish the location of a suspected spinal lesion.  An MRI is only useful if it is going to make any difference to the treatment - something else to ask your vet about.  Sometimes, that money is better spent of pain releif and blood tests.  Finally, some lameness is caused by pain and some by neurological issues (and some by both!) and no amount of pain releif will solve a neurological problem.  Your vet will help you to understand your particular pets' case.

Good questions for your vets:  1) What are your main concerns about my dogs' gait?  Is he in pain?   2) If so, what drugs should we be using to treat this, why, and what are the side-effects?   3) Are there any alternatives and why are they 'alternatives' not the main reccommendations?   4) Can we progress straight to the alternatives - and if not, why not?   Given your questions, I hope that this conversation will help you to make good use of your apppointment.