My small dog, who's now 10, has been biting his rear end a lot lately and I'm at a loss to know what's causing the irritation. I did think the bran I was putting on his food might have been the cause so I stopped it and for a few days things seemed to improve. But he's started doing it again, with a vengeance :rolleyes:

When I took him to the vets last week his anal glands were fine  - fleas and worms were also ruled out.  The vet felt around his lower back and legs and, because he felt very 'tight', he diagnosed the problem as arthritis in the hips.
I must admit I was quite thrown by this because there are no other symptoms whatsover. No mobility problems, no stiffness, he can still easily jump onto furniture and he has no difficulty raising either leg (really high !) to wee :) 

I know that an x-ray is the only way to confirm or refute the diagnosis but because of his age, anaesthetic is a risk I need to consider.  The vet prescribed metacam 'to see how he goes on' but I am reluctant to use it without knowing what exactly is causing the problem. A bit if a Catch 22 situation really :rolleyes:

Any ideas anyone, please ? :)

I've just had a thought - he doesn't have any hidden tangled or matted hair in the area does he?  That can cause a lot of irritation as it pulls when they move.

I did think of that, Annie, and I've cut away some of the hair at the base of his tail just in case there was a small tangle or knot.
But it looked OK really :rolleyes:

It's usually the 'trousers' of my 2 that knot up and it takes very careful examination sometimes to find them. :)  Sorry if it isn't that though as that would have been a nice easy solution.