Bones growing too fast? Help please :(

emma21

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Hello,

Took my 13 week old bracco italiano to the vets today and she says that he will have to have an operation as the bones in one front leg are growing too fast?

I took him because i was abit worried as his left front leg shakes sometimes when he sits and just generally looked abit wonky... and were being referred to a specialist who is going to x ray him etc but its 90% hell need an op asap to slow the growth in one front leg.

i dont really know what to do now does anyone know exact name for this condiditon if it is one so i could google?

thank you sorry if its rambling and not making sense...
 

welshcobmad

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My little spaniel pup (9 weeks) has nobbly knees & they shake on occasion when she sits - vet said she's just growing & will sort itself out just to take it easy with her running about esp on surfaces with no grip like kitchen tiles. As if she'll grow into herself?
 

emma21

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Elliecjno1 - that's what he said at 9 weeks when I took him and asked. But as he is a large breed dog the growth is alot more so can cause slot more issues as such?
 

emma21

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What does his breeder say.

vet said it wasnt anything to do with parents or how id bought him up - apparntly some puppies are born like it. She said it wasnt uncommon.

i have spoken to the breeder tonight and she said to let her know every step of the way as such which of course i will do.

but what can she do? its not her fault?
 

welshcobmad

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Oh no :eek:( Didn't realise the size made a difference, mine is obv considerably smaller. Hope you get it sorted & it goes as well as it can. Best of luck Xx
 

emma21

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The original kao - she did but was a bit like "aaaah my baby needs an operation" but basically there's two bones in the leg and one of them is growing quicker? She said it's quite a simple operation and as he's young it'll heal quickly and be ok :) also its not hurting him and not affecting his walking etc so hes not limping but when he sits its quite bowed.

Elliecjno1- indeed lol. Didn't want you worrying about your puppies legs!!! Bet she is beautiful :) love spaniel puppies!! xx
 

Aru

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Your dog sounds like he may have an orthopedic condition where one bone in the front leg often the radius is growing at a faster weight than the other..eg ulna.its causing the leg to bend and bow in a way that will not be good for joints etc in later life and at the moment the way his ligaments muscles and tendons.

In none severe cases this may not be a serious issue as the bones will even out over time or have only mild bowing however in some dogs the changes are more extreme and an operation is required to fix the balance of the leg.

They are usually classed under the canine angular limb deformaties and are usually classed again as either valgus(facing outward paws) or varus(paws facing inwards) depending on which bone is causing the bend.(sorry for the technical terms and my terrible explanations of them) but if your the sort of person who likes to look things up those will help you get more information.....

the other condition it could be from the description is Elbow dysplasia,there are a few different types but i think it sounds more like the angular limb issue...

Hope this is of some help
 

CorvusCorax

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That's a pretty strong diagnosis to make on sight, on a baby dog who has a lot more growing to do.
Is it an expensive operation? Definitely contact the breeder, they may have a vet more used to dealing with their type of dogs.
 

karen_c

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Aru's description is pretty good and I am guessing this is what your vet suspects. This link might be useful to have a read of: angular limb deformity

I would go and see the specialist and let them see what they think when you have examined your pup - they may be happy to observe as your pup grows depending on what they find. You can always just go for the consultation and discuss with them then decide whether the x-rays etc seem necessary or not.
 

emma21

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Your dog sounds like he may have an orthopedic condition where one bone in the front leg often the radius is growing at a faster weight than the other..eg ulna.its causing the leg to bend and bow in a way that will not be good for joints etc in later life and at the moment the way his ligaments muscles and tendons.

In none severe cases this may not be a serious issue as the bones will even out over time or have only mild bowing however in some dogs the changes are more extreme and an operation is required to fix the balance of the leg.

They are usually classed under the canine angular limb deformaties and are usually classed again as either valgus(facing outward paws) or varus(paws facing inwards) depending on which bone is causing the bend.(sorry for the technical terms and my terrible explanations of them) but if your the sort of person who likes to look things up those will help you get more information.....

the other condition it could be from the description is Elbow dysplasia,there are a few different types but i think it sounds more like the angular limb issue...

Hope this is of some help

Yes! That is exactly what it is. Thank you im really glad, i will go and look it up; i just want to be as informed as possible.

I take it you are quite knowledgable, have you experienced it before?
 

emma21

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That's a pretty strong diagnosis to make on sight, on a baby dog who has a lot more growing to do.
Is it an expensive operation? Definitely contact the breeder, they may have a vet more used to dealing with their type of dogs.

Thats what I thought... The breeder is going to talk to some bracco people and see if anyone has experienced it before. But she did say her dogs legs looked "wonky" as puppies but straightened out and both parents have perfect hip and elbow scores so will wait and see...

Aru's description is pretty good and I am guessing this is what your vet suspects. This link might be useful to have a read of: angular limb deformity

I would go and see the specialist and let them see what they think when you have examined your pup - they may be happy to observe as your pup grows depending on what they find. You can always just go for the consultation and discuss with them then decide whether the x-rays etc seem necessary or not.

Thank you, that is indeed.

I will go and do obviously what the specialist suggests. The vet said its best to do it when pup is young as it will cause more damage as bones and joints keep growing... But will wait and see :(
 

CorvusCorax

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I would definitely get a second opinion. One vet at my own practise told me my dog had bad hips and would be off his legs by five (he is four now, was about two and a half at the time) because he was uncomfortable up on the table and when she manipulated his legs.
My normal vet x-rayed him not long after and said they were as good a set of plates as he has ever seen and he has been x-raying GSDs for the BVA for decades.
I also heard her tell another GSD owner who had just paid out £400 for a leg op that 'all GSDs get hip dysplasia eventually' - er, that's amazing, none of ours have, over many many years, we must be special.
Just trying to say, don't take everything at face value.
 

Aru

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Yes! That is exactly what it is. Thank you im really glad, i will go and look it up; i just want to be as informed as possible.

I take it you are quite knowledgable, have you experienced it before?

Im a Vet Student,one year...well 7 months left! eep :) so I have had the lectures on the limbs and am just going from my memory of them and your description.Im afraid I havent done my clinical rotation in surgery yet so havent seen any but mild cases first hand.I've seen a lot more in foals then in puppies.

There are a few different types of surgeries done on these cases so im not sure exactly which one your vet is referring to I am afraid but i know that in your shoes Id have liked the terms to see if i could find out more myself.

A specialist referral sounds like the best course of action though as a specialist will be able to judge better than a general practitioner...experience is worth so much in these sort of cases.But as they are quite a large breed there is the issue of more stress to the limb compared to a smaller dog like say a basset hound,which is probably why your vet is concerned.From your description it does not sound like you lads legs are straightening out as they should.

The problem also is related to the different growth plates and how they close at different times so the earlier the problem is noted the better,even if the specialist does not decide to operate now at least they can see the changes between the dog as a pup and as he grows and decide if it is correcting itself as he ages or can just decide that an earlier operation would get a better outcome.
 
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