Elbow Dysplasia

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My little Tekel (Dachshund) developed antebrachial issues when he was under a year old. Vet quote was £7000'ish for an op that might (or might not) "fix it". If it didn't then it would be Goodbye.........

I'm not insured and even if I had been I'm not sure I would have gone ahead. His leg has grown deformed as the ulna and radius bones grew differently, and yes he limps along a bit.

I bought him a little wheelchair (Wheels4Dogs) - he does use it, but it needs to be a good flat surface like a road, which isn't easy to find out here in the countryside! I have found that a little leg-support/splint does help him. It isn't easy finding the right size in proper fixed doggy-splints!

He manages. Is a happy little dog and that's what matters.

 

[clairebearnz]

My childhood Lab had elbow dysplasia in both elbows, had surgery, and they eventually fused. Aside from the initial pre-surgery lameness, he never had an issue with them doing normal pet dog stuff including running 10k+ with my sister. He lived to just over 15 and will forever be the goodest of boys.

 

[Xmasha]

My childhood Lab had elbow dysplasia in both elbows, had surgery, and they eventually fused. Aside from the initial pre-surgery lameness, he never had an issue with them doing normal pet dog stuff including running 10k+ with my sister. He lived to just over 15 and will forever be the goodest of boys.

That’s wonderful, and such a relief to hear . Stirling is one of the those who deserves the same title ‘goodest of boys’ Thank you x

 

[Xmasha]

My little Tekel (Dachshund) developed antebrachial issues when he was under a year old. Vet quote was £7000'ish for an op that might (or might not) "fix it". If it didn't then it would be Goodbye.........

I'm not insured and even if I had been I'm not sure I would have gone ahead. His leg has grown deformed as the ulna and radius bones grew differently, and yes he limps along a bit.

I bought him a little wheelchair (Wheels4Dogs) - he does use it, but it needs to be a good flat surface like a road, which isn't easy to find out here in the countryside! I have found that a little leg-support/splint does help him. It isn't easy finding the right size in proper fixed doggy-splints!

He manages. Is a happy little dog and that's what matters.

He’s been through the mill , so glad you’ve found something to keep him happy

 

[Xmasha]

He’s feeling so much better today . Back to taking my shoes for a walk

 

[Xmasha]

We are now up to 2 x 10 minute walks per day , and he’s definitely feeling / moving so much better . He seems to be really springing in his walk now . I was a little worried last week as he limped a few times after rest, but vet assured me that was normal and to be expected. But this week he’s been sound .
I’ve reduced his feed a little , what do you more experienced folk think to his weight ?

 

[wren123]

I'm pleased he's doing so well.
Difficult to see his weight from your photo but he looks OK weight wise, does he have a waist?

 

[SilverLinings]

Only just seen this thread, poor you and Stirling having to go through surgery at quite a young age. It was lovely to get to your last post @Asha and see that he is doing well. I hope that he makes a complete recovery, he is a lovely dog

 

[Xmasha]

I'm pleased he's doing so well.
Difficult to see his weight from your photo but he looks OK weight wise, does he have a waist?

Thanks , he does have a waist, I’m just wondering if it should be a little more defined . I will try and get a better photo x

 

[Xmasha]

Only just seen this thread, poor you and Stirling having to go through surgery at quite a young age. It was lovely to get to your last post @Asha and see that he is doing well. I hope that he makes a complete recovery, he is a lovely dog

Thank you . It’s such a relief , he’s just the most wonderful boy . A great mix of cuddly and funny

 

[skinnydipper]

You shouldn't be able to see his ribs but you should be able to feel them.

 

[Xmasha]

You shouldn't be able to see his ribs but you should be able to feel them.

We can definitely feel them without poking

 

[Clodagh]

I cannot judge the show type ones. With Brandy having soundness issues though we also erred on the side of her being light. But I suspect my (working type) are, this time of year, a bit thin.

 

[Clodagh]

Except Tawny, long retired, who is a bit fat.

 

[Xmasha]

Except Tawny, long retired, who is a bit fat.

Mmm , Stirling is like that . But as a show type is that ok ? Or should I reduce is feed even more ? Just while he’s on restricted exercise?

 

[Clodagh]

I really don’t know! His waist is insufficiently defined, to my eyes, but it’s so hard when they can’t exercise.
Sorry. Tawny is a working bred but quite traditional looking. My others you can see the back ribs, just about.

 

[wren123]

Mine was show type and I would have wanted a little more waist definition than that (sorry stirling!), but do check with your vet mine was a bitch, yours being a dog may have bigger bones,.

 

[Xmasha]

Mine was show type and I would have wanted a little more waist definition than that (sorry stirling!), but do check with your vet mine was a bitch, yours being a dog may have bigger bones,.

The old big boned argument . I say that about myself
I will reduce his feed x

 

[Xmasha]

Stirling has had his check up and I’m gutted. Still not right, so we have to reduce his walks from 2 x 10 min walks to 3 x 5 min walks . Another check up in 4 weeks to reassess .
On a positive note vet was very pleased with his weight . Said he’s nice and lean and he can feel all his ribs .
I’m very worried now that it’s all been for nothing .
What do you do with a young lab who is uncomfortable. Can he spend years on pain relief ?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I am so sorry to see your update. I think you have to keep a young Lab on pain relief, if he has chronic pain. What else can you do? Lead only exercise is OK in the short term for rehab but they love to play and run. While I wouldn't be throwing balls for him, I wouldn't want to restrict him forever. As always, imho quality of life trumps quantity. I do hope that your vet can find a solution. Would hydrotherapy help?

 

[Xmasha]

I am so sorry to see your update. I think you have to keep a young Lab on pain relief, if he has chronic pain. What else can you do? Lead only exercise is OK in the short term for rehab but they love to play and run. While I wouldn't be throwing balls for him, I wouldn't want to restrict him forever. As always, imho quality of life trumps quantity. I do hope that your vet can find a solution. Would hydrotherapy help?

Thanks PAS . I asked about hydrotherapy and he’s in favour of that . So I’m looking for somewhere local to take him .
He’s done so well so far with the restricted walks , but I just know he’s desperate for a proper play .

 

[Clodagh]

I am so sorry that (at the moment) it’s not better news.
Long term he can live on pain relief, if it is effective and it works. If he lives pain free for 5 years then has issues as a result of long term meds that’s better than 10 years limping.
I couldn’t restrict a dogs exercise for ever. With Brandy as long as she didn’t jump on and off chairs/cars or do stairs we just let her carry on.
Hydrotherapy helps them to maintain the muscles on joints and I have heard good things about it.

 

[skinnydipper]

? ask your vet if stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma would be a treatment option.

 

[Xmasha]

I am so sorry that (at the moment) it’s not better news.
Long term he can live on pain relief, if it is effective and it works. If he lives pain free for 5 years then has issues as a result of long term meds that’s better than 10 years limping.
I couldn’t restrict a dogs exercise for ever. With Brandy as long as she didn’t jump on and off chairs/cars or do stairs we just let her carry on.
Hydrotherapy helps them to maintain the muscles on joints and I have heard good things about it.

Thanks for that. Thats where my head is at.

? ask your vet if stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma would be a treatment option.

weve another meeting in 4 weeks, so i will mention that. Is that something that can be done as well as him having the arthroscopy ? off to google that

 

[wren123]

I’m so sorry to read this.
As you may recall our lab had arthritis in one elbow for many years. We only avoided throwing balls and sticks and lifted her down from the car in terms of restricting her exercise.
For a good few years Yumove Advance 360, the strongest supplement they do kept her pain free. Then she had librela which was excellent, she was really rejuvenated, we’d come down in the morning and she’d be bouncing around at 14!
A ski instructor acquaintance had prp on his knee and said it was excellent so worth looking into it.

 

[JJS]

Stirling has had his check up and I’m gutted. Still not right, so we have to reduce his walks from 2 x 10 min walks to 3 x 5 min walks . Another check up in 4 weeks to reassess .
On a positive note vet was very pleased with his weight . Said he’s nice and lean and he can feel all his ribs .
I’m very worried now that it’s all been for nothing .
What do you do with a young lab who is uncomfortable. Can he spend years on pain relief ?

I’ve only just seen this thread but wanted to say you have my sympathies and my understanding. Aria is a very similar age to Stirling (15 months) and has also had a lot of health issues already.

Like Stirling, she came from health-tested parents. However, she has stunted growth (possibly from poor placental placement in utero) and had Legg-Calve-Perthes in both hips. None of this is genetic - it’s just incredibly bad luck.

In her case, she had to have a double FHO. Her right hip was operated on at seven months and her left at 10 months. It was only several months after that that we were able to take her off painkillers completely, but if we hadn’t been able to keep her that way, she would have been on them indefinitely. It’s a route we were 100 percent comfortable going down if it was necessary to give her the quality of life she deserves.

She’s also about to start hydrotherapy on Monday, so we’re hoping that will help even more. It’s been a long old road, but seeing her now has made it all worthwhile. Yes, she’ll never run quite as fast as other dogs or be able to jump in the car by herself, but she has a wonderful quality of life and doesn’t feel sorry for herself in the slightest.

I’m sure Stirling will get there too. For me, the most important thing is just to take each day as it comes and find a vet team you really trust. I honestly feel the latter has made all the difference for Aria, and they couldn’t be more committed to giving her the best possible quality of life and going above and beyond to get her there.

 

[Xmasha]

I’ve only just seen this thread but wanted to say you have my sympathies and my understanding. Aria is a very similar age to Stirling (15 months) and has also had a lot of health issues already.

Like Stirling, she came from health-tested parents. However, she has stunted growth (possibly from poor placental placement in utero) and had Legg-Calve-Perthes in both hips. None of this is genetic - it’s just incredibly bad luck.

In her case, she had to have a double FHO. Her right hip was operated on at seven months and her left at 10 months. It was only several months after that that we were able to take her off painkillers completely, but if we hadn’t been able to keep her that way, she would have been on them indefinitely. It’s a route we were 100 percent comfortable going down if it was necessary to give her the quality of life she deserves.

She’s also about to start hydrotherapy on Monday, so we’re hoping that will help even more. It’s been a long old road, but seeing her now has made it all worthwhile. Yes, she’ll never run quite as fast as other dogs or be able to jump in the car by herself, but she has a wonderful quality of life and doesn’t feel sorry for herself in the slightest.

I’m sure Stirling will get there too. For me, the most important thing is just to take each day as it comes and find a vet team you really trust. I honestly feel the latter has made all the difference for Aria, and they couldn’t be more committed to giving her the best possible quality of life and going above and beyond to get her there.

So sorry to read about Aria . Sounds like she’s really been through the mill ( and you ! )
but it’s great that she’s happy in herself and that she has an owner willing to go the extra mile for her .
Stirling sounds very much like Aria , just a happy pup with a zest for life . What pain relief was she on ? Stirling isn’t on any at the minute as the vets want him to be as quiet as possible ( not easy for a lab )
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, it’s really helped . I’ve been feeling a bit down about it as I just expected that the ops would fix him completely. But reading your post has made me realise it’s early days .
I hope the hydrotherapy helps Aria , could you let me know how it goes ? As I’ve just made an enquiry locally, just need a referral from the vets .

 

[JJS]

So sorry to read about Aria . Sounds like she’s really been through the mill ( and you ! )
but it’s great that she’s happy in herself and that she has an owner willing to go the extra mile for her .
Stirling sounds very much like Aria , just a happy pup with a zest for life . What pain relief was she on ? Stirling isn’t on any at the minute as the vets want him to be as quiet as possible ( not easy for a lab )
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, it’s really helped . I’ve been feeling a bit down about it as I just expected that the ops would fix him completely. But reading your post has made me realise it’s early days .
I hope the hydrotherapy helps Aria , could you let me know how it goes ? As I’ve just made an enquiry locally, just need a referral from the vets .

Aria also had a lot of stomach issues as a puppy, so we couldn’t have anything that was too hard on her tummy. She was on a few different tablets immediately post-surgery, but carprox was the pain relief she was on long term (I think she ended up being on it for around eight months in total, both pre- and post-FHO procedures).

I’ll absolutely update you on the hydrotherapy front. We did a fair amount of outdoor swimming this spring and summer once we’d gotten the go ahead from the vet, and it seemed to help her hugely. So we’re hoping the hydrotherapy will be even more beneficial, and we already know she’s a huge water baby!

 

[Xmasha]

Aria also had a lot of stomach issues as a puppy, so we couldn’t have anything that was too hard on her tummy. She was on a few different tablets immediately post-surgery, but carprox was the pain relief she was on long term (I think she ended up being on it for around eight months in total, both pre- and post-FHO procedures).

I’ll absolutely update you on the hydrotherapy front. We did a fair amount of outdoor swimming this spring and summer once we’d gotten the go ahead from the vet, and it seemed to help her hugely. So we’re hoping the hydrotherapy will be even more beneficial, and we already know she’s a huge water baby!

That’s one of the good things about labs isn’t it , they just love the water . Stirling is going to love it !
Stirling had tummy issues when he was younger as well . We finally found that it was chicken that he was allergic to.

 

[Xmasha]

Sorry for endless posts on this ! But I had a visit from Stirlings breeder . She can’t see any lameness .

What do you guys think ?