Worried about elbow dysplasia

Finn is limping again and a week of almost complete forced rest due to his neuter has not resolved it. It's his front right leg, and it has given him problems before. The first time he started limping it resolved in about a week.

This second time it's not resolving. Vet checkup tomorrow.

I'm concerned about elbow dysplasia because there was no trauma that I could see and I can't find anything in his paw.

Limping is worse when he has exercise. He has also historically been stiff after naps if he's had a lot of exercise.

He's 8 months old

Of course, this isn't confirmed yet, but I doubt anything is broken and a strain/sprain would have likely cleared up by now (yea or nay?).

Should I definitely get X-rays? From what I've read the earlier it's diagnosed the better?

 

Oh dear , so sorry that you have this worry ongoing . I would definitely ask for Xrays , much better to know early on if there is a problem , and if there isn't , then its peace of mind for you , wishing you luck x

 

Good luck at the vets. I'd go for the xrays - then you'll know what, if anything, you're dealing with and be able to formulate a way forward if necessary.

 

I hope you get good news from the vet. I will keep my fingers crossed for lovely Finn. xxx

 

Yes, I would ask for X-rays as well. Even if it's just for peace of mind. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

 

I'm with the others, I'd be asking for x-rays too. Fingers crossed here. x

 

I was worried a few months ago about Harley as she had a few occurances of limping on her back left leg. X-Ray's didn't show anything, but t was worth paying the cost to get it checked properly. Hers is tight muscles that she now has massage for monthly. Always better to know than not know.

 

I would check xrays too it's best to know and these days there are lots of options, but hopefully things will be ok

 

Really sorry to hear of Finn's second episode of limping. Having a dog diagnosed with ED at 7 months of age I would say it is essential to have x-rays done ASAP to try and discover what is going on. We also needed a MRI to give a definitive diagnosis as the x-rays were unclear. Fingers crossed that there is nothing to worry about but please let us know how you get on at the vet.

 

Thanks for the support guys. Hoping it's nothing or just something simple, but with it ongoing the way it is I'm getting a bit worried. I will update after we see the vet. Def going to get X-rays to rule out some stuff.

110% glad I put him on pet insurance right away!

 

Do hope it's nothing ... Fingers crossed.

 

Hi there,
I agree with you getting X-rays....hopefully it won't be what you are fearing but if it is it's better to know and then be able to make a plan from there.Best of luck
X

 

Without doubt get x-rays as soon as possible if you are not happy get a second opinion. My girl was diagnosed with ED at 5 months, I've written a couple of threads on the forum. It has been a long painful journey with two lots of surgery, we have good days and bad days but on the whole she is unbelievably amazing and has turned into the dog of my dreams.

Good luck x

 

Hi all,

X-Rays were inconclusive - aka they didn't show anything glaring. The vet said he didn't see anything that stood out to him as being anything but possibly mildly dysplasic.

He wants to put Finn on a round of anti-inflammatories, have him rest a bit more, and go from there. He doesn't think an invasive scope or CT scan is worth it right now.

He also said some dogs grow out of it. Not sure if he meant grow out of early dysplasia or grow out of intermittent limps.

Those who know more about elbow dysplasia, what do you think of this?

Given that he was also rather unhelpful with the fly biting and possible food allergies, I'm going to give it a couple weeks then get a second opinion. Sent out a mass Facebook message asking for vet recommendations from my friends and got a couple good leads.

 

I think you are wise to ask for a second opinion ,if nothing else it will ease your mind , good luck

 

Hi there,
Just thought I'd give you our experience, apologies if you've read this before.

We thought Monty seemed a bit stiff from about 4 1/2 months onwards. Couldn't quite decide if it was front or back legs, just something odd in his gait. He had bigger issues of getting rid of giardia at the time, and we/vet put it down to overdoing it a bit. However at a little over 6 months we decided on an xray, combined with castration.
The xrays showed without doubt HD in his left leg, with not quite perfect hip joint in right (but not yet dysplastic) However elbows were fine on xrays. Only a few days later, when checking his stitches from castration, a different vet commented on his front legs, just from seeing him walk - along the lines of 'in my opinion there's something not right with his elbows'. At that stage we were worried about his hips which actually had been diagnosed.

Roll on a few months during which not much changed or improved, and we got a referral to a physio vet. She did a gait analysis (really interesting to see) and a full all body manipulation, much more thorough than our original vet did.

She concluded that the problems were wider than the hips alone, and suggested further x rays but more importantly a CT scan. We went back to vets for another xray, which at this point (12-13 months) showed up ED.

We then saw two different ortho surgeons (I wasn't quite happy with the first one), the 2nd wasn't really interested in the xrays and suggested a CT scan which they did on site that day -( in fact the xray quality was questionable by all 3 vets ) as they said only a CT scan would give them a true picture. They also scanned hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles, spine.

The verdict was pretty rubbish - his elbows were almost as bad as they could be, his hip joints awful, with the onset of arthritis in ankles / wrists - good news - his shoulders and spine are ok

But, the good news is, that over two years on from this -after what seemed like a truly horrendous diagnosis - Monty is doing fab, and has probably never been fitter or had more stamina - yes, his exercise his restricted, and he will be on medication for the rest of his life, but he is a truly happy dog.


My thoughts -don't be afraid to ask for a 2nd opinion, don't rely on xrays as they don't show everything (not to scare you in any way, but simply on our experience , and the fact that if you are referred to a specialist, a CT scan shows infinitely more and is much more accurate and valued by them) and that, most importantly whatever the outcome, you will all adapt.

I truly can't believe all this time on, Monty hasn't has surgery (touch wood) and, in his last MOT, is as thin, strong and with as well - developed muscles as we could hope for. We are even starting to reduce his daily anti inflammatory medicine to see if he is ok on a smaller dose.

Don't know where you are, but I could let you know the whereabouts of the vets we have been happy with over the years, in relation to ortho specialisms.


As I said at the start, this is only our experience, and you may well have others who have quite different experiences. Good luck and wishing you well for a long, healthy and happy life with Finn

 

From what I've read, they wouldn't grow out of Dysplasia, but might well grow out of the intermittent limps - growing pains, I guess?

 

Very interesting leejane. I'm in California and I'm thinking of seeking out a new general vet to help me rule out a food allergy (for his fly biting and ear infections). But aside from that I would like to see a vet that will be a bit more thorough in assessing Finn's gait - he has a DEFINITE hitch in his walk, which my vet yesterday was not interested in even trying to see. Very frustrating! He has 80% coverage now on all diagnostics and procedures going forward, but it's still no fun shelling out lots of money. But, I want him to be healthy and happy!

 

@FinnOfSoCal -well, you're too far away to recommend our vet... She's good but not that good!!!

The gait analysis was fascinating - we got a colour print out showing each paw placement over 10 metres. My first question was, if all his joints (on all 4 legs) are bad, then won't they just balance each other out?

The answer is no, they can measure how much pressure is put through each foot, and just as important, the stride length - a shorter length indicates more discomfort and less flexibility. Even more interesting, we got his gait re-done about 8 months after the first, and it was much improved. I'd look for a vet who specialises in physiotherapy and rehab, ours offers hydrotherapy (treadmill) acupuncture, and lasers, all of which we've used. If he needs surgery, I'll go to a specialist ortho surgeon.

 

My vet couldn't see anything wrong with our x-rays but sent them on to an orthopaedic specialist for review. He diagnosed a problem but it was the scan that revealed the full details. We started with a limp on the left front leg which resolved after restricted exercise and a course of metacam. Our next limping episode started on the right and alternated between right and left. The scan revealed that it was the right elbow causing the problem - the left s perfectly normal.

Unfortunately a pup doesn't grow out of dysplasia but without proper assessment, treatment and appropriate life choices made it could become worse . Can you ask the vet to refer the x-rays to a specialist for review as a first step?