hello everyone I’m new to the site but wanted to ask some advice. My gorgeous chocolate lab ..Charlie, will be 7 in October. He has been limping so I took him for x rays, which have shown elbow dysphasia on both front legs, vet says quite severe, although he is not limping all the time. First had symptom in November after jumping for the ball but it settled. My dilemma is do I proceed with surgery, which would mean 2separate operations to fix both legs. I could raise the money so that’s not my main concern ( although it is a huge sum!) My main concern is how he copes when at the vet He absolutely hates it, starts shaking, gets so scared whenever we have to go Just for the x Ray he needed two lots of sedation and was whining for 2days afterwards ( I don’t think it was pain I think he was just upset) He is walking ok, potters, sniffs, even runs now and then, still humps his favourite teddy ( he has been neutered but still loves big ted!) He isn’t currently on Metacam, vet says the can also try regular paracetamol Could try physio and hydrotherapy I am switching to food with joint support Also looking at one of the dog trailers so we can cycle to the park, then let him walk on the grass, rather than walk on pavements to get there which can be 20-30 mins ( we live in London) I am on my own so trying to make the right decision for him, not just think about how hard it is for me seeing him in pain I know this is a progressive condition but if I put him through these 2operations, then later in life, he gets problems with his hips, do I then put him through it all again? Or do we just live with it and minimise the trauma for him? Anyone had to deal with it with either outcome ? What has your experience been? With hanks CC
Hi there, I don't have experience of elbow dysplasia, @Jojo83 is probably a better person to share her experience. My girl has hip dyplasia and has done brilliantly without surgery - she was diagnose under 12 months and is now 8.5 and not even on painkillers. My understanding of it was that elbows are better to be fixed however. It's tough but probably worth it. Sorry you are having to deal with the uncertainty of all this jac
Hi there, I have a dog with both HD and ED, left elbow being in a right state. My phone battery is about to die, I'll post again properly very soon. But just to say elbows are a very complicated joint and any elbow surgery should not be undertaken lightly.
Hi @cc and Charlie and welcome to the forum , even if it is because of elbow problems . My choccie girl first limped at 5.5 months old and we went on a restricted exercise regime (2 × 15 minute on lead walks a day) together with Metacam and she responded well. Then at 7.5 - 8 months she started limping again . Our vet did x-rays which were sent to a specialist for their opinion. X-rays were taken under sedation and Jen was not a happy little girl afterwards - she whined and wimpered. The specialist diagnosed ED, made an appointment for us to see him for full examination and referred us for a scan. The scan confirmed our diagnosis in the right elbow. We had the surgery within 10 days of the scan and went through 3 months of restricted exercise and gradual rehabilitation. Exercise immediately after surgery for the first 2 weeks was 3 x 3 minutes of exercise a day and crate rest for the rest of the day. We attended hydrotherapy once a week for 8 seesions when the stitches were out to aid the rehab. We've lived a reasonably comfortable life, although we always moderate exercise and don't allow jumping etc., since then until late summer last year when Jen was showing some discomfort. The vet recommended a course of cartrophen and all was well even if the effects didn't last as long as hoped for. This year has been a bit of a struggle as she has reacted to painkillers and NSAIDs although we're planning to re-try next month. We have a new hydrotherapy centre we attended weekly and exercise on a treadmill which is making a real difference to her gait and leg extension. I don't regret her having the operation, although with her form of ED there was no other choice. Life may not be perfect and we battle against arthritis but she is happy and has fun playing with her doggy friends, doing zoomies in the garden we even attend 121 gundog training at different times, do Parkour and Hoopers . We use supplements and salmon oil daily as supplements to help in the battle and keep her slim which is probably even more important. So I guess I would say get the operations done, Charlie is still young and should be able to have much more fun with elbows that don't hurt as they are now, and it is a case if his elbows are in poor shape it is hurting him it's just that our dogs are so good at hiding the pain and discomfort. Yes arthritis is an on going problem but you will have that without the operations , and don't start worrying about hips - none of us know what lies in the future, just enjoy your days with Charlie
Hi, My girl, Olive,has had a similar sequence of events. 5 months intermittent limping, and surgery on her left elbow at 6 1/2 months. We are 5 weeks post surgery now. It’s been difficult with work etc but I’ve been able to come home every 4 hours to toilet her. I’m keen to know what to expect between 6 and 12 weeks. Back to the vet next week for her check up. I’m hoping she can have house confinement rather than the pen. It’s difficult keeping a young dog calm!
Hi @Alex hayes so sorry to hear of your girl's problems . It's so hard to advise as to what to expect in the coming weeks - so much depends upon your girl's temperament and advice of your vet. I was extremely lucky with my girl and didn't need to crate her at anytime post surgery. Other dogs are hard to keep calm, even when older. I would err on the side of caution though and crate when unsupervised but gradually more freedom if you get the ok from the vet. No jumping, running or retrieving type games. It is still very early days for recovery so you will be able to gradually start building exercise again if your vet is happy with progress.
Thank you! Yes I believe another 6 weeks of calm confinement! I had hoped we’d have a little bit more house freedom but with 2 other (old) dogs the temptation to play is too much.
I had a 4 year old golden retriever that had elbow displasia(fragmented coroniod process)of the left elbow. Before the surgery he was only lame when he did a lot of activity. A specialist vet told me the surgery would not make him worse and it could make him better. Well, it did make him a lot worse and I really regretted doing it. He crippled my golden and I told the vet that. Later I was told that the elbow is an unforgiving joint and if it is a young dog like less than a year old the joint is still developing and intervention might help. But at an older age it can be very iffy. This was like 15 years ago so maybe things have changed. He did not do well with a lot of the pain medicines and I finally ended up finding a herbalist who had supplements that did help some and he was on cosequin also. He was a high energy dog and keeping him calm was a nightmare but unless I kept him very restricted he was lame after the surgery, a lot worse than before the surgery. I think it also depends on the skill level of the surgeon but the person I had doing the surgery was supposed to be very experienced. That is just my experience with it.
