# Prognosis for elbow dysplasia



## 2Dogs (Sep 26, 2009)

My 9 month old dog was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia, after noticing a severe limp on his right front leg after a 7-9 mile walk, on fairly level smooth ground. 

The right elbow has problems that can be fixed, or at least slowed with surgery. Arthritis is already setting in. 

What have been your experiences with quality of life issues with a dog in a similar circumstance?


----------



## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

A lot depends on the type of ED. Is it UAP, OCD, FCP, or just DJD?

I've only known 2 dogs with ED, both UAP. One had surgery and was fine afterwards. The other is now 4 years old, never had surgery, and is doing fine. Apparently no one ever told the dog he had ED.

I've known several dogs who failed OFA elbows due to supposed DJD, mostly Grade 1, and those dogs never, ever had any problems without surgery. One is now 11 years old, and another 12, and both are still doing fine. Both retired multi-SchH3 dogs, so they led pretty physically active lifestyles. Situations like these being the reason there is some debate on whether Grade 1 DJD should even be considered to be ED.

Prognosis and whether surgery is a good idea depends heavily on the type of ED. Though if the dog is limping and obviously bothered by the ED, I'd suspect it's more than just DJD.


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Elbow dysplasia can be a lot of things. My ortho vet took the time to talk with me about it and said that there are just so many things that could go wrong with elbows. 

9 months is very young, but my girl broke her elbow at 6 months, so stuff happens. She has arthritis in that elbow and while she no longer limps after her operation, she does get sore when Balto goads her into chasing him. I just give her fish oil and glycoflex supplements. If she seems really bad, my vet has given me anti-inflamatories to use on a limited basis. But I hardly ever use those. After a good nights sleep she feels much better.


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Barker the Elder lived to be 14 1/2 fairly active prior to the last 2 or so years. Had elbow dysplasia. Went on fairly long trail rides. Ran like the wind.


----------



## Qyn (Jan 28, 2005)

My girl, Quynne, has UAP but did not show any ill effects until she was nearly 4yo - which was also when it was diagnosed. Initially my vet suggested surgery, but the surgeon she proposed to do it, would not recommend surgery for this problem for dogs older than 6-12 mo (the earlier the better). She has been on Glucosamine chondroiton with MSM supplements since diagnosis and rarely shows any discomfort but her excercise wrt jumping and pouncing has been limited. All the best.


----------



## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Mac was diagnosed with UAP when he was an older pup. The surgeon said he was too old for the surgery to benefit him. He's 9 now and, knock on wood, hasn't had any problems with it yet.


----------



## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Lakota my male has two Grade II DJD elbows. In January he will be 7 years old. He plays ball, chases DeeDee, is on Gulcosamine supplement since he was 1 year old. I keep him on the lean side because of the elbows and his ACL surgery.

So surgery options would depend on the type and severity of the problem.

Val


----------



## Branca's Mom (Mar 26, 2003)

Urro has UAP, he showed no signs and I had no idea until I did OFA's at 2 years of age. He went down quickly after 3 years of age and he is in pretty bad shape now at 5.5 years of age. He has a very noticeable limp unless he is chasing something or otherwise high in drive, but as soon as he is out of drive he limps something awful and I feel so badly for him. He is on adequan injections which supposedly help. 

The ortho surgeons didn't think surgery wouldn't do much by the time I found out so I never did it.


----------



## Phay1018 (Nov 4, 2006)

my foster Wiley had bilateral elbow surgery for FCP ED in August. He was chroniclly lame for 10 weeks prior while we diagnosed. He's doing much better now, but does have noted gait abnormalty in his right leg which was the worse elbow. However it does not seem to be causing him any pain anymore, he gets around and plays great. He's on Dasquin joint supplement. 

Surgeon said he will more than likely develop arthritis down the line, but should lead a fairly normal, active life with the right maintance. He's 1.5 years old now.


----------



## 2Dogs (Sep 26, 2009)

Ok gang thanks for the information. I am seeing a lot of the same comments that the Vet made. Some dogs this some dogs that, probably never be a top athlete (ok as I am not a top athlete). I am not certain of the type of ED that the he has. The cost estimate lists Anconeal process removal. It appeared in the xrays to be a pie wedge shaped piece in the back of the elbow, that hadn't fused like the other side had. 

I am pretty sure I am going to have the surgery done. The reason I am choosing to is that I haven't heard any negative issues with trying it. I had hoped that it would be a cure all of course, but that is not my luck. We lead an active lifestyle, and I would hate to have to leave this dog behind a good two or three day romp in the woods because he had a bum leg. 

Thank you for the information. I am really amazed at the level of knowledge you all have shown. Again if I am missing something, and you don't recommend I have it done, please let me know.


----------



## Northern GSDs (Oct 30, 2008)

> Quote:The cost estimate lists Anconeal process removal. It appeared in the xrays to be a pie wedge shaped piece in the back of the elbow, that hadn't fused like the other side had.


Sounds like an UAP based on the info you've provided above. There seems to be a better prognosis if the surgery is done at a younger age as some others have mentioned here. 

Is it only the one elbow that is affected? 

Not sure if you have already discussed the specifics of the surgery with your vet but one word of advice I would have is to ensure that whomever is to be doing the surgery has sound experience with doing it. Is it an orthopedic vet? 

As has already been mentioned, it is definately better to keep your dog on the lean side as much as possible to help lessen the weight load on the joint. Many dogs do fine with regular activity with restricted impact activities such as jumping (obviously). In fact, limiting activity too much can actually be a detriment as it is good to have solid muscle tone to help with the stability of the joint. If you can do regular swimming sessions, that may offer alot of benefit. If you have an SUV or higher up vehicle, also consider getting a pet ramp, as the more jumping that is limited over time, the better. 

And for sure, start looking into quality joint supplements that may be helpful. 

The big thing is the osteoarthritis (OA) that usually develops even with or without the surgery. 

Another thing you can discuss is getting some prn (as needed) antiiflammatory type pain meds for those days where increased activity might result in some discomfort. Might not be as necessary to have on hand earlier on, but in the long term, management of symptoms is key in aiding with quality of life for later down the road. 

Some dogs have very successful outcomes with the surgery - either way, it can usually be managed relatively well if one is cognizant of the need to balance fun physical and mental stimulation activity with some activity limitations and rest/recoup when needed









If you do end up going the surgery route, really follow the post op instructions and guidelines to a "tee" to encourage proper healing. Not always easy to do but plan well ahead for lots of mental stimulation type activities! If you don't have a very large crate, be prepared to get one - or else you can also get a large Xpen to keep the activity to a limit for the period following surgery. 

Keep us posted and best of luck to you both


----------



## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I agree, this sounds like UAP. My first dog had this and I found it very early as he would have sudden brief severe lameness while moving - probably from his process moving around in his joint - and had surgery at 6 months to remove his processes. He was immediately better and did fine for 3-4 years. After that, his elbows became rapidly worse and it became all about pain control. He made it to almost 13 when I could no longer control his pain and I had to put him down.


----------



## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

Bison has UAP in his elbow, but the only reason we found it was because of x-rays done when he had Pano. The Ortho said that because he is 4 and still showing no signs of arthritis that he is fine to even participate in Schutzhund.

Is the arthritis showing on the x-ray? Are you seeing and ortho or regular vet? The "regular" vet told us that Bison would need surgery, but the ortho said he did not. This was confirmed when we recently had him re-examined to see if he was ok to participate in Schutzhund.

The research that we did at the time of diagnosis mostly indicated that surgery was very effective.


----------



## JasperLoki (Sep 25, 2005)

http://www.dogaware.com/arthritis.html

My Jasper has ED, had surgery a few years back, is doing pretty well.

Besides supplements from above, I also do injections of Adequan 1x a month, had been a saving grace.

Goodluck


----------



## janine2 (Oct 11, 2013)

Hi my 5 month dog as uap need to decide whether to have it screwed or the piece removed
Have 2 other dogs not shepherds so caging for 12 weeks is worrying
Has any had it removed? How did dog do 
Any advice please.


----------



## janine2 (Oct 11, 2013)

Hope some one can give advice my 5 month old dog as got up so he either needs it removing
Or screwing
As any one had it removed how was your dog
Not sure how I would cope with 12 weeks cashing with 3 dogs
Any advice please need to have opp in next two weeks vet waiting for decision


----------



## janine2 (Oct 11, 2013)

So is removal best or is screwing it best


----------

