Care for your dog’s joints
ELBOW dysplasia means abnormal development of the elbow joint. This causes damage to the cartilage surface of the joint - a process called osteochondrosis or OCD. Elbow dysplasia and osteochondrosis collectively lead to the development of arthritis (osteoarthritis). Any of these three conditions may cause elbow pain.
Elbow dysplasia is a common condition, especially in large breed dogs, causing stiffness and pain in the front legs. I tend to see dogs with elbow dysplasia either when the dog is immature and growing (five to eight months of age) or when adult (perhaps a few years of age) due to osteoarthritis.
On examination, swelling and restricted range of movement may be evident in the elbow. X rays are sometimes helpful but it can be difficult to see elbow dysplasia on X ray due to overlying boney structures. CT scanning gives excellent detail of the shape (congruency) of the joint and enables detection of small bony fragments. CT is now the “gold standard” for investigating suspected cases of elbow dysplasia.
Some dogs with elbow dysplasia can be managed satisfactorily without the need for surgery.
Exercise and weight control can be sufficient to manage the condition. The Donaldson’s Vets Rehabilitation Centre at our Birchencliffe surgery is often invaluable when it comes to aiding management with hydrotherapy. Painkillers are sometimes essential but need to be used with care as they can encourage the dog to exercise more than they are really able to.
Often surgery is required to manage these cases. Surgical removal of flaps of cartilage of bone can sometimes dramatically improve the joint but results can be unpredictable with some dogs remaining quite lame despite surgery, due to underlying abnormal development of the joint with a poor fit to the joint or the secondary osteoarthritis.
Elbow joints are complicated structures with three bones forming the joint. A minor misalignment of one of those bones can have a significant, disruptive effect on the joint. Fortunately with modern diagnostics and surgical options, we can now manage these cases much more effectively than used to be the case.