I'll summarize as quickly as I can. MY BOY IS 4 y.o.
About 6 months ago my dog was exercising pretty intensely with me (biking, hiking, swimming, etc.) and one day I noticed all of a sudden he had a limp on his right front leg. After a few days of no change I took him to the vet. Pain relieving meds for a week and very little change. Decided to get x-rays done. Conclusion said "inconclusive evidence of mild elbow dysplasia" and the vet also told me possible early signs of arthritis. From there on she recommended finishing out the pain/anti inflammatory meds and easing up on exercise because the results were inconclusive. He seems to always have a very very slight hitch in his strut now, and it is only truly noticeable after some good exercise.
Can anybody tell me anything about these or perhaps just any advice or stories of similar situations youve been through??? anything is appreciated! :grin2:
My dog has elbow dysplasia (10
Months old). Trauma related - exercised so hard-
Those dont look like xrays are they mr scans or ct scans? Can anyone let you know what sort of elbow dysplasia
Those images look like vertebra and discs not legs and shoulders. They're not X-rays.
CT Scans are best for bone diagnosis and MRI for soft tissue.
If the 'preliminary diagnosis' is elbow dysplasia, I'd see the best orthopedic vet around and spend the money for a CT scan. A CT scan eliminated my pup's initial diagnosis of fmcp.
Limiting your dog to leash walks until you get a solid diagnosis is a good idea.
Sorry for the crappy quality as I had to shrink the size so I could attach to this forum. I downloaded them off of the disc they handed me at the VET. I am attaching below the written statement/summary which is pretty vague. They refer to them as radiographs. Any advice? Supplements? Rehab? I am at a loss here :frown2:
Those images look like vertebra and discs not legs and shoulders. They're not X-rays.
CT Scans are best for bone diagnosis and MRI for soft tissue.
If the 'preliminary diagnosis' is elbow dysplasia, I'd see the best orthopedic vet around and spend the money for a CT scan. A CT scan eliminated my pup's initial diagnosis of fmcp.
Limiting your dog to leash walks until you get a solid diagnosis is a good idea.
FWIW, here's my layman's advice: restrict your dog's activity to leash walks only for one month. Finish the prescribed anti inflammatory med. Those two things resolved my pup's intermittent and chronic front leg limp/lameness. Supplement your dog's diet with 'NuJoint Plus' and 'Nordic Naturals' fish oil.
If your dog's lameness goes away in a month, start exercising normally and see what happens. Your dog shouldn't be running with you while you ride a bike. Your dog shouldn't be running and jumping on asphalt and cement.
If the limp doesn't go away in a month or returns after normal exercise, I'd go see an orthopedic surgeon and request a CT scan.
And keep your dog lean.
Why is he not allowed to run with me while im on a bike? It is on a flat/dirt trail throughout the woods and he is not tethered to the bike in any way. Of course while he is injured I will not bike him, but in general it is a great form of exercise. I stay away from pavement at all costs. I think I have recently (past couple of days) found something that may aggravate it!!! He has his own 900sq. ft house he stays in/sleeps in while I am not home and I have a camera installed that I can view him on from anywhere on my phone. I noticed he jumps up on the pool table so he can see out of the window! I am guessing when he jumps down he may be aggravating it! Needless to say, I have booby-trapped the pool table so that he cannot get up on it anymore. I will be limiting his exercise as well as finding the right supplements. There is so much information out there on supplements that will make that the toughest choice! Thank you for your help
You need to keep him quiet until you can see an ortho vet. Yes it will be expensive but it is more than worth it in the long run. your regular vet is good for regular vet stuff but they don't do the extra and intensive bone/ orthopaedic specific schooling specialists do. You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself if you accidentally hurt your dog in the long run by following less than perfect advice.
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