It's elbow dysplasia

I am aware that stem cell work is much better developed for dogs than for humans and is very very promising, I do not know details...
Caro, limiting activity is a death to joints, I am not saying you have to continue high impact sports but I totally disagree that his joints have " certain number of miles" left in them, for one well developed muscles will carry on for long time and it is absolutely nessessary to keep them going strong, second- just about any inflammatory process could be contained, it is a reaction of the body, that is where standard medicine is very weak- when we come to cellular level of body works, body can produce inflammatory substances as well as not produce them, so those forces have to be realigned and there are no pills that will do that except steroids that will supress entire immune system...
I know you mentioning $$ problems, still I would look for good holistic vet in your area, acupuncture, water therapy, herbal and homeopatic remedies might be the great way to go to rejuvenate joints. Keep faith!
 
Caro, I was just wondering would chiropractors be of help to Deska? There are a couple of good Chiros in Western Sydney (somewhere near to the showground) and I believe they do acupuncture too. I've brought Rufus to one as I was worried about his cow-hocked hind legs and the cost wasn't alot - $40 for consultation + some treatment/massage.

Also, I've read very good reviews with Sashas Blend and Joint Guard. Perhaps you want to give those a try since we can't get VP into Australia - Michelle and I tried to get it in quite a while back too.

Really sorry that this is happening to Deska and you're faced with so many tough decisions. *hugs*
 
Thanks Rufus. There is a vet chiropractor here in Canberra that I have used a few times when I first noticed Deska hobbling. But the specialist said a physio because he needs to build up the muscles around his elbow. I am thinking about acupuncture (after I pay off this round of vet bills), even if its just through winter.

Funny you should mention Sasha's Blend and Joint Guard - I think I've narrowed down my choices to these two plus Vets All Natural Joint Formula (I do love the VAN products). Atm the vet wants me to stay off the other supplements and NSAID until he can see how the course of cartophen injections works.

On the up side he is definately feeling better. No noticeable limp and he is even chasing the ball. In the evening he is still scratching at things which I think means he is in pain.
 
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Wondering what ever happened with Deska? I have a not quite two year old sheltie that I'm pretty sure is going to be diagnosed with elbow displasia tomorrow :(
 
I am so sorry. I remember how devastated I was when I got the diagnosis. The good news is they can still live a long and happy life. When Deska was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia he also had quite bad arthritis. That's something you should ask about - whether arthritis has set in yet. If not then it's much easier to manage, it's when they get arthritis that you'll need to manage medication and other treatments.

Deska is 11 years old now. He is on NSAIDs daily and also Gabapentin, he gets 6mthly shots of pentosan polysulphate (aka Cartrophen or Xydax). He still gets 2 walks a day: Some days he can walk for a long time, other days it's only short. Of course the walk is slow, but if he sees a bicycle to chase he'll still take off at top speed. I take a stroller with me, particularly in winter, and he'll get in and rest for awhile, although sometimes I have to make him get in - he'd prefer me to carry him.

I really recommend seeing a physiotherapist if you get a dysplasia diagnosis. Getting strengthening exercises really helps, and also learning how to massage the joint, and also the back - which invariably gets thrown out because of the gait they develop from walk differently. The pentosan injections were amazing, they slow the progress of the arthritis, well worth finding a vet who gives them (they are common in Aust). Also try a joint supplement with green lipped mussel in it.

And the number 1 best thing you can do is keep your dog light. It can be hard, esp first off because they've usually put on weight when they get the diagnosis, but it is well worth it. I've known a couple of Shelties with elbow dysplasia who have done extremely well just by losing weight. I keep Deska on the light side.

Deska is very 'old' for his age, although he looks great he's a slow old man. But he's happy.
 
My girl started limping at age 18 months - just out of the blue. Fast forward six months to last week... she was finally diagnosed with elbow dysplasia. She will be 2 on Monday. I've contacted the breeder, who has basically said she's never heard of elbow dysplasia and has no suggestions other than keeping her weight on the low side (which we do).

Since the diagnosis, we put Cherry on a strong joint supplement, plus green lipped mussel extract, plus doubled her fish oil. We were a bit taken aback by how energetic she was the next couple of days - frisked around in circles. And a bit saddened - we thought she was just a quiet lazy girl, but it looks like she has been in quite a bit of pain. I'm assuming this is why she lay down so much as a puppy - which was one of the reasons why actually we tested her for thyroid issues when she was a year old.

The limp is lessened with supplements but still noticeable, and with the weather change, she's been very subdued for the past two days. It's so hard to watch and realize that she hurts and there is nothing I can do about it. She's so patient and sweet. It's so hard to come to grips with the fact that she's not going to get better, that we can't even do surgery to fix her.

Cherry has elbow incongruency with FCP, two different forms of elbow dysplasia. The combination of those two means that surgery would only be an option (and not a good one) when she can no longer walk well, because the double surgery will cause other problems and destabilize her elbow in a different fashion. The bone that would be cut would cause a large scar mass on one side, and the large fragment of bone that is presently rubbing the cartilage would leave a large gap on the other side, so the opposite side would be unstable. Quite frankly, if we got to that point, we would not put her through the pain of surgery, since the help provided would be minimal.

Cherry is not in unbearable pain right now, but that elbow is sore. Her other leg is turning in at the toes since she uses it to take the strain off her left elbow. And it will get worse in both legs as things progress. I do not want to put her down, but I also do not want a lifetime of progressive pain for her. We have an appointment with a new highly recommended vet tomorrow so we shall see. Thank you again for all of your suggestions. They have already made a difference.
 
Hello, I am very sorry to read about Cherry's plight. It would upset me tremendously to have a young dog so compromised. I hope your vet has some options for you. I myself would opt for a total leg amputation before even considering euthanasia. Dogs do really well on three legs, but of course it is a drastic decision. My Brooke has a bone spur and arthritis in one of her elbows, and we have just started using the green lipped mussel along with Vibrant Pets Joint supplement. It seems to be helping her. I wonder if Adequan might be something else you could try to ease the pain, it helps lubricate joints.

Let us know what the vet says. :fl :hugs
 
We found a new vet who has been helpful. Amputation won't be an option unfortunately. It is present in both elbows, so she only limps when one is worse than the other. She has developed an interesting gait where it almost looks normal, but she's using her shoulders to fling her legs out, rather than reaching out with her legs. Supplements still help, and she gets anti inflammatories on bad days. We bought a wheelchair aka baby buggy, since any walk longer than 1/4 mile causes her obvious pain. She is a qualified therapy dog, so we take her to visit veterans at the hospital in her wheelchair.
Right now we are dealing with a second issue. last month she broke out in pea sized blisters all over and was diagnosed with a systemic staph infection. Now three days after stopping the antibiotic, she's breaking out again. Sigh. She's not been itchy at all. So more testing coming up to figure out what's going on.
 
I am also so sorry to hear about your Deska, hopefully you find success to ease the soreness.
 
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