It's elbow dysplasia

*Caro said:
Atm the vet says keep up with his activity levels as that may be why he is only presenting with soreness at 3yrs (being so fit and healthy). He will go onto metacam and an essential oil supplement and lose some weight (although he said his weight is actually fine but losing some more will certainly help). He will probably slow down through weaves and over jumps in winter, but otherwise he can keep going with agility and have it monitored each year, flyball shouldnt be a problem for some time and he cleared him to run next weekend (phew).


In the meantime does any one have experience with elbow dysplasia and can give me some idea of what I can do to make life easier?
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I'm sorry to hear about Deska. What kind of dsyplasia does he have? Did they say. No surgical options?

I have found weight management the key. The leanest you can keep him the better.
Other things I found helpful:
1.Regular low impact exercise,
2.ice the elbows after exrcise. You can sometimes find icers for dogs. I don't know of a source on your side of the world.
http://www.canineicer.com/order/product/index.htm
3.Thick padding, such as egg crate foam, for them to lay on takes pressure off the joints.
4.Glucosamine/Chronditin/MSM works great to supplement the NSAID.
 
Its the fragmented coronoid process type of dysplasia - so getting build up on the inside of the joint and bony spurs on the outside of the elbow. The specialist wasnt sure if he has any bony fragments on the inside of the joint - would need to go to Sydney for a CT scan. The specialist prefers a non-interventionist approach, he says there is no clear evidence that dogs do better with surgery so to leave off surgery until a piece breaks off and impedes his movement.

Will definately order the canine ice packs - much easier. And we are going back to bush walking, we've been walking pavements and going to the oval in the evenings lately, and now I see the pavements are hard on his elbow.

DPSheltie - thats interesting about the hardwood floors. Deska has real issues with shiny surfaces and finds it hard to get traction on wooden floors - now it makes sense.

I wish I knew what caused this. There is absolutely no dysplasia in his lines, going back 46yrs. Maybe its something I did.
 
Got the specialist report today and his findings are arthritis (DJD) secondary to dysplasia. I feel really miserable - had a frank discussion with my own vet and he was less than hopeful about Deska's future. He doesnt think he should do agility, and potentially he may only have a few years worth of flyball in him. He will get worse as he gets older. He had a catrophan injection today and will have a course every 6mths.
 
Don't blame yourself Caro! You're a great dog mom and you've given and continue to give Deska everything he needs and wants! He enjoys all the high energy and impact activities he does with you and he's happy!

Deska's not big - if you can find a huge tub you can fill it with water, put a lifejacket on him and have him paddle around, like I do for Romeo when we can't get to the pool.
 
You're a great mommy to your boys! You may have to look into Rally or Obedience instead of agility at some point when he slows down but still wants an job/activity.

About the hardwood/shiny floors, we had to put in a series of rugs/mats for Sonny to stand/walk/sit/lay on to help him as he got stiffer. He would go to the most convenient rug in the room we were in and wait for us to go back to the carpeted parts of the house. We did have to forbid him from using the non-carpeted stairs to the basement since he was getting stuck (at least you can pick up a sheltie....)

I think that as long as you manage Deska's arthritis well he'll be comfortable for quite a while. Sonny was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 8 months old and given about 7 years without surgery and 7-8 years WITH the surgery. We did not get the surgery, since he was bilateral for dysplasia and would have had difficulty with the recoveries. He lived until 11, when cancer finally took him. Not too bad for a 120 lb (that was light for him....HUGE lab) dog who was only given 7-8 years max.
 
Caro, sometimes these things just happen. Bits has hip issues (the VP works wonders), and she's from an incredible line. I would recommend you decide what your plan is, assess as you go along, and remember that as long as you and Deska are having fun, that's the point. :yes:
 
Everday more info

Today we went to the physio and had an interesting discussion about what to do with exercise.

I have a lot of strengthening exercises, and she suggests getting a treadmill with a backward slant on (to take pressure off the front end). So I guess that will go on my list to santa. She has a pool we can pay to use in the warmer months which is good.

She said Deska's elbows have a limited number of 'miles' left in them. So I can decide to either let him have fun now and continue with his sports and higher level of activity but be aware that this will create more wear on his joints, or I can extend the life of his joints by taking it easy. Keeping the muscles strong through sports will give the joints more miles, but less time . She agreed with the specialist to let him have a good time now, but my feeling is I want him around as long as possible. But then what to do with Tully the pocket rocket.

So many decisions. Shame we dont have tracking in Canberra because that would be a great activity to keep him challenged.

The physio said he will need a joint replacement in the future so I had better put some money away now. Plus I have been reading about a new procedure where they inject the dog's own stem cells into the joint to reverse the decline - anyone heard of this?

PS - unfortunately VP can't ship to Australia because of our strict quarantine laws.
 
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Joint replacement?! Yeowch. :( Did they give you an estimate on how far down the road that would be? Six months, a year, ect?
 
She said it could be in the next few years, esp if he is doing sports. Thats why I am not so sure about continuing agility - need a lot longer to save for for new elbows. Elbow replacement is serious stuff because dogs carry the majority of their weight on their elbows.
 
What an incredibly tough decision, Caro. Is there anything you both might enjoy that is lower impact than agility? It seems if it would prolong his mobility that might be a good idea. Or maybe even ratchet down the level of agility he does now, just so he can do it for fun but not put lots of stress on that elbow? I know you'll make the right choice for your boy. He's very lucky to have you taking care of him!
 
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