I am so scared its elbow dysplasia.

[Miss Lucy]

Hi there, my beautiful 6 month old girl Lucy has developed a limp with her left front leg.
I put her on some left over anti-inflamatory tablets I had and of course she stopped limping.
Then when they ran out she got up one day, (it was Christmas day actually) and took about 5 or 6 steps and cryed out in pain.
She has been holding her leg off the ground sometimes, we have checked and there is nothing in her foot or toes.
She has been back on the tablets, but doesn't seem to be moving around as much as she usually does. She's not portraying any pain.
I am going to take her to the vets as soon as they are open again, but I was wondering if others have had the diagnoisis of elbow dysplasia and what they did for it.
We had Lucy's littermate here last week and this girl is about 5 inches smaller in height and everything. I am hoping that I haven't grown Lucy too much and caused this problem.

Looking forward to advice
Miss Lucy

[Carina43]

Hi Lucy, Cooper was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia a couple of weeks ago. It can take several different forms - here's a good site:
http://www.showdogsupersite.com/elbows.html
another:
http://workingdogs.com/deboer_elbow2.htm

It can be difficult to diagnose precisely. My dog is going to MSU (vet teaching hospital) on January 21 - he has seen an orthopedic vet as well as my own, and if he needs arthroscopic surgery, MSU is the best place to do it. They will do doubt do a CT scan to get a very accurate picture of what we're dealing with. Make sure your vet is knowlegable about proper positioning during xrays - Cooper had to be sedated to get the right views. Apparently it is tricky to get the correct angle.

That said - maybe that's not the case with Lucy - what she has seems almost a little more acute. Cooper has never limped very badly, it was just a mild intermittent limp, initially we thought it was a muscle pull & crate rest took care of it. Then again, some dogs are more stoic than others (my last dog would get a thorn in his foot and act like his foot was being cut off!) Cooper also often stands with his front feet rotated slightly outwards, I think there's a photo illustrating that in one of the links. In any case, in the mean time she should be kept quiet & crated or restrained until you find out what's going on.

If she is overweight she needs to drop the weight asap. Cooper is on various joint supplements (pretty much the same as my geriatric arthritic dog) - glucosamine, chrodritin, vitamin C & vitamin E. These were suggested by the ortho vet and are pretty standard. He also takes two buffered aspirin with food as needed. Moderate exercise is good & even desirable, but I'm trying not to let him jump, run, or expend too much energy - this is difficult with a two year old dog who loves life!

As many as over 60% of Rottweilers in several studies have been shown to have some form of elbow dysplasia, though many of these dogs will not have any pain or limping. It is very common...anyhow this is some of what I've found out, I hope it helps. Again, Lucy's symptoms aren't that much like Cooper's so it could be a torn ligament of muscle pull or something with her....good luck in getting an an accurate diagnosis.

[Miss Lucy]

I took her to the vet today as her limp was quite severe this morning.
He is going to x-ray her tomorrow, but its looking bad.
He said that there is pain in her elbow.
Tomorrow will tell.
:(
Thanks for your advice.
Will update you all tomorrow.
My poor little girlie.


Miss Lucy

[Miss Lucy]

Its a positive result. She has elbow dysplasia.
I am so so disappointed. My poor baby. She is only 6 months old.

She is at present on anti-inflamatory tablets, which don't seem to be very strong.
The vet has given her a Pentosan injection and she will need three more. He is optomistic that with rest, (how do you stop a six month old playing with her 10 month old sister?), that maybe it won't get too bad.
During the day is ok as all they do is lie around, but mornings and evennings are a real testing time.

She is booked in for more x-rays, and I spose its all just beginning, but what a shock and what a shame.

Miss Lucy
:(
I am so angry at the people we brought her off and will probably go and see them. Any ideas from people on how I should approach them would be welcomed.

[Judi W]

How should you approach them? Not with anger for sure. If the parents are certified and the breeding was carefully done, they have done their best and yes, things can still crop up. An ethical breeder does not like for this to happen, but it can. They may or may not wish to refund a portion of your purchase price to help with the medical expenses. (that might depend upon what you paid in the first place and whether the pup was purchased for show or not and what your contract states).

If you purchased from a BYB who did no health testing of the parents, then that was your decision. You should still approach with reason.

[Carina43]

Oh, I'm sorry. I cried after we left the vet's office, I admit...do let the breeder know, but like Judi says there are no ironclad guarantees, even with the most careful breedings.

Do get her on the usual joint support supplements - glucosamine, chrondritin, vitamin E, C....perhaps MSM too. The ortho vet said that there were varying studies as to the effectiveness of these supplements, but that he & his colleagues had good feedback from clients. They certainly won't hurt, at any rate.

It's hard keeping a young energetic pup quiet, I know! maybe try doing some low impact or mental exercises with her....mental affort can tire a dog out too. Cooper is getting very good at hide & seek. :)

Did they have a specific diagnosis for you, or do you have to wait for more images for that?

[Miss Lucy]

Thanks for your replies.

We have to have more x-rays done for the specific diagnoisis.

Does the vet prescribe the joint supplements?
Lucy is on Pentosan, in injection form. The vet reckoned that this is a cartilage builder. Has anyone heard of it.
I tried looking it up on the internet but I couldn't find anything for dogs.
Whats MSM?

Looking forward to hearing back
Miss Lucy.

[Judi W]

Please both of you keep in mind that this is not a death sentence. Most of the surgeries available are quite effective and the supplements can be a great benefit. With corrective surgery and reasonable care, the dogs should be able to "do" and "go" normally. Make sure you use an experienced ortho vet and all should be well.

[Carina43]

As upset as I was at first, I am since feeling a lot more positive! :)I've talked to a woman here who does carting with her Rotties, one of whom had elbow surgery several years ago. And Cooper truly does bounce around just fine, especially if I give him aspirin...though obviously I'm not letting him unduly stress anything, at least until we've had a positive d/x.

Lucy, I haven't heard of those injections...the supplements I give are from the local supermarket, nothing fancy! They should be readily available for you. MSM is "methylsulfonylmethane"
-here's a link:
http://www.msm.com/
Not proven, but certainly not harmful in recommended doses.
Ask your vet his/her opinion on any of these things - both my regular vet & the ortho vet we've seen think they are a good idea.
Buffered aspirin works well for pain management - often as good as, or better than, some of the vet-prescribed anti-inflammatory meds.