Lame from incorrect growth plate in leg?

[The MZA]

My Legend is a 10 month old spayed female. Just recently (one week ago) Legend began limping severely. After a week with no progress I took Legend to the vet. He said that she had a growth plate growing incorrectly in the first joint of her right front leg, similar to the growth plate found in people near the wrist. He went on to state that it is a very unusual problem, in fact he had never seen it before. He has recommended starting her on Cosequin and if not effective, surgery as the next option. He stated that I would need to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon where her bone would be broken and then reset. Any info any one has would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all.

[Nancy Estes]

Do you know if this is ununited anconeal process, I believe it's called? If so, the little I know about it (Basset Hounds), the result is usually surgery. Basically, one of the two bones of the forearm (elbow to wrist or pastern) does not "attach" correctly at the wrist & therefore keeps growing. This will cause the foreleg to bow instead of being straight. I would check w/ orthopedic specialist for sure.

Nancy

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von Dorow Rottweilers
doggo@hotbot.com

[The MZA]

Thanks for the information. I actually X-rayed Legend this morning (I work in the medical equipment field) and determined it is a small fracture near the joint in the wrist area. The injury appears to be quite old. I am forwarding my images to the vet to confirm the injury and reccommend treatment, I assume it will be surgery. Thanks for the quick response.

[The MZA]

Legend has a growth plate that has closed prematurely. The orthopedic surgeon staed that he would try and cut the ulna bone and if this did not correct the deformity cause by the growth closure he would then have to cut the radius as well. Has any one else had problems with premature growth plate closure and is it something she was just born with?

[Nancy Estes]

I'm only familiar with this in Bassets and sometimes surgical correction works; other times it doesn't. One case I saw there was no surgical intervention and the dog had problems walking but could run quite well - he simply used his defective leg to push off with. This was easier at speed than it would have been at a slower gait. But Bassets have much shorter legs than Rotts so it might not be quite as much of a problem for a Rott. It would probably put added stress on the entire front assembly though. You would have to keep the dog in good shape and not let it get overweight.

Nancy

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von Dorow Rottweilers
doggo1@apex2000.net

[The MZA]

Your right, she does run quite well. The leg only bothers her when she is walking, especially when she first awakes in the morning or has been lying around for a long period of time. It seems as though she has to "loosen" it up and then she is fine. Thanks for the response I'll let you know what the surgeon decides to do for treatment.

[Nancy Estes]

You might want to consider starting her on some supplements to keep her joints, tendons and ligaments in good shape. There are various forms of chondroitin sulphate/glucosamine available; I get *Pain Free* at Sam's and give a human dose (3 tabs. a day). Hokamix 30 is also very good. (No, I'm not a distributor , although I used to be.) Vitamin C is also good.

Nancy

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von Dorow Rottweilers
doggo1@apex2000.net