damage to knee in 7 month old lab

Shadow

Active Member
Hi there, just wondered if anyone could shed any light on a 6 month old lab from good working stock on both sides that fell off a wall at 6 months old, obviously had a bad limp and was taken to the vets and was told it was dysplacia of the front knee. The same dog was expected to be introduced to the field this comming season. In my opinion this is far to young - does anyone else think it has been doing to much training to soon and that the injury could have been caused from the fall?
 
Were any diagnostics performed - x-rays etc? Could be a cruciate issue.

These things are impossible without having the dog in front of you.

What is a 'front knee'?
 
Ah. Not a cruciate issue then.

Were mum and dad BOTH hip AND elbow scored?

Elbow dysplasia very common in labs. Many causes can be improved surgically. Is the dog insured?

(Personally I don't buy into the 'doing too much too young' school of thought unless it is taken to the extreme)
 
Quite possible to fracture the coronoid process as an acute injury following a fall but this is very rare in comparison to elbow dysphasia which very commonly affects labs between 6 and 12 months of aage several options for treatment but a firm diagnosis is necessary. I must admit that I tend to do a CT scan on cases like these as plain X-rays can and do miss so much.
 
I have placed corrugated cardboard wrapped around the damaged area for support,taped firm , not tight, if no breakages will cure it. Been a young dog it will cure.
also ,maybe a ibuprofen twice a day, with food.
 
I have placed corrugated cardboard wrapped around the damaged area for support,taped firm , not tight, if no breakages will cure it. Been a young dog it will cure.
also ,maybe a ibuprofen twice a day, with food.

^ DO NOT DO THIS ^

Ibuprofen is poisonousness to dogs.

:cuckoo:
 
And the corrugated cardboard will not be effective and will most likely cause problems that can be serious. I would suggest that you remove it ASAP. Unfortunately it is difficult to immobilise the elbow joint in dogs. To do so you would need to take a dressing at least as high as the shoulder joint which is not possible without using a Spica splint.
Elbow dysplasia is a complex and unfortunately incurable condition that leads to the development and progression of osteoarthritis. the problem develops largely because of the joint fitting together poorly which results in overloading of certain areas of the joint and in particular the coronoid process of the ulna. This has been showed to lead to the development of micro fractures in the bone underlying the cartilage which can then progress to the formation of tangible bone fragments within the joint (called fragmented coronoid process or FCP). Often these fragments are surrounded by areas of cartilage loss which results from areas of high pressure within the joints. Management may be conservative or surgical depending on the severity and underlying cause. Depending on the situation within the individual dogs joint, early surgical intervention can sometimes be very valuable in some cases as correcting the congruity of the joint whilst the skeleton remains partially developed can make best use of the remaining growth potential. Conservative management can be successful in managing the symptoms in mild cases and includes weight control, the judicious use of an appropriate anti inflammatory and exercise moderation( particularly the avoidance of high impact exercise. There are various joint supplements around that promise the earth and deliver almost nothing and they can be tried if you like. Fish oil supplementation can be beneficial in mitigating inflammation and it may be worth asking your vet about cartrophen injections.
Unfortunately the best that can be expected is control of the lameness as the progression of osteoarthritis is inevitable
 
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