Mojo heading your way.
Well, several months back I posted a thread about pano in my puppy, who was 4 months old. for some reason had a feeling there was more than pano going on. I have this weird “gift” I guess, only it’s not a gift! The lameness got better from the intitial onset, but it never went away. After 8 weeks we got referred to a specialist who was hopeful it was a soft tissue injury as x rays looked good. We set up another 8 week check up at that time and that appointment was on 11/2. On 11/2 he re took x rays and re submitted to radiologist who noted an area on the trochlear notch which *may* indicate sclerosis. The surgeon called me and asked me to bring him back free of charge because he and the radiologist both were curious about the other side. So I dropped him off this past Friday for the day. After x raying the other side and comparing the 2, the changes in the affected side became more obvious. He said when compared to the good leg, there is obvious “blunting” of the Coronoid (I hope I got that right) which indicated FCP.
He advised surgery to removed the fragment(s) and reshape the joint. He said he does it open because he finds he is able to do a better job and gets better results vs. when he does it with the arthroscope. He also warned me that in some dogs it doesn’t work, and that arthritis will develop either way, but the hope with surgery is to alleviate pain and delay the progression of arthritis. He said he is pretty confident in a good outcome due to the degree of lameness (very subtle, he said most owners wouldn’t notice) and that he didn’t think there is a lot of joint damage thus far.
Of course, my insurance won’t cover it but I was surprised and relieved at the estimate he gave. I am thinking it is worth a shot. He said rehab is essentially what I’ve already been doing which is leash walks only, no jumping, etc and check ins every few weeks for a while. My regular Vet clinic does rehab and I’m willing to do whatever is recommended to give him the best chance possible. He doesn’t have to be an agility dog, but My goal is that he can go for a short off leash walk in the woods one day and not come home lame. Right now he is lame at least some portion of every day, usually in the evening. It’s so hard. Then I had a little pity part for myself because he is from generations and generations of clear elbows, I fed the food the breeder recommended, I didn’t over exercise, etc. I just wish I knew how this happened.
Thanks for reading this. Please send us all the labby mojo you can muster
Mojo heading your way.
stella3 (11-11-2018)
I'm sorry. There's no gene test for elbows or hips but it does "just happen." Check your health guarantee, what does it say? One lucky thing, he is young enough for the surgery. The Ortho Surgeon told me my dog was too old, at six years - result of injury. I think Chili on this board had his elbows done young, hope Voodoo comes to comment. Mojo sent.
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stella3 (11-11-2018)
Arthritis is going to eventually happen, but leaving the bone chip in will wear all the cartilage away. Our first girl Maddy had FCP in both elbows. Back in the day, no vet did physical therapy either. Maddy did all her competitions after her surgery...we did her WC, and various other obedience titles. Nothing SUPER active, but she was always a runner and a ball getter, and with the right joint supplement and keeping weight normal, she did great!
Good luck.
Jen
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stella3 (11-11-2018)
Sending Mojo
stella3 (11-11-2018)
I'm sorry to hear this. When our 5 year old was about the age of your pup she was limping and I read a ton of stuff on ED, too. From what I read, it can "just happen" despite good heredity. The surgeon we saw also said she did the open procedure, for the same reasons yours said. Lark didn't end up with surgery because she decided to eat mulch and got an obstruction which required surgery and delayed the planned ortho procedure. So much time elapsed from the initial ortho consultation that her limping resolved and the radiographic changes seen initially went away so they thought it was actually a soft tissue injury that took a long time to heal up. But, unlike your pup, she did stop limping and was limp free for several months before being rechecked. I'm sorry to see they think your dog needs surgery but many pups on here have required it. Hoping for a smooth procedure and easy rehab.
stella3 (11-11-2018)
Thank you all. I just hope I’m doing the right thing for him. It’s good to hear there have been some good outcomes here as I’ve read every horror story the internet can offer. im willing to do whatever lifelong supplements, adequan, rehabs, etc necessary.
In in terms of a guarantee, the breeder will take him back at any time. I don’t feel right doing that for a number of reasons. She is surprised, but said that it can and does happen. For the first few months she kept telling me it was fine and he’d be ok and outgrow it, but now I have a diagnosis that can’t really be argued. Sigh.
Sorry that the diagnosis is what it is but at least you now know. I'd get the surgery done as soon as possible...you want to prevent any more damage/loss of cartilage.
stella3 (11-11-2018)
Sorry to hear the diagnosis! Best of luck to you and your baby.
stella3 (11-11-2018)
He had surgery Monday and I was shocked how good he looked on Tuesday when I picked him up. He was in Galliprant, tramadol and keflex, but I think the Galliprant was upsetting his tummy. So they advised me to just use tramadol and the keflex. He doesn’t seem very painful without the Galliprant so that’s good. The surgeon felt everything went well and expects a very good outcome. It sounded like there was just 1 fragment. The pup thinks he is all better, though. I try to give him time outside his crate on a leash with me but he gets too wild so I have to put him back in. Poor guy. Recheck is on the 5th as long as there are no hiccups between now and then.
SunDance (11-24-2018)
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