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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Ninja - GSD 11 months old - the x rays - Elbow Dysplasia?? Opinions please (10 replies)
Ninja - GSD 11 months old - the x rays - Elbow Dysplasia?? Opinions please by ninja11 on 06 July 2012 - 05:27 |
| Ninja's elbow xrays - Left Elbow. We have xrayed her hips and both elbows and everything is good except the vet is telling me this left elbow has arthritis and he would like to do surgery. Is this true and is this the best option for her. The mother and father were graded zero for elbows and the problem is only in one elbow. I thought this issue was genetic and it was unilateral so I'm not sure if the diagnosis is correct. May I have your opinion please? http://www.p   |
ninja11 by B.Andersen on 06 July 2012 - 06:06 |
| Yes that is not a normal ellbow. Get a second opinion. I would try adequan injections before most cases then go to surgery if needed on a elbow as my vet thinks that conservative treatment should be tried first and I agree. |
by ninja11 on 06 July 2012 - 06:25 |
| Thank you, I will get onto adequan. I had a Rottie with OCD in her hocks before this and we did surgery & the recovery was about 12 months for both hocks & the improvement was barely noticeable. We can go surgery later and her right elbow is good and her hips so worst case she can hop around on three legs if it gets to that. She is my best mate. I think I was in disbelief when the vet said elbow dysplasia. But if it looks like that to you then I'm coming around. Poor baby... |
by dbeden01 on 06 July 2012 - 10:08 |
Dear Ninja11 |
by ninja11 on 06 July 2012 - 11:30 |
| Thanks Daniella, We have a referral to a specialist & the vet mentioned an arthroscope can be performed by this specialist. Perhaps following up with adequan would work well. Is there a long and painful recovery from this treatment and if it is not successful will Ninja be worse off. I'm in south east QLD Aust. I wonder if anyone knows anything about Dr Richard Mitchell or has a specialist they would recommend or has gone down this path & can tell us about the recovery time & after care. Rosie |
by ninja11 on 06 July 2012 - 12:08 |
| Re reading the vet report it is possibly an incongruity between the radius and the ulna rather than UCP and maybe therefore surgery is not such a favourable option?? Does it look like UCP? I'm only going by what the vet said and that's why I'm here on the forum, because I see the arthritis but I can't see what is causing it and I'm one of those people who needs to know :) |
by dbeden01 on 07 July 2012 - 03:59 |
| Ninja11, I asked one of our small animal orthopedic surgeons to have a look at these films today. His comment was: "99% chance that this is an UCP. Would recommend arthroscopy as a therapeutic intervention" |
by ninja11 on 07 July 2012 - 07:00 |
| Thanks heaps for taking the time to have the specialist look at the slides Daniella. We had a pentosan injection this morning and we booked in to see the specialist. He is away until the 18th so we have to wait a week. We will post on how we go. I'm fairly certain he will recommend an athroscope. At least now after these posts we can confidently agree and book it in instead of wondering if he is on the right track & thus causing more time to elapse & possibly more damage by hesitating & thinking about it. Ninja has the most wonderful temperament. She is a joy to be around. She romped into the vets this morning even though he always pokes & pulls & jabs she is always smiling & happy. She embraces everything with enthusiasm. She is also very gentle. She still has her teddy bear from the day she arrived home, not a mark on it. She lies beside me in my office at work & doesn't upset anyone. Ninja gives me so much I really just want her to have a good life. Rosie |
by ninja11 on 11 July 2012 - 07:19 |
| We spoke with the specialist today who recommended an arthroscopy to view the joint from a better angle and also tidy up any fragments that may be floating around in the joint. The quote for the surgery was $3000 with an 80% chance of improvement after surgery. We would like to make sure we are going to the best person for the job and the specialist we saw today is not an orthopedic surgeon - he may be just as good - but does anyone on the forum have an orthopedic surgeon they would recommend. I"m thinking if someone is going to be poking around in Ninja's elbow shouldn't they be an orthopedic surgeon? So if anyone is able to let me know if they have found a really good orthopedic specialist in south east QLD ie Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast. We're happy to travel if there is someone who is the "go to" surgeon for elbows. |
by dogshome9 on 11 July 2012 - 09:29 |
Have you asked on DOGZONLINE for a referral, as that is an Australian forum I am sure that you would find someone that would give you some good info for a specialist. Good Luck with Ninja. |
dogshome9 by ninja11 on 11 July 2012 - 09:51 |
| Perfect, thank-you dogshome9. I'll do it now :) |
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