Elbow Dysplasia help - Page 1

I have a 2 year ( just turned 2 in June ) male that has just been diagnosed with elbow dysplasia. My vet has recommended surgery which will cost anywhere from 2600 to 3000 for each front leg. This dog is my baby, if I had the money nothing would stop me from having the surgery but I don't.

I got him from a well known breeder in the Netherlands though a co-breeder here in the states. His father and grandfather are well known, so I thought he would be free from THIS disease. Yes, he did come with a 2 year health guarantee, 2 year...he just turned 2 on the 17th of June!!! Not only have I NEVER received his papers( which I've been promised over and over again ), his testicle never dropped ( so he was neutered ). I thought I did my homeowrk on this breeder but I guess not. I'd love to put their name out there but thats not my style. Anyway..........does anyone have any suggestions???? I do not want him in pain...this dog is my BABY!!! My love, my life.....I will try whatever I can possible...please help

You would find a way if it was you or your kid. Apply for a credit card. I'd like the answers to gsdlvr2's questions as well.

 I did see the x-rays.....he is in pain, he won't put  pressure on it. It is mild in one leg

a credit card is not a option.  & My children have health insurance...........

How long has he limped on it and did the dog ever have pano?

I had a Shepherd several years back that had elbow dysplaisa in both elbows. Even though she was NOT limping, our vet recommended surgrey and we took her to Texas A&M for an evaluation. This was 15 years ago and I am sure medical procedures have come along way. But at the time they told me that she would have a limp, exercise would be restricted and she would still have pain in both elbows. We chose not to have the surgey,  She lived 13 1/2 happy years, still played ball up until the day she died of natural causes.  Surgrey is not always the answer and in my dogs case, it would have made her worse off, not better.  

In my experience with bad elbows (both dogs were unilateral) they did not exhibit any pain until 7 years of age. Then began with a mild limp on trotting or after going long distances. Maybe your pup has some other underlying cause to cause him pain.  Pano is an option.

Did you send the xrays to OFA to be graded or are they just read by the vet? I would send them off to OFA if you haven't. My current girl has DJD. My old girl that was diagnosed by the vet at 7, when the limping began, as UCP. This was back when people were not avidly doing elbow xrays yet. The xray showed a encapsulated bulit in the joint. She was lost for 9 days when she was 2 years old and one person reported shooting at her and hitting her but could not find her. ( What a frickin' nightmare) He claimed she was full of quills and he was doing it to save her from the pain etc. It was a lie, I did find her, she had a few quills in a foot and limped. A 22 hole can heal over quick so the vets assumed the limp was from the quills. To this day I think her elbow was bad from being shot. Anyway when she healed she competed for a CDX with the jumps etc. and never limped until she was 7 years too. I would think about starting your dog on some Glucosomine maybe with MSM added. I also had good luck with the 2nd dog on 2000 mg of ester C daily that I was able to back down to 1000 mg.

Trailrider, what grade was the ED on your dog?  Did your vet have a different opinion than OFA?