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Kryten has Elbow Dysplasia

Bean

Well-Known Member
Good to hear he's recovering well!

Just a question re; your experience with ED. Was there swelling around the elbows that made you get the initial X-ray? (I may have missed your original posts in this thread, sorry!)
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
He did/does get swelling around the point of both elbows (back of he joint). The un-repaired right side is worse than the left. Massaging the joint will reduce it.
That's not what triggered the X-rays however. He had started to limp significantly following a trip to the off-leash where he had jumped over a small cliff following Jiggers and another dog. When he hadn't shown any improvement after a few days I took him in to the vet where he was diagnosed by with a sprained elbow, I had thought the problem was in his shoulder. The vet also commented on a minor clicking in both elbows. When he went from limping to non weight bearing despite being on pain medication I took him back and this time I saw the other vet in the practice. Upon examination she said there was significant crunching not clicking and wanted to do X-rays. A couple days later I his diagnosis.
Looking back there were a few signs that I didn't recognize that were indications that something might have been wrong. He was always tripping over his feet, I just took it as he was a puppy and hadn't learned to control his giant feet. The hardest thing to get him to do when training was lie down. I believed it was a training issue only not that he may not have wanted to lay down because it would hurt to get back up. The most telling was a few weeks before his diagnosis he had a carting lesson and the woman was trying to put the harness on him and when she went to lift his leg he growled at her. He let me put it on without a problem however so that was chalked up to him not liking her leaning over top of him.
 

Bean

Well-Known Member
Thank you for clarifying! I guess you just need to be extra vigilant and cautious with the larger breeds, because what would be "sprains" or "strains" for "regular" dogs, is usually much more serious in mastiffs. :( I hope everything just keeps getting better in your case!
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Not really. His problems are congenital, there is a section of cartilage in both elbows that didn't change into bone as he grew. The jump just broke one of those disconnected pieces away so that it was free to move inside the joint. If he hadn't already had dysplastic elbows it wouldn't have caused them.
 

Bridget

Member
Not really. His problems are congenital, there is a section of cartilage in both elbows that didn't change into bone as he grew. The jump just broke one of those disconnected pieces away so that it was free to move inside the joint. If he hadn't already had dysplastic elbows it wouldn't have caused them.


Thank you for sharing your experience with diagnosis, surgery and recovery. I've noticed limping in my puppy. Some days are worse than others. We've had x-rays and they don't readily indicate any dysplasia. The orthopedist told me the next step is an MRI or CT to determine exactly what ails Samson.

I'm glad your friend is recovering well and is back to being a dog.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
I've discovered that Kryten now suffers from weather induced pain in his surgically repaired elbow. Thankfully cold doesn't seem to be a problem but wind is and any of you that are familiar with southern Alberta know that winter=wind. Today the gusts are above 100kph (65mph). The fact he is now weather sensitive isn't surprising since my own ankle reacts to wind as well but it still sucks, especially since I haven't found something that helps relieve all of his discomfort on days like today.
 

philip12

Member
Signs of elbow dysplasia usually appear in puppies at 4 to 10 months of age, but some dogs may not show signs until adulthood, when degenerative joint disease starts.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
It's hard to believe but it has been a year since the jump that ultimately revealed that Kryten has elbow dysplasia. Most of the time it isn't noticeable that there is anything abnormal about his joints. Only when he is tired after playing/running/bouncing around.
[video=youtube_share;3nxAqB34qDs]http://youtu.be/3nxAqB34qDs[/video]
He even goes back to the 'scene of the crime'.
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Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
He looks awesome

Thank you. I am really happy that I choose to have the surgery done, despite all the challenges and mental trauma (mine). Watching be himself and allowing him to just have fun makes it all worth it. I've almost accepted that he isn't going to be able to run and jump without having to pay a price but since it's a slight price I'm ok with it.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
I really hate that elbows almost never heal 100% of the time and that his didn't even have a chance to get that far. The surgery did nothing to stabilize the inside of the joint and as a result it still causes problems. Now don't get me wrong, the surgery was the best thing for him and 99% of the time you can't tell anything was ever wrong with him. But there are times like this afternoon where it causes him severe pain.
We met up with a king malamute at one of the off leash areas earlier and all three dogs had a blast running, swimming and jumping around. While Zeus wasn't jumping and refuses to get his belly wet but you get the idea. Now Kryten doesn't want to put any weight on his surgical leg. I know it will be fine by tomorrow if not by tonight but I hate it when I feel guilty for letting him have fun.
I just needed to vent a little frustration.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry to hear this, poor Kryten...poor mom... Hopefully, he will feel better tomorrow.

He will. Unfortunately this happens about once a month. And each time the person who had him out feels bad because if they hadn't let him play he wouldn't be sore. It's a stupid catch 22. I had the surgery done so that he could play like a regular dog, sometimes he ends up paying a price for it though. I figure the benefit to his mental wellbeing exceeds the price that is occasionally extracted. Doesn't stop me from feeling bad though.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Massage helps some. He refuses to allow heat or ice and was so adamant in that refusal post surgery I'm not going to try again. Lol. Traumeel helps too. If it doesn't improve as planned I'm going to ask for more NSAIDs as we ran out last time.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Massage helps some. He refuses to allow heat or ice and was so adamant in that refusal post surgery I'm not going to try again. Lol. Traumeel helps too. If it doesn't improve as planned I'm going to ask for more NSAIDs as we ran out last time.

Have you looked into the supplement recovery sa for dogs? There's a version for horses and reviews on that have been nothing but positive. I have read tons of great reviews for the dog one and they are all great other than the bad ones because they couldn't get their dog to eat it. I have Hector on it right now (thanks for mountainfila) although I am unsure if the supplement is helping heaps or because of rest and meds. Nevertheless, I am grateful he is not showing any signs of pain going up stairs and he gets up like a spring chicken with no hesitation.